adhd · sheet

What type of dysregulation do you have?

Not everyone with ADHD gets dysregulated the same way. Mark which phrases you identify with most to recognise your own pattern — this isn't a diagnosis, it's a tool to understand yourself better.

Pattern A · Outward, fast

When something frustrates me, I explode almost instantly — a slammed door, a sharp reply, raising my voice.It passes fast: 10 minutes later I'm already calm, even if the other person is still hurt.Afterwards I feel guilty about the reaction, more than about what caused it.

Pattern B · Inward, stuck

When something frustrates me, I keep turning it over for hours or even days, I can't let it go.On the outside I seem calm, but inside I'm still looping the same scene.I find it harder to recognise in the moment that I'm dysregulated, because there's no visible explosion.

An honest note

You might recognise yourself in both patterns at once, or in neither fully — these are tendencies, not closed boxes. What does seem real is that the "stuck" pattern (B), being less visible, takes longer to notice and ask for help with.

Behind this sheet: Recent research (2026, Journal of Affective Disorders) on emotional regulation subphenotypes in adult ADHD finds distinct patterns with differential treatment response — this is a developing research field, not an official clinical classification yet.

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