ADHD rejection sensitivity can make one comment, one text, or one change in someone’s tone feel like proof that everything is falling apart. In this episode of The Dr. Brighten Show, Alex Partridge joins me to unpack rejection sensitivity, masking, identity, self-trust, and the hidden emotional cost of ADHD; view the full show notes at
https://drbrighten.com/podcasts/adhd-rejection-sensitivity/
📚 My new book, ADHD and Women, explores the relationship between ADHD, hormones, the nervous system, nutrition, and the experiences women are so often never taught to connect.
🎁 Preorder the book and see the current limited-time bonuses here:https://drbrighten.com/adhdandwomen
In This Episode
Why ADHD can make rejection and criticism feel disproportionately intense
How childhood comments like “you’re too much,” “stop being so emotional,” or “why are you so weird?” can shape the way you see yourself as an adult
How masking can slowly shift the question from “Who am I?” to “Who do I need to be so people will accept me?”
Why Alex believes rejection sensitivity can become one of the most debilitating and overlooked parts of ADHD
How an unanswered text, unusual tone of voice, meeting request, or single negative comment can trigger catastrophic thinking
How people-pleasing and fear of disappointing others can undermine your ability to trust your own instincts
Why an emotional trigger can lead to quitting, relationship conflict, impulsive decisions, or behaviors you regret once you’re regulated again
What it can feel like to receive an ADHD diagnosis and suddenly realize you don’t know who you are underneath years of masking
Why your brain may seek out criticism—even when you’re already feeling terrible—and how to interrupt that pattern
How creating a bank of real evidence can help challenge the story rejection sensitivity is telling you
How to repair after an intense emotional reaction without using ADHD as an excuse for harmful behavior
Why someone who appears “high functioning” at work may actually be high masking and completely depleted by the time they get home
Why “you just need to try harder” may be one of the most damaging messages people with ADHD hear
How curiosity, pattern recognition, creativity, entrepreneurship, and intense interests can become powerful ADHD strengths
About Alex Partridge
🎙️ Alex Partridge is the founder of UNILAD and LADbible, host of the award-winning ADHD Chatter podcast, a Sunday Times bestselling author, and a leading voice in conversations about ADHD and neurodiversity.
In this conversation, Alex shares not only what he has learned through interviewing hundreds of experts, but his own experiences with masking, alcoholism, entrepreneurship, rejection sensitivity, identity, and rebuilding self-trust.
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Follow Alex Partridge
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex_partridge_100/?hl=en
🌐 Website: https://www.alex-partridge.com/
🎙️ ADHD Chatter:https://www.instagram.com/adhd_chatter_podcast
▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ADHD_Chatter_Podcast
Follow Dr. Jolene Brighten
🌐 Website: https://drbrighten.com
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📚 Books: https://drbrighten.com/books
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Join the Conversation
💬 Have you ever interpreted a tiny change in someone’s tone, a delayed text, or a request to “talk later” as proof you had done something wrong?
👇 Tell me in the comments what rejection sensitivity or masking has looked like for you.
👍 Like this episode if it helped you put words to something you’ve experienced.
📤 Share it with someone who has spent years believing they were “too sensitive” or “too much.”
🔔 Subscribe to The Dr. Brighten Show for more evidence-informed conversations about ADHD, hormones, women’s health, relationships, and the brain.
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