ADHD and relationships ADHD might make both friendships and romantic relationships a bit tricky, and it can sometimes lead to misunderstandings.25 If you have ADHD, you might forget promises you made or find it hard to pay attention to your friends or partner consistently.This could make them feel like you don’t care about them or that you’re ignoring them. It can also lead to canceled or forgotten plans, which might make you feel guilty and frustrated.26To make things even more challenging, you might experience something called rejection-sensitive dysphoria (RSD).27 Rejection-sensitive dysphoria (RSD) is a condition some people with ADHD have that makes you super sensitive to judgment and feel like you’ve failed.28 It might be why you feel really hurt when your friend or partner criticizes you, or why you might be really hard on yourself. It can also make you feel guilty and ashamed, even for little mistakes, which can make you feel even more distant from your friends or partner. Understanding how ADHD affects your friendships and relationships might help you build healthier connections. The resources below discuss how ADHD influences your relationships and include suggestions for how to improve things. Explore more ARTICLE 9 ways ADHD may strain relationshipsShows how ADHD can affect your relationships, and what to do about it. ARTICLE Say hello to RSD (rejection-sensitive dysphoria)Gives examples of what RSD is so you can recognize it and learn to live with it. ARTICLE Feeling antisocial? Alone? Both? 3 common ADHD friendship challengesExplains how ADHD can affect your friendships. previous Working, jobs and careers next Becoming a parent and parenting References 25.Relationship & social skills. Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Accessed March 2, 2024. https://chadd.org/for-adults/relationships-social-skills/ 26. Maynard S. Feeling antisocial? Alone? Both? 3 common ADHD friendship challenges. ADDitude Magazine. Updated February 1, 2021. Accessed March 2, 2024. https://www.additudemag.com/relationships-friendships-feeling-antisocial/ 27. Ginapp CM, Greenberg NR, MacDonald-Gagnon G, Angarita GA, Bold KW, Potenza MN. "Dysregulated not deficit": A qualitative study on symptomatology of ADHD in young adults. PLoS One. 2023;18(10):e0292721. Published 2023 Oct 12. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0292721 28. Carter E. Does this relationship struggle sound familiar? Say hello to RSD. Attention Deficit Disorder Association. Published February 8, 2021. Accessed March 2, 2024. https://add.org/say-hello-to-rsd/