What it is:
Mood concerns- often called emotion dysregulation- is a term that describes a pattern of intense and fluctuating emotions combined with the tendency to respond impulsively when emotions are present. Adults struggling with emotion dysregulation experience emotions that fire easily and quickly (we call this emotion sensitivity), fire very intensely (we call this emotion reactivity), and take a long time to go back to baseline. These difficulties with emotions can lead to difficult mood states- or emotions that last for hours or days.
Emotion dysregulation or mood concerns can be pervasive, meaning that individuals struggle across multiple emotions (e.g., anger, shame, anxiety), or more specific, meaning that they struggle intensely with one emotion (e.g., panic or anger). In addition to the intense and fluctuating emotions, dysregulation also requires the tendency to respond impulsively or reactively in an attempt to get the emotion to go away. It’s a bit like experiencing your emotion as a hot-potato. Impulsive behaviors that can be used to regulate emotions could include:
- Taking your emotion out on others (e.g., saying something you don’t mean, threatening, yelling)
- Substance use, impulsive sexual behavior, or impulsive spending
- Breaking things, punching walls, or becoming aggressive towards others
- Thrill seeking or sensation seeking
- Self-harm or suicide attempts
- Impulsively escaping the emotion in dangerous ways even if you don’t mean to harm yourself (e.g., driving dangerously)
The intense emotions combined with impulsive behaviors can create difficulties in several areas, including difficulties with school, work, relationships, and a sense of self.
Emotion dysregulation is not a disorder, but rather a way some people experience their emotions. There is significant overlap between dysregulation and being a highly sensitive person. Dysregulation can also be associated with disorders such as Borderline Personality Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, ADHD, Autism, PTSD, or anxiety. For individuals that have intense emotions, but use escape and control rather than impulsivity to decrease the emotion, we call this emotional avoidance. Some people use one strategy over the other, others may experience both emotion dysregulation and emotional avoidance and “ping-pong” between the two strategies.
Emotional dysregulation difficulties occur on a spectrum for most adults. Lower level concerns with dysregulation often involve the ability to function fairly well in day-to-day life (e.g., attending work), but exhaustion or burn out in doing so. Moderate level concerns with dysregulation may involve greater impairments in functioning, usually as a result of the impulsive behavior (e.g., going into debt due to shopping). Adults with severe difficulty with emotion dysregulation may experience substantial functional impairment (e.g., difficulty holding a job), substantial interpersonal conflict (e.g., inability to keep friends, high conflict with family), or the development high risk coping mechanisms (e.g., suicidality, self-injury, aggression).
Does This Sound Familiar?
- I seem to get more upset than other people in the same or similar situations.
- I have trouble calming down or thinking clearly when my emotions are high.
- I’m often told I’m moody or that I over-react to things.
- When I feel upset, I do things to feel better that end up causing me problems.
- I become a different person when I am upset.
- My moods frequently feel out of control or intolerable.
- I “see red,” black out, or dissociate when my emotions get too intense.
- I feel guilty about things I say and do when upset.
- People tell me my moods are unpredictable or they walk on eggshells around me.
Associated Concerns:
- Low to moderate dysregulation is often associated with anxiety, depression, shame, and may involve unhealthy coping mechanisms (e.g., substance use, gambling).
- Severe difficulty with dysregulation may be associated with disorders such as PTSD, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), or Bipolar Disorder and is often associated with self-harm, suicidality, or aggressive behavior.
Specialty Services at TAP:
Below are a list of empirically supported assessments or therapies that one or more of our specialists could provide. Click on an intervention to learn more!