ADHD Meltdown: Symptoms, Causes, and Tips

Do you often struggle to control your frustration, sadness, or anger? 

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can affect how the brain regulates emotions, often leading to what’s known as ADHD meltdowns. An ADHD meltdown is the sudden and intense outburst of emotions that ADHDers experience.

When meltdowns happen, you might feel frustrated, misunderstood, or even guilty for letting your emotions dictate your actions. 

It’s important to remember that ADHD affects the brain, which, in turn, changes how you process emotions. So, there’s no need to feel ashamed for struggling with this. 

Managing your emotions takes practice, patience, and self-compassion. But with the right support and ADHD treatment, you can gain the upper hand in learning to process your feelings in healthier ways. 

What Is an ADHD Meltdown?

An ADHD meltdown involves an explosion of overwhelming emotions, such as anger or sadness, that can lead to behaviors such as yelling or crying. 

When we think of these tantrums, we might associate them with children still learning to process and manage big emotions. However, they can affect people of all ages, including adult ADHDers. 

ADHD Meltdown Symptoms

ADHD meltdowns can look different from one individual to another. However, some general symptoms include the following: 

• Screaming or yelling
• Breaking down and uncontrolled crying
• Cursing or swearing
• Irritability and low patience for others
• Clenching fists, stomping about, or throwing items
• Sweating and fast breathing
• Withdrawing from friends and family
• Binge eating

The ADHD Volcano Model

The ADHD volcano model helps us understand how living with ADHD symptoms can contribute to the “explosion” of emotions. 

The innermost core of the volcano represents the basic characteristics of ADHD that lead to different symptoms. These include lower dopamine levels in the brain, poor executive functioning, and lack of emotional regulation.^[1]

These aspects can lead to various symptoms represented by the volcano’s other layers. These are the characteristic symptoms of adult ADHD, which include the following:

• Poor focus
• Lack of attention to detail
• Difficulty planning and organizing
• Difficulty waiting your turn 
• Excessive talking
• Mood swings
• Impulsivity

As you experience these symptoms, you might run into different challenges. For example, you may face trouble at work or school or have frequent conflicts in your friendships and relationships.^[2] You might also struggle to stay on track with house chores, errands, and other responsibilities. 

The resulting stress, frustration, and demanding expectations can cause pressure to build up in the ADHD volcano, eventually leading to an eruption of emotions when they can no longer be contained. 

Causes of ADHD Meltdown

By understanding the triggers of your ADHD anger spirals and meltdowns, you’ll have a better idea of what you can do to prevent or reduce them. 

Let’s discuss some common causes and triggers of ADHD meltdowns. 

Sensory Overload

Sensory overload in ADHD happens when the brain becomes overloaded with sensory information that does not seem to bother non-ADHDers. 

This occurs because the ADHD brain is sensitive. It struggles to filter out or inhibit such information from being received and processed.^[3]

If you have ADHD, you can become overstimulated by bright lights, strong smells, loud noises, or crowded spaces. When the brain is loaded with such information, you might experience an emotional outburst.

Frustration with Task Demands

Having poor focus, getting distracted, and struggling to plan and organize are all symptoms of ADHD. 

These symptoms can affect your ability to complete your daily activities and tasks. You may also feel pressure to meet the expectations of your boss, supervisor, peers, teachers, or parents. 

Emotional Dysregulation

Another cause for ADHD meltdowns is emotional dysregulation. This term simply means that the individual responds to situations in a way that falls outside what society considers normal or acceptable. 

Emotional dysregulation is shown to affect around 34-70% of adults with ADHD.^[4] The ADHD brain can change the way you process emotions, making it harder for you to regulate complex feelings like anger, frustration, or sadness.

Transitions and Changes

Significant changes can be challenging to adapt to if you have ADHD. 

The ADHD brain needs a routine or structure. However, significant transitions can completely throw off your schedule. Getting used to these changes and formulating a new routine might also take longer. 

During this process, you could become anxious or overwhelmed. 

Sleep Deprivation

Research suggests that around 40% of adults with ADHD report having insomnia symptoms.^[5]

ADHD and sleep issues are commonly linked. ADHD can make it harder to fall asleep at night, stay asleep, and wake up feeling refreshed in the morning. 

A lack of sleep, in turn, can contribute to anxiety, stress, irritability, and sadness, which increases your chances of experiencing an outburst. 

Tips for Managing ADHD Meltdowns

Now that you better understand meltdowns, you can equip yourself with strategies to cope with them when they happen. At the same time, you can also look into setting up longer-term strategies to prevent them.

Here are some practical ways to deal with ADHD meltdowns. 

Identify Triggers

After experiencing an outburst, you can reflect on its cause. You can take note of the likely triggers and even write them down. Then, think about ways you can minimize these triggers.

For example, suppose low motivation and poor focus are causing stress due to struggles with work performance. In that case, you can explore various productivity and organization tools or apps to help you stay on track.

Create a Calming Environment

What causes you to have sensory overload? Is it bright or flickering lights? Perhaps you often feel overwhelmed by the noise of crowds or chatter. 

