TPP 310: A Conversation with Dr. Norrine Russell About Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) & ADHD
episode
Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children
40 min
1 speaker
8 chapters
transcribed 13 hours ago
Transcript
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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
What is Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) and why is it important for parents of neurodivergent kids?
Those of us who have kids who have RSD, we know what that's like, right? They're screaming back at you. They're saying nothing will help. It doesn't matter. Everyone hates me. This is the worst thing in the world. I can't believe you're expecting me to cope with this. Of course, I can't cope with this. Those are some of the differences in, I think, how parents come to identify like, oh, I'm something more is going on than a temporary sadness and disappointment.
Welcome to Tilt Parenting, a podcast featuring interviews and conversations aimed at inspiring, informing, and supporting parents raising differently wired kids. I'm your host, Debbie Reber, and I am really excited to bring you this conversation with Dr. Noreen Russell. On a new topic we haven't covered before on the show, and actually one that only came onto my radar last year, and that is rejection-sensitive dysphoria, or RSD, a dysphoria commonly experienced by people with ADHD. Noreen is an expert in ADHD and is the founder of Russell Coaching for Students, which uses an innovative method of coaching for complex students, including those who are 2E, have ADHD, autism, or anxiety, and those with learning differences.
She's also the author of the recently published guide for parents, Asking the Right Questions Before, During, and After Your Child's Diagnosis. In our conversation today, Noreen and I talked about what rejection-sensitive dysphoria is and how it's different from mood disorders or emotional dysregulation. We also talk about what the early signs are and what it might look like to an outside observer and how to support children who have RSD. I'm sure this conversation will resonate with many of you, and I hope you find this new topic interesting and valuable to your family. Thank you so much. And now here's my conversation with Dr. Noreen Russell about rejection sensitive dysphoria. Hey, Dr. Russell, welcome to the podcast.
Thank you for having me. I'm delighted to be here, actually.
Before we get into this topic, which I'm excited because it is a new topic for the show, but I always ask my guests to introduce themselves in their own words. Tell us a little bit about who you are and as part of that, your personal why for the work that you do.
So I'm a mom of two children, ages 12 and 14, both neuro atypical, great kids, amazing kids, smart kids have taught me so much about life. They're just great, great kids. My original degree is in developmental psychology. And so I'm not clinical psychologist. I taught at a few different universities for a while. Didn't really find that to be exactly my jam, as they say these days. I did nonprofit work for several years, which I loved. And then when my son was born, he was very complicated. And that's when I started the coaching practice, which at the time I kind of thought, oh, coaching is so hokey and unscientific and That's not what I want to be doing. But 14 years later, I'm really proud of the work that we're doing and the ways that we're helping families, especially because there are so many families out there who are hooked into so many different services, but we're still really not getting what they need.
And so The coaching model that we have really takes into account what is the science of the various disorders of the kids that we work with and then what is called for from a scientific point of view. So at this point, I would say that I am very proud to be an ADHD and academic coach, but that certainly wasn't the case 14 years ago.
Say a little bit more about kind of what's at the core of the work that you do, you know, as a coach working with ADHD and supporting families who are dealing with ADHD. What's kind of at the heart of the way that you approach your work?
Almost all of the students at our practice have ADHD. Our particular specialization is that we work with kids who have ADHD, autism, and anxiety. Of course, we have other things. You have learning disabilities. You know, you have depression. But almost all of the kids that we see have ADHD. And the niche that we've carved out really is complex ADHD.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) and why is it important for parents of neurodivergent kids?
0:00–5:22
2
How does Dr. Norrine Russell define RSD and differentiate it from typical emotional reactions?
5:22–11:31
3
What early signs should parents look for to recognize RSD in children and adolescents?
11:31–16:45
4
Which everyday situations or triggers commonly set off RSD episodes?
16:45–23:49
5
How can parents tell the difference between RSD, mood disorders, and regular emotional dysregulation?
23:49–28:14
6
What practical strategies and coping skills help support a child experiencing an RSD episode?
28:14–32:53
7
What medical or therapeutic treatments are most effective for managing RSD?
32:53–37:33
8
What resources and next steps does Dr. Russell recommend for families dealing with RSD and ADHD?
37:33–40:10
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children
TPP 266a: A Conversation with Poet and Advocate LeDerick Horne
TPP 522: A Whole Child Approach to ADHD with Phil Boucher, M.D.
TPP 091a: A Conversation With Steve Silberman About His Book “Neurotribes”
TPP 521: A Conversation with Dr. Peter Gray About Restoring Childhood
TPP 253a: Advocate and Author Jonathan Mooney on Why Normal Sucks
TPP 520: Dr. Özgür Bolat on Why Rewards Backfire and the Real Science of Motivating Kids