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Too Sensitive: Rejection, Resilience, and the Science of Feeling Deeply
From Dr. Sasha Hamdani, board-certified psychiatrist and one of the most trusted voices in digital mental health, comes a groundbreaking exploration of an overlooked and frequently misunderstood phenomenon: emotional sensitivity.
Too much. Too emotional. Too sensitive. These are the labels often applied to people whose reactions to everyday moments—a late reply, a last-minute meeting invite, a subtle shift in tone—feel immediate and overwhelming. What begins as a small uncertainty can spiral into shame, self-doubt, and withdrawal. The reaction may seem disproportionate from the outside, but the distress is deeply real.
But what if this is not a personality flaw, but biology?
For Dr. Hamdani, that question was both clinical and personal. Despite professional success and outward confidence, she struggled privately with intense emotional sensitivity. In her work, she repeatedly saw capable, accomplished individuals undone by powerful waves of perceived rejection and self-criticism. In Too Sensitive, she offers the framework she once needed herself. Emotional sensitivity is not weakness. It reflects a highly responsive nervous system shaped by identifiable neurobiological processes.
Blending psychiatry, neuroscience, and lived experience, Dr. Hamdani delivers a rigorous yet accessible examination of rejection sensitive dysphoria and emotional reactivity. She introduces the first assessment tool designed specifically to identify patterns of rejection sensitivity, giving readers language and clarity for experiences that often go unnamed. She then explains how dopamine dysregulation, limbic overactivation, and stress-system sensitivity can intensify perceived rejection. Rather than pathologizing sensitivity, she reframes it as both a neurological vulnerability and a powerful form of emotional attunement.
Most importantly, she provides practical, research-informed tools to help readers regulate emotional surges, interrupt spirals in real time, and build resilience in relationships, work, and identity. Insightful and validating, Too Sensitive challenges the narrative that equates sensitivity with fragility and instead positions emotional depth as a strength that can be understood, managed, and harnessed for growth.
Too much. Too emotional. Too sensitive. These are the labels often applied to people whose reactions to everyday moments—a late reply, a last-minute meeting invite, a subtle shift in tone—feel immediate and overwhelming. What begins as a small uncertainty can spiral into shame, self-doubt, and withdrawal. The reaction may seem disproportionate from the outside, but the distress is deeply real.
But what if this is not a personality flaw, but biology?
For Dr. Hamdani, that question was both clinical and personal. Despite professional success and outward confidence, she struggled privately with intense emotional sensitivity. In her work, she repeatedly saw capable, accomplished individuals undone by powerful waves of perceived rejection and self-criticism. In Too Sensitive, she offers the framework she once needed herself. Emotional sensitivity is not weakness. It reflects a highly responsive nervous system shaped by identifiable neurobiological processes.
Blending psychiatry, neuroscience, and lived experience, Dr. Hamdani delivers a rigorous yet accessible examination of rejection sensitive dysphoria and emotional reactivity. She introduces the first assessment tool designed specifically to identify patterns of rejection sensitivity, giving readers language and clarity for experiences that often go unnamed. She then explains how dopamine dysregulation, limbic overactivation, and stress-system sensitivity can intensify perceived rejection. Rather than pathologizing sensitivity, she reframes it as both a neurological vulnerability and a powerful form of emotional attunement.
Most importantly, she provides practical, research-informed tools to help readers regulate emotional surges, interrupt spirals in real time, and build resilience in relationships, work, and identity. Insightful and validating, Too Sensitive challenges the narrative that equates sensitivity with fragility and instead positions emotional depth as a strength that can be understood, managed, and harnessed for growth.
320 pages, Hardcover
Published August 25, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
July 16, 2026
This book was informative, and I did learn a few things from it. However, it also felt very repetitive and stretched out in places. I think the same points could have been made in a much shorter book without losing the overall message.
September 4, 2026
Only midway through chapter 1, but this book is clearly heavily written by an LLM. On every SINGLE page, there's an "it's not A — it's B", weird overuse of italics, colons, long sentences broken up by many commas, and SO SO many lists of three. There's an odd salesman tone that I've noticed in LLM output, and this book is dripping with it.
I probably won't finish it, I feel weird reading a book no one bothered to write.
I probably won't finish it, I feel weird reading a book no one bothered to write.