If so, consider creating a calming and sensory-friendly environment. For example, you could opt for soft lighting or blackout curtains at home or request a quiet spot at your workplace when you need to focus. 

Additionally, consider building a quiet spot where you can retreat to regain your bearings whenever you experience a meltdown. 

Practice Deep Breathing

Deep breathing helps combat stress by lowering the levels of the stress hormone known as cortisol. 

If you want to try it, you can allocate 5-10 minutes daily to practice deep breathing. During these short sessions, find a quiet place to sit and take full breaths, focusing on your breathing. 

You can practice this technique until it becomes your immediate response when you feel overwhelmed, anxious, or stressed. 

Use a Sensory Toolkit

A sensory toolkit is a collection of items prepared in advance to help you stay calm and focused in nerve-racking situations. It’s handy if you tend to experience sensory overload. 

Here are some examples of what to include in your sensory kit based on the five primary senses: 

• Sight: Sunglasses (to prevent sensory overload), mini toy games (to distract you from overwhelming emotions)
• Touch: Fidget toys or squishy or stretchy toys, like a stress ball 
• Sound: Noise-canceling earphones, white noise or brown noise, or earplugs
• Smell: Essential oils 
• Taste: Chewing gums or mints

Stick to a Routine

Routines add more structure and consistency to your day, helping you stay better organized and focused on key tasks. They can also help reduce the mental load of thinking of every next step. 

Instead of mapping out every moment, create a simple routine with a few main daily activities. You can print your schedule out and place it somewhere you can quickly refer to or utilize smartphone planner apps to keep track of your activities. 

Break Tasks into Small Steps

Tackling a big project or assignment is daunting, which can cause anxiety and pressure to build up. To make a task more manageable, you can break it down into smaller, more achievable goals. 

Write these goals down in order and then work on them one by one. As you tick them off your list, you’ll also have the opportunity to celebrate each small win, which can help boost your motivation. 

Learn Emotional Regulation

Emotional regulation refers to managing one’s emotional state and response. 

Start by practicing being aware of your emotions, especially when in a situation you don’t like. Pause and ask yourself how you feel. Then, name the emotions without judgment. Examples include anger, hopelessness, disappointment, or sadness. 

Once you’ve accepted the emotion, you can reflect on what response you’d like to give. Is there a better way to react or a more effective way to express how you feel? This gives you more control over what you say or do. 

Use Visual Timers

If you have ADHD and want to improve your time management, visual timers go a long way. They clearly show how much time you have left to complete a task, helping you meet deadlines and stay on track. 

These timers can also be handy if you often utilize the Pomodoro technique. This productivity-boosting method divides your time into alternating blocks of focused work and short breaks. 

You can purchase a visual timer online or use an electronic timer on your computer or smartphone. 

Managing ADHD Meltdowns with Calmness and Compassion

If you’re struggling with ADHD meltdowns or trying to support a loved one who experiences them, compassion and calmness are essential for tackling such intense moments. 

Responding with patience and understanding is far more effective than resorting to criticism or punishment—whether toward yourself or the ADHDer. It’s always best to acknowledge and validate these emotions instead of suppressing them to create a safe space for healing and growth. 

If you’re looking for a non-judgmental space to learn how to deal with your emotions and ADHD symptoms, check out ADDA+. This hub provides access to expert-driven resources and ADHD support groups where you can exchange support and advice with people on a similar journey. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an ADHD meltdown like?

When you experience a meltdown, your emotions might build up to the point where they become too overwhelming to control. As a result, you may feel like you’re going to explode in rage, frustration, or sadness. 

What triggers ADHD rage?

Symptoms of ADHD, like poor focus, lack of organization and planning, and high distractability, can interfere with a person’s ability to complete necessary tasks. This can lead to frustration and anger. Sensory overload can also increase rage and irritability in ADHD. 

How long does an ADHD meltdown last?

ADHD meltdowns can vary greatly in duration. Some individuals experience them for a few minutes, while others struggle with them for hours. 

References

[1] Véronneau-Veilleux, F., Robaey, P., Ursino, M., & Nekka, F. (2022). A mechanistic model of ADHD as resulting from dopamine phasic/tonic imbalance during reinforcement learning. Frontiers in computational neuroscience, 16, 849323. https://doi.org/10.3389/fncom.2022.849323

[2] Williams, O. C., Prasad, S., McCrary, A., Jordan, E., Sachdeva, V., Deva, S., Kumar, H., Mehta, J., Neupane, P., & Gupta, A. (2023). Adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a comprehensive review. Annals of medicine and surgery, 85(5), 1802–1810. https://doi.org/10.1097/MS9.0000000000000631

[3] Lane, S. J., & Reynolds, S. (2019). Sensory Over-Responsivity as an Added Dimension in ADHD. Frontiers in integrative neuroscience, 13, 40. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnint.2019.00040

[4] Hirsch, O., Chavanon, M. L., & Christiansen, H. (2019). Emotional dysregulation subgroups in patients with adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): a cluster analytic approach. Scientific reports, 9(1), 5639. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-42018-y

[5] Becker S. P. (2020). ADHD and sleep: recent advances and future directions. Current opinion in psychology, 34, 50–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2019.09.006