Emotional dysregulation testing assesses an individual’s ability to manage moods effectively. This psychological testing is usually done with children and adolescents, but adults can also benefit from it. An emotional dysregulation test battery leads to a report that outlines triggers, solutions, and coping strategies. It can be very helpful to ongoing therapy or even self-help methods. This assessment is often used in our practice as part of a full psychological evaluation. We provide testing that combines emotional dysregulation and ADHD, PTSD, and borderline personality disorder.
The following is an overview of emotional dysregulation testing. After you read this, if you feel that this type of psychological assessment might be helpful for you or your child, please feel free to contact us at any time. We always provide an initial phone consultation at no cost.
Emotional Dysregulation Test Process
The emotional dysregulation test battery involves various methods tailored to your unique needs and questions. We design the evaluation around you, so the results are what you are looking for. There are some usual main components, however, including:
Emotional Dysregulation Testing Interviews and Observations
We will start with a structured interview to understand your or your child’s affective experiences, triggers, and 
coping mechanisms. We’ll review the history of responses and how they evolved. We may also do role-plays or observations of various situations to identify patterns and triggers. Role-plays are more common with adults, while observations are common with children.
These techniques aim to understand your ability to manage your impulses in real-world situations.
Self-Report Measures and Questionnaires
The second step is giving you a series of empirically established measures to gather more information about your or your child’s affective experiences and mood control strategies. These self-report measures provide valuable objective insights into affective states. These tests are specifically normed so that you can see how you manage compared to others who are similar to you, perhaps those who work in the same field, have the same diagnosis or are facing the same challenges. Some diagnoses require more substantial questionnaires, such as ED and PTSD assessments.
Psychological Emotional Dysregulation Testing
Standardized psychological measures, such as Personality evaluation or more specific tests related to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and other issues, may be administered to assess specific aspects of functioning. In some cases, these assessments are broad and capture a wide variety of mood-provoking situations. In other cases, they are specific to a certain type of situation. The latter are often add-ons after we decide on them after getting initial results. If you are looking for results for affective control and ADHD, for example, we’ll add specific ADHD tests.
Neurobiological Emotional Dysregulation Testing
In some cases, neurobiological measures like heart rate variability and measures of calm may be used to understand the underlying neural processes related to control. We may do these in conjunction with a specialist, or, when it is a simpler approach, we suggest you use an app on your smartphone or a smartwatch if you have one.
This is just a general outline of our process. In many cases, this testing is combined with other types of psychological testing. We will always design the emotional dysregulation test battery, which we will do with you with your input. We will review each potential measure, what it involves, and what it measures beforehand.
Emotional Dysregulation and ADHD
Difficulties in controlling one’s reactions to stimuli are part of the connection between emotional dysregulation and ADHD. This can manifest as intense mood swings, impulsivity, difficulty coping with stress, and problems with self-soothing. Emotional dysregulation and ADHD are common and may include executive functioning deficits such as impulse control and working memory.
People with ADHD may experience events more intensely than those without the condition. This heightened reactivity can lead to difficulties in managing and regulating things effectively. Emotional dysregulation and ADHD symptoms can strain relationships with family members, friends, and colleagues. Impulsive reactions may lead to misunderstandings, conflicts, and difficulties in communication. Thus, emotional dysregulation and ADHD assessments can help people understand it better.
Why Does ED Occur in ADHD?
The root causes are related to brain structure and functioning:
- Prefrontal Cortex Dysfunction: This brain region is responsible for executive functions like planning, self-control, and affective control. ADHD impairs this area, reducing the brain’s ability to modulate emotions effectively.
- Dopamine Dysregulation: ADHD often involves lower dopamine levels, impacting mood stability, motivation, and reward processing.
- Working Memory Deficits: Difficulty holding thoughts and consequences in working memory can make situations feel more overwhelming.
- Delayed Maturation: Studies suggest affective control development in individuals with ADHD can be delayed compared to neurotypical peers.
