Just saw a really upsetting take on Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria (RSD) If you don’t like neurodivergent people, say that. Otherwise you should know RSD is very real, very painful, and was one of two conditions i learned to stay on top of to prevent suicides. The other was gender dysphoria.

I might have rejection sensitivity dysphoria. I got called out for not checking my email and I felt physically bad for an hour. I avoid friendships if I think it is going badly. If I'm late to work I get anxious because I'm letting down my coworkers. I frequently feel bad after interactions.

Finally, people talking about this. I was diagnosed adhd this year, and learning about RSD opened my eyes and then enraged me. Like that’s all I need, is another thing warping my reality…especially around relationships which are even more important for an ND. There’s too many lemons.

Narcissists prey on rejection sensitivity.

I really wish people would understand RSD is not just getting hurt feelings, it's feeling like your entire self worth is gone, literally NO ONE wants you around, and it feels like there is no point in continuing to live so you should probably just die. the anguish is overwhelming.

Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria + second hand trauma* literally killed my ability to create for like two years, if not more. *it was a really wild conversation

I hadn’t heard of RSD before. I looked it up. That’s me. I’ve called it other things, and would only admit my sensitivities to very few (really only one) trusted person, although of course everyone knows. I’m not otherwise on the spectrum, but my two children are.

Oh, hey, that's a specific thing? Almost certainly a note on it. Not giving feedback when a person makes a mistake, letting it pile up, and then dropping it all on someone is way way way worse. It's *fun* not trusting anything you do....

Learning that RSD was a *thing* probably helped save my life when I was suicidal 5 years ago. Well, that and the Seroquel that ruined my metabolism, but once the meds had me on an even keel, learning what RSD was made everything make sense to me, including how it was weaponized against me.Learning that RSD was a *thing* probably helped save my life when I was suicidal 5 years ago. Well, that and the Seroquel that ruined my metabolism, but once the meds had me on an even keel, learning what RSD was made everything make sense to me, including how it was weaponized against me.

I wonder if I've made some mistakes in the past by misunderstanding somebody who used the initialism "RSD". To me, that meant Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy. An older name for a version of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. It's also a thing that you are likely to find skepticism or stigma about...

I wrote a whole piece about my RSD and creativity for @britfantasysoc.bsky.social@strangehorizons.bsky.social . At one point I could no longer write because I was so beaten down by negative reviews; shaking it off is not something I can do easily. Anyway, neurotypicals just don't understand.