Short answer: There is no official rejection sensitive dysphoria test, because RSD is not a formal diagnosis. This 15-question self-check is built from how ADHD and autistic adults describe the pattern: the speed, the physical hit, the worst-case story, the withdrawal or the flash of anger, and the long-term avoidance. It tells you whether your reactions fit the pattern, not whether you have a condition.
Before you start
Answer for the last six months, not your worst week. Score each statement 0 (never), 1 (sometimes), 2 (often) or 3 (almost always). Be honest rather than kind to yourself; the point is to see the pattern, not to pass. Fifteen questions, five minutes.
Why there is no official test: RSD is a descriptive term, not a clinical category, and researchers measure the underlying trait, rejection sensitivity, with instruments that were not designed around ADHD. The questions below draw on the themes in the lived-experience research on ADHD adults (withdrawal, masking, bodily sensations) and autistic adults (overwhelm, reliving past rejections, physical tension), which you can read about in the main RSD page.
The 15 questions
The hit
1. When someone criticizes me, I feel it in my body (chest, stomach, heat, tears) before I have had time to think.
2. An unanswered message or a flat one-word reply can ruin my mood for hours.
3. A small change in someone's tone or expression registers as a sign that I have done something wrong.
The story
4. When I sense rejection, my mind jumps straight to the worst explanation (they hate me, I am about to be fired, the friendship is over) and it feels like fact.
5. One critical comment outweighs many positive ones; I remember the criticism and lose the praise.
6. If a meeting or conversation is scheduled without a reason given, I assume it is bad news and struggle to function until it happens.
The response
7. After feeling rejected I withdraw: I go quiet, cancel plans, or disappear from people for a while.
8. After feeling rejected I react fast and sharply: a defensive reply, a flash of anger, or ending something before the other person can.
9. I hide how much a rejection has affected me, even from people I am close to.
The crash
10. After a perceived rejection I can feel suddenly hopeless or worthless in a way that lifts just as suddenly when it turns out to be nothing.
11. I replay rejections or criticisms for days or weeks, in detail, long after the other person has forgotten.
The avoidance
12. I avoid asking for feedback, applying for things, or meeting new people because of how rejection would feel.
13. I work much harder than I need to, or try to please everyone, so that nobody will have a reason to criticize me.
14. I have ended relationships, left jobs, or dropped out of groups because of a rejection that, looking back, was small or had not actually happened.
15. People close to me have told me I overreact to criticism, or that they have to be careful how they say things to me.
Your score
Add up your answers. The range is 0 to 45.
0 to 12: ordinary sensitivity. You feel rejection the way most people do; it stings and it passes. If one or two items scored 3, those are worth noticing, but the overall pattern is not RSD.
13 to 24: a clear RSD pattern in some areas. Look at where the points cluster. High scores in the hit and story sections with low scores in avoidance usually mean the reactions are intense but you have kept them from shaping your choices; the tools in the first half of our how to deal with RSD guide are the ones to start with.
25 to 45: a strong RSD pattern that is probably shaping your life. If you also have ADHD, or suspect you do, that is the first thing to raise with a clinician, because treating the ADHD often reduces the reactivity. If questions 12 to 15 are where your points are, the avoidance has become the problem rather than the feeling, and that responds well to therapy focused on emotional regulation and exposure.
Two notes on reading the result. The hit and crash questions (1 to 3, 10, 11) tend to score higher in autistic adults; the response and avoidance questions (7 to 9, 12 to 14) tend to score higher in ADHD adults. Neither is a diagnosis of anything; it is a pointer to which page to read next. And if question 8 is one of your highest, the material on anger and repair in The AuDHD Anger, RSD and Meltdown Bundle is written for exactly that pattern.
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Four workbooks: Anger, Meltdowns and Shutdowns, RSD for AuDHD Brains, and The Repair Kit with apology and repair scripts for after the storm.
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What this test cannot tell you
It cannot tell you whether you have ADHD, autism, an anxiety disorder, depression, or a personality disorder; several of these produce overlapping scores, and a high result here is a reason to talk to a clinician who assesses adults, not a conclusion. It cannot tell you whether the rejection you are sensing is real; some environments do reject constantly, and no amount of regulation fixes a room that is actually hostile. And it cannot track change on its own, so take it again in three months if you start working on any of this. The thing that usually drops first is the avoidance score, and that is the one that matters most for your life.
If you want the "why" behind your result, read RSD and ADHD: why rejection hits so much harder.
This self-check is information, not a diagnosis or a clinical instrument. If your reactions are affecting your safety, work or relationships, talk to a clinician who treats adult ADHD and emotional dysregulation.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an official test for rejection sensitive dysphoria?
No. RSD is not a recognized diagnosis, so there is no validated clinical test for it. Researchers measure the related trait, rejection sensitivity, with questionnaires designed for the general population. Self-checks like this one describe the pattern; they do not diagnose anything.
How do I know if I have RSD?
The pattern is fast, physical, out-of-proportion reactions to perceived rejection or criticism, a worst-case story that feels like fact, withdrawal or a flash of anger, and over time, avoidance of situations where rejection is possible. If most of those are true for you most of the time, your experience fits what people mean by RSD.
Can a doctor diagnose RSD?
Not as RSD, because it is not in the diagnostic manuals. A clinician can assess for ADHD, autism, anxiety and mood disorders, all of which can involve rejection sensitivity, and can treat emotional dysregulation directly. Bring your answers to this self-check; they are a useful starting point for that conversation.
What score means I have RSD?
There is no cut-off that "means" RSD, because there is no official definition. On this self-check, 25 and above indicates a strong pattern that is likely affecting your life, 13 to 24 a clear pattern in some areas, and 12 or below ordinary sensitivity. The sections where your points cluster matter more than the total.
Is RSD a sign of ADHD?
It is strongly associated with ADHD and was first described in ADHD patients, but it is not exclusive to ADHD and does not by itself mean you have it. Autistic adults report it just as often. If your score is high and you have never been assessed for either, an assessment is a reasonable next step.
Is this test suitable for teenagers?
It was written for adults. Teenagers can read it, but adolescence involves intense rejection sensitivity for everyone, so the scores are not meaningful in the same way. A high score in a teenager is a reason for a conversation with a parent or clinician, not a label.
Sources
Rowney-Smith A, Sutton B, Quadt L, Eccles JA. The lived experience of rejection sensitivity in ADHD: a qualitative exploration. PLoS One, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0314669
van Asselt A, Roke Y, Begeer SM, Scheeren AM. "Feeling constantly kicked down": a qualitative phenomenological study exploring rejection sensitivity in autistic adults. Autism, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613251376893
Shaw P, Stringaris A, Nigg J, Leibenluft E. Emotion dysregulation in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2013.13070966