Signs of Emotional Dysregulation and ADHD
- Mood Swings: Emotional dysregulation and ADHD combine to cause rapid shifts between excitement, anger, frustration, or sadness.
- Low Frustration Tolerance: Small setbacks or interruptions feel overwhelming.
- Overwhelming Reactions: Responses that seem out of proportion to the situation.
- Difficulty “Letting Go”: Lingering on negative thoughts or events.
- Impulsive Outbursts: Acting on strong feelings before processing them (e.g., yelling, crying).
How Emotional Dysregulation and ADHD Affects Life
- Relationships: The emotional dysregulation and ADHD combination causes difficulty managing emotions can strain friendships, family, and romantic relationships.
- Work/School: Intense reactions to stress or feedback may impact performance and confidence.
- Self-Esteem: Being seen as “overly emotional” or “volatile” can lead to self-criticism or feelings of shame.
- Mental Health: ED increases the risk of anxiety, depression, and burnout.
How Emotional Dysregulation Testing Can Help
Emotional dysregulation and ADHD testing can help you qualify for accommodations in school or work, such as quiet spaces, flexibility for breaks during overwhelming moments, extended time for assignments or tests if feelings impact focus, and access to counseling or mental health support.
Emotional dysregulation and ADHD testing can also help by suggesting treatment, self-help, and natural approaches to address ADHD help you. It can help you gain new insights into your difficulties and new ways to cope and show resilience. You’ll be able to explain the connection between emotional dysregulation and ADHD to people in your life, so they understand you better. Finally, it can help you find new strength and opportunities.
Emotional Dysregulation and PTSD
PTSD is a mental health condition that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event, such as combat, natural disasters, physical or sexual assault, or other life-threatening situations. Emotional dysregulation and PTSD are often connected because PTSD refers to difficulties in managing and controlling feelings.
PTSD often involves symptoms of hyperarousal, such as exaggerated startle response, irritability, and hypervigilance. These symptoms can contribute to emotional dysregulation and PTSD being connected and leading to intense feelings of anger, frustration, or anxiety. People with PTSD may experience intrusive memories or flashbacks of the traumatic event, which can evoke intense reactions. This can also intensify the emotional dysregulation and PTSD connection.
Addressing emotional dysregulation and PTSD typically involves therapy approaches such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), specifically trauma-focused CBT, and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). Testing for emotional dysregulation and PTSD can help with treatment planning.
Why Does PTSD Cause ED?
PTSD alters key areas of the brain involved in emotion and threat processing, and thus the emotional dysregulation and PTSD connection:
- Amygdala Hyperactivity:
- The amygdala, the brain’s “threat detector,” becomes overactive in PTSD.
- Even small, non-threatening cues (e.g., loud noises, a specific smell) can trigger an intense feeling or physical response.
- Prefrontal Cortex Suppression:
- The prefrontal cortex, which helps manage feelings and make rational decisions, becomes underactive.
- This reduces the ability to “calm down” or inhibit impulsive reactions.
- Hippocampal Dysfunction:
- The hippocampus, responsible for memory processing, struggles to differentiate between past and present threats.
- This results in flashbacks or flooding when trauma memories are triggered.
- Nervous System Dysregulation:
- PTSD causes a dysregulated autonomic nervous system, leaving individuals stuck in fight-or-flight (hyperarousal) or freeze (hypoarousal/dissociation) states.
Signs of the Emotional Dysregulation and PTSD Connection
- Hyperarousal:
- Emotional dysregulation and PTSD cause people to feel jittery, on edge, or easily startled.
- In the long run, emotional dysregulation and PTSD can cause chronic irritability and difficulty calming down.
- Hypoarousal/Dissociation:
- Feeling numb, disconnected, or unable to experience positive feelings.
- Anger Outbursts:
- Explosive or disproportionate reactions to small frustrations.
- Flooding:
- Being overwhelmed by fear, sadness, or other trauma-related emotions.
- Chronic Shame and Guilt:
- Negative self-perception stemming from trauma.