September 2, 2026
Hamdani’s book on Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) is very informative and introduces various strategies to subtly retrain your brain so it doesn’t freak out as much. The overwhelming majority of people with ADHD also have RSD, as do I, and I’ve known about the disorder for awhile. Hamdani also has both, and it’s refreshing to hear her perspective, both as a regular person and as an accomplished medical professional. She breaks down the brain’s parts, and the systems of the body that are affected by RSD, so sufferers know the science behind the behaviors.
While there is a veritable boatload of advice and helpful information in here, there’s also a fair amount of repetition. I totally recommend reading it, but part of me wonders if this would’ve been better suited to a series of longer articles rather than book-length. I say that with love, because I think Dr. Hamdani is awesome, and I kind of want to be besties with her.
If you have ADHD or have ever been called thin-skinned or sensitive, or someone you know immediately comes to mind, I encourage you to read this and share it. It’s vital that we stop considering Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria as something lesser or not worthy of study. It affects so many people who suffer in shame their whole lives, and it doesn’t have to be that way.
If you know or suspect that you have RSD, you’re not alone!
4.25 stars, rounded down.
While there is a veritable boatload of advice and helpful information in here, there’s also a fair amount of repetition. I totally recommend reading it, but part of me wonders if this would’ve been better suited to a series of longer articles rather than book-length. I say that with love, because I think Dr. Hamdani is awesome, and I kind of want to be besties with her.
If you have ADHD or have ever been called thin-skinned or sensitive, or someone you know immediately comes to mind, I encourage you to read this and share it. It’s vital that we stop considering Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria as something lesser or not worthy of study. It affects so many people who suffer in shame their whole lives, and it doesn’t have to be that way.
If you know or suspect that you have RSD, you’re not alone!
4.25 stars, rounded down.
September 8, 2026
There is really great information in this book about RSD, the neuroscience behind it, and tried-and-true coping strategies for those who aren't already familiar with CBT, DBT, and ACT therapies.
As a fellow HSP (highly sensitive person), I appreciate Dr. Hamdani's vulnerability and all the hard work she put into the book. She clearly did a lot of research and pulled from both personal and client-based experiences. I like her a lot.
That said, knowing Dr. Hamdani deals with RSD herself, I feel bad for what I'm about to say. But I think it's important enough to bring up, given how many non-fiction books I've read in the last year seem to have the same issue.
Whether Dr. Hamdani recognizes this or not, the book is clearly heavily padded with the assistance of LLM writing.
I found it so distracting, I almost quit the book in chapter one.
I'm not accusing Dr. Hamdani of using an LLM herself to write the book. I believe the stories, research, and advice came from her own brain.
But an LLM was definintely used somewhere during the process.
One possible theory is that the original book length fell short, so her editor or someone in the process ran it through an LLM to reach the desired page count. And maybe that person or publisher didn't realize at the time how recognizable AI-written copy is or would become.
If you work in my industry (copywriting / marketing / editing), you'll recognize exactly what I mean:
"It’s not about X. It’s about Y."
"Not because X, because Y."
"Think of x like y"
"X becomes y"
"You're not broken"
"Here's the thing..."
"You're not alone"
"You're not lazy"
"Ask yourself... [followed by 3 questions]"
Gently
Quietly
Loud
Shift
Show up
Perfection
Movement
Clarity
Burn out
Overwhelm
Spiral (spiraling, spiralled, etc)
Using a couple of these words or sentence patterns in long-form text does not automatically mean the work was written with the help of an LLM. I still use em dashes in my writing because they're great, and I'm confident enough in my writing to know it doesn't come off as a robot.
But the language and sentence patterns show up so often and consistently in this book, that there's no way it was untouched by AI throughout the process.
Once you see it, it's the only thing you notice. It ruined this book for me unfortunately.
As a fellow HSP (highly sensitive person), I appreciate Dr. Hamdani's vulnerability and all the hard work she put into the book. She clearly did a lot of research and pulled from both personal and client-based experiences. I like her a lot.
That said, knowing Dr. Hamdani deals with RSD herself, I feel bad for what I'm about to say. But I think it's important enough to bring up, given how many non-fiction books I've read in the last year seem to have the same issue.
Whether Dr. Hamdani recognizes this or not, the book is clearly heavily padded with the assistance of LLM writing.
I found it so distracting, I almost quit the book in chapter one.
I'm not accusing Dr. Hamdani of using an LLM herself to write the book. I believe the stories, research, and advice came from her own brain.
But an LLM was definintely used somewhere during the process.
One possible theory is that the original book length fell short, so her editor or someone in the process ran it through an LLM to reach the desired page count. And maybe that person or publisher didn't realize at the time how recognizable AI-written copy is or would become.
