“Emotion regulation” is a term generally used to describe a person’s ability to effectively manage and respond to an emotional experience. People unconsciously use emotion regulation strategies to cope with difficult situations many times throughout each day. Most of us use a variety of emotion regulation strategies and are successful in doing this. Those that can’t have what we call Dysregulation.

What Is Dysregulation?

Dysregulation, also known as emotional dysregulation, refers to a poor ability to manage emotional responses or to keep them within an acceptable range of typical emotional reactions. This can refer to a wide range of emotions including sadness, anger, irritability, and frustration.

While emotional dysregulation is typically thought of as a childhood problem that usually resolves itself as a child learns proper emotional regulation skills and strategies, emotional dysregulation may continue into adulthood.

For these individuals, emotional dysregulation can lead to a lifetime of struggles including problems with interpersonal relationships, trouble with school performance, and the inability to function effectively in a job or at work.