Emotional Dysregulation and PTSD Impact on Daily Life
- Relationships: Reactivity or withdrawal can strain interpersonal connections.
- Work/School: Difficulty focusing due to overwhelm or dissociation.
- Self-Perception: Feeling “broken,” ashamed, or unable to control emotions.
- Mental Health: Emotional dysregulation and PTSD often overlap with anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation.
How Emotional Dysregulation Testing Can Help
Emotional dysregulation and PTSD testing can help you qualify for accommodations in School or Work, similar to those listed for ADHD. In addition, it can lead to accommodations that involve time off when symptoms are at their strongest, and the use of specialized supports.
Emotional dysregulation and PTSD testing can also help by suggesting treatment, self-help, and holistic approaches to help you. It can help you gain new and deeper insights, paths to hope and resilience, and ways to help others in your life understand the connection between emotional dysregulation and PTSD to people in your life.
Emotional Dysregulation and Borderline Personality Disorder
ED is a hallmark feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD), a mental health condition characterized by pervasive patterns of instability in interpersonal relationships, self-image, and affect, along with impulsivity. Emotional dysregulation and borderline personality disorder are quite closely linked since borderline personality disorder refers to significant difficulties in managing and controlling moods, leading to intense and often unstable mood states. Here’s how emotional dysregulation and borderline personality disorder intersect:
Evaluation for emotional dysregulation and borderline personality disorder can help a person improve interpersonal relationships, reduce self-harming behaviors, and address mood swings and fear of abandonment.
Why Does BPD Cause ED?
Neurological and emotional processing differences cause the emotional dysregulation and borderline personality disorder connection.
- Heightened Emotional Sensitivity:
- Individuals with BPD have an intense reactivity to emotional stimuli.
- Even minor triggers can cause a strong response.
- Slower Return to Baseline:
- It takes longer for feelings to subside after being triggered.
- Reactions linger, leading to prolonged distress.
- Amygdala Hyperactivity:
- The amygdala, responsible for detecting threats and generating responses, is overactive in BPD.
- This leads to exaggerated responses and difficulty distinguishing real vs. perceived threats.
- Prefrontal Cortex Dysregulation:
- The prefrontal cortex helps regulate feelings and make rational decisions, but it may function poorly in BPD.
- This emotional dysregulation and borderline personality disorder connection reduces the ability to “pause” and process feelings calmly.
- Early Trauma and Invalidating Environments:
- Many individuals with BPD experience early life trauma (e.g., neglect, abuse) or environments where their feelings were invalidated (e.g., being told their feelings were “wrong” or exaggerated).
- This leads to poor coping skills and deep fear of rejection or abandonment.
Signs of Emotional Dysregulation and Borderline Personality Disorder
- Intense Anger:
- Emotional dysregulation and borderline personality disorder can cause difficulty controlling anger, including frequent outbursts or simmering resentment.
- Mood Swings:
- Rapid changes in mood, often triggered by interpersonal stress or perceived rejection.
- Overwhelming Anxiety or Sadness:
- Feeling flooded without clear ways to cope.
- Impulsive Behaviors:
- Acting impulsively (e.g., spending sprees, substance use, self-harm) as a way to escape painful feelings.
- Self-Harm and Suicidal Behavior:
- Self-injury or threats of suicide are sometimes used as a maladaptive coping mechanism for overwhelming feelings.
- Chronic Emptiness:
- Feeling “numb” or hollow, which can fuel impulsive behaviors.
Emotional Dysregulation and Borderline Personality Disorder Impact on Life
- Relationships: Emotional dysregulation and borderline personality disorder often lead to turbulent relationships due to fears of abandonment, intense reactions, and impulsive behavior.
- Self-Image: Strong feelings can cause unstable self-esteem or identity confusion (e.g., switching between seeing oneself as “good” or “bad”).
- Work/School: Difficulty handling stress, criticism, or interpersonal conflicts can impact performance.