If you work in my industry (copywriting / marketing / editing), you'll recognize exactly what I mean:
"It’s not about X. It’s about Y."
"Not because X, because Y."
"Think of x like y"
"X becomes y"
"You're not broken"
"Here's the thing..."
"You're not alone"
"You're not lazy"
"Ask yourself... [followed by 3 questions]"
Gently
Quietly
Loud
Shift
Show up
Perfection
Movement
Clarity
Burn out
Overwhelm
Spiral (spiraling, spiralled, etc)
Using a couple of these words or sentence patterns in long-form text does not automatically mean the work was written with the help of an LLM. I still use em dashes in my writing because they're great, and I'm confident enough in my writing to know it doesn't come off as a robot.
But the language and sentence patterns show up so often and consistently in this book, that there's no way it was untouched by AI throughout the process.
Once you see it, it's the only thing you notice. It ruined this book for me unfortunately.
July 27, 2026
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for advance access to this audiobook! Dr. Hamdani is an excellent narrator and I really enjoyed listening to her read her work.
Balanced between memoir, exposition, and explanation, Too Sensitive is one of the best self-help books I’ve read; and I’m trained in mental health care! Even if you don’t contend with Rejection-Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD), this book is accessible and applicable to anyone who feels slighted at the first hint of rejection in professional or personal realms. Dr. Hamdani provides feasible tools to help readers manage when they feel rejected, giving consistent reminders that changes don’t happen overnight and even if you feel you’ve practiced enough… keep at it. Rewiring one’s nervous system takes time and regular effort, and she gently reminds us that becoming “healed” is a journey, not a destination.
Balanced between memoir, exposition, and explanation, Too Sensitive is one of the best self-help books I’ve read; and I’m trained in mental health care! Even if you don’t contend with Rejection-Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD), this book is accessible and applicable to anyone who feels slighted at the first hint of rejection in professional or personal realms. Dr. Hamdani provides feasible tools to help readers manage when they feel rejected, giving consistent reminders that changes don’t happen overnight and even if you feel you’ve practiced enough… keep at it. Rewiring one’s nervous system takes time and regular effort, and she gently reminds us that becoming “healed” is a journey, not a destination.
September 29, 2026
I’m an HSP myself, so I was interested in Too Sensitive, especially because the title made me expect a book focused on the experience of being highly sensitive. Unfortunately, I found it pretty repetitive, and I kept waiting for it to offer some new insight or perspective that I hadn’t already encountered.
The advice and tools felt very familiar—things that are already widely discussed and fairly mainstream. I found myself listening and repeatedly wondering, What am I actually learning from this that’s new?
I also found the writing itself somewhat impersonal and formulaic. I’ve seen other readers comment that parts of the book feel AI-generated, and I can understand why they got that impression. The repetitive structure, generalized examples, and way some ideas are restated made it feel less like someone sharing genuinely distinctive expertise and more like a compilation of familiar self-help concepts.
There were some useful reminders, but overall, I didn’t feel like the book went much deeper than the usual advice about boundaries, self-awareness, managing emotions, and coping strategies. For me, the biggest issue was that it felt like a lot of repetition without enough new substance to justify the length.
The advice and tools felt very familiar—things that are already widely discussed and fairly mainstream. I found myself listening and repeatedly wondering, What am I actually learning from this that’s new?
I also found the writing itself somewhat impersonal and formulaic. I’ve seen other readers comment that parts of the book feel AI-generated, and I can understand why they got that impression. The repetitive structure, generalized examples, and way some ideas are restated made it feel less like someone sharing genuinely distinctive expertise and more like a compilation of familiar self-help concepts.
There were some useful reminders, but overall, I didn’t feel like the book went much deeper than the usual advice about boundaries, self-awareness, managing emotions, and coping strategies. For me, the biggest issue was that it felt like a lot of repetition without enough new substance to justify the length.
October 3, 2026
I needed this book. Loved that she touched on the neuroscience aspect of things as well.
September 19, 2026
Book 20 of 2026
A very different book compared to my usual read! This was a fascinating insight into the neuroscience, psychology, and therapeutic approach to Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD), a common part of ADHD and hypersensitivity. I started out really enjoying this book, finding the explanations interesting and the tools useful (which could be used for children and adults alike), the scripts and overall message were great. But, I soon realised that the different chapters were pretty much the same content repackaged, which was quite disappointing for such an important text. A frustrated 5/10…
A very different book compared to my usual read! This was a fascinating insight into the neuroscience, psychology, and therapeutic approach to Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD), a common part of ADHD and hypersensitivity. I started out really enjoying this book, finding the explanations interesting and the tools useful (which could be used for children and adults alike), the scripts and overall message were great. But, I soon realised that the different chapters were pretty much the same content repackaged, which was quite disappointing for such an important text. A frustrated 5/10…
August 29, 2026
Heavy, helpful and informative. You can tell the author put a lot of time, effort and love into this book.
