Jheri South: ADHD, RSD & Emotional Dysregulation in Relationships, Parenting & Addiction

About this episode

Jheri South discusses the impact of ADHD on emotional regulation and relationships, highlighting rejection sensitive dysphoria and practical tools for managing these challenges.

On this episode of We’re Out of Time, host Richard Taite is joined by ADHD coach and advocate Jheri South to break down how ADHD shows up far beyond attention and focus. Jheri explains how emotional dysregulation, rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD), and impulsivity shape everyday life, relationships, parenting, and even addiction risk. The conversation begins with RSD, or rejection sensitive dysphoria, which affects an estimated 99% of people with ADHD. Jheri explains how perceived rejection can trigger intense emotional spirals that feel physically and emotionally overwhelming, often leading to conflict in romantic relationships, work environments, and family dynamics. Richard and Jheri explore how ADHDers can misinterpret neutral situations as personal rejection, leading to impulsive reactions, shame, and difficulty regulating emotions. Jheri emphasizes that ADHD is less about attention and more about emotional regulation, identity, and belief systems. They discuss practical tools, including identifying triggers, learning to pause before reacting, and recognizing “episodes” of emotional dysregulation. Jheri also shares five key drivers that engage the ADHD brain: interest…

People in this episode

Host: Richard Taite

Guest: Jheri South

Topics covered

• ADHD
• emotional dysregulation
• rejection sensitive dysphoria
• relationships
• parenting
• addiction

Keywords

• ADHD
• emotional dysregulation
• RSD
• relationships
• parenting
• addiction
• impulsivity
• communication

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: ADHD, autism

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