- Mental Health: Emotional dysregulation and borderline personality disorder contribute to comorbid conditions like depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and eating disorders.
How Emotional Dysregulation Testing Can Help
Emotional dysregulation and borderline personality disorder testing can help you qualify for accommodations for work or school, such as quiet workspaces, flexibility for breaks when overwhelmed, extended time if mood swings impact focus, and access to EAPs for mental health support.
Emotional dysregulation and borderline personality disorder testing can also help by suggesting treatment, self-help, and holistic approaches that can reduce symptoms and bring relief. It can help you gain new insights into your unique diagnosis and ways to find new strength and opportunities. You can also help people around you understand the connection between emotional dysregulation and borderline personality disorder.
Emotional Dysregulation Test Results
The results of emotional dysregulation testing can help develop appropriate treatment and intervention plans. Treatment for adolescents and adults might involve various therapeutic approaches, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and mindfulness-based stress reduction interventions. Depending on the underlying causes and severity, a medication evaluation is sometimes recommended. For children, emotional dysregulation testing often points to different forms of expressive therapy and modeling, which many therapists do.
You will receive a full emotional dysregulation test report that describes your results on each test and what they mean, and then an analysis that combines all of that. Finally, a section provides suggestions, including any therapy that may help, tips to manage your symptoms, and ideas for other interventions.
Emotional Dysregulation Testing Benefits
These assessments can be valuable tools in various contexts, such as clinical psychology, mental health assessment, and personal development. Here are some benefits you might see from this type of assessment:
Identification and Treatment
Emotional dysregulation tests help identify if you’ve been struggling with an upset affecting different areas of your life. They provide a scientific and structured way to assess the extent and nature of affective control, giving additional insight and detail. Your therapist can then review your results and develop treatment plans tailored to your challenges and strengths. These plans might include strategies to enhance mood and trigger awareness, coping skills, and control techniques. Repeat assessments can help track changes and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions.
Intervention After Emotional Dysregulation Testing
Identifying ED early on can lead to early intervention and support. This can potentially prevent the escalation of difficulties and the development of more complex mental health issues. These tests often consider various affective, cognitive, and behavioral factors. This holistic assessment helps professionals and individuals understand how moods are interconnected with other aspects of life. If you’ve been struggling, taking a formal test can provide validation and a sense that professionals recognize and understand your difficulties. This validation can be crucial to seeking help and engaging in treatment.
Personal Benefits of an Emotional Dysregulation Test
Emotional dysregulation tests can also be used for personal growth and self-awareness. You can use these assessments to gain insights into your affective tendencies, learn about your strengths and challenges, and develop strategies to improve control skills. Improved control can lead to better communication skills. When you become more aware of your moods and where they come from and can regulate them effectively, you will be more likely to express yourself clearly and manage conflicts healthily.
Understanding your affective patterns can empower you to take control of your affective experiences. By recognizing triggers and employing coping strategies, you can reduce the negative impact on your life.
Emotional Dysregulation Testing Conclusions
It’s important to note that while these tests have many benefits, we often use them as part of a comprehensive assessment process. They are often used alongside clinical judgment and other assessment methods to ensure accurate understanding and effective planning. We’ll talk to you about the questions you hope to answer through this psychological testing and ensure that the measures we use answer those questions.
Emotional dysregulation testing provides measurable, specific conclusions and suggestions about operationalizing these conclusions to overcome challenges.
Our Work
While early intervention is ideal, we’ve seen improvement help many adults who have had this challenge for many years. An evaluation can give you a head start and provide insights that help you get the treatment you need and tips to try on your own in conjunction with that treatment. Emotional dysregulation and ADHD, PTSD, and PBD testing can really help.
Testing for emotional dysregulation is part of our assessment services and sometimes part of a larger personality evaluation or neuropsychological evaluation that covers other areas. No matter what, your emotional dysregulation testing battery will be uniquely tailored to your questions and will be designed with your input. We’d happily discuss how emotional dysregulation testing can help you or your child.