August 25, 2026
Good lord did I ever relate to this book! I’ve carried that “too sensitive” label all my life, so to learn about Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) was very eye opening and validating. I listened to the audio for this one, which I thought worked really well, but I want to pick up the physical copy so I can easily reference back to the tools shared! Definitely recommend this one, especially if you’ve carried that “too sensitive” label too! 👏
Thank you partner Macmillan Audio for the gifted ALC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️
Thank you partner Macmillan Audio for the gifted ALC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️
September 5, 2026
I've been labeled "TOO MUCH" my entire adult life, and hypersensitivity and other labels have been applied to me in the past... "mood disorder," etc. I don't dismiss the professional opinions of others by any means, and I applaud Dr. Hamdani for her valiant efforts of introducing Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria in an enlightening fashion. She breaks down RSD and the spectrum of ADHD in a way that isn't too overbearing along with calming techniques that makes this book a worthwhile read and a practical guidebook/workbook. Highly recommend for people of all ages battling mood disorders, mental health issues, emotional dysregulation and/or simply needing calming techniques. Thank you Flatiron for the copy in exchange for my honest review!
September 14, 2026
I don't typically read a ton of non-fiction or self-help, but I cannot overstate how deeply important reading this book has been to my mental health. I think I 1st saw this book on a Goodreads giveaway that i didn't win. So I asked my library to add a copy to the collection. I've very thankful that they did get a copy because it is helping me understand my brain and emotional reactions so much. Now I'm buying a copy because I need my own to highlight and mark up and will be recommending my therapist add it to her offices lending library.
September 14, 2026
Rejection sensitive dysphoria is a condition marked by intense emotional pain triggered by perceived or actual rejection, criticism, or failure.
I first heard Sasha Hamdani name this on a podcast and it really resonated with my feelings and was excited to read this new book. My brain is wired to feel rejection even when there might be none. It has been comforting to read about what is physically happening in my brain when these feelings come. With so much internal chaos it’s hard for logic and perspective to break through. Hoping to use this book as a resource when those feelings come up
I first heard Sasha Hamdani name this on a podcast and it really resonated with my feelings and was excited to read this new book. My brain is wired to feel rejection even when there might be none. It has been comforting to read about what is physically happening in my brain when these feelings come. With so much internal chaos it’s hard for logic and perspective to break through. Hoping to use this book as a resource when those feelings come up
September 16, 2026
Large chunks of this book were very clearly written/edited by AI. It was obnoxious and unbearable to read. Any useful information felt cheapened by the easily recognized AI tone.
October 10, 2026
Is it possible to love a book too much? Because I think I might.
I picked this up for book club and had never even heard of Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) before. Now I can't stop seeing it. This book gave me so much insight into myself, my mom, and my son. I felt seen in a way I wasn't expecting, and honestly, the validation hit hard. I'm so glad I bought it instead of borrowing it, because my copy is completely marked up. There are even little notes in the margins telling future me to go back and re-read certain sections.
What I loved most is that it doesn't stop at explaining why you feel the way you do. It gives you real, practical tools to actually work through it. I also appreciated that the author tells you upfront that not everything will apply to everyone, and gives you permission to skip around, read out of order, or breeze past what doesn't fit. My only small gripe is that toward the end, a lot of the tools felt like ones we'd already worked through, so it got a little repetitive. Easy to forgive, though, especially since she basically told us we could skim.
I picked this up for book club and had never even heard of Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) before. Now I can't stop seeing it. This book gave me so much insight into myself, my mom, and my son. I felt seen in a way I wasn't expecting, and honestly, the validation hit hard. I'm so glad I bought it instead of borrowing it, because my copy is completely marked up. There are even little notes in the margins telling future me to go back and re-read certain sections.
What I loved most is that it doesn't stop at explaining why you feel the way you do. It gives you real, practical tools to actually work through it. I also appreciated that the author tells you upfront that not everything will apply to everyone, and gives you permission to skip around, read out of order, or breeze past what doesn't fit. My only small gripe is that toward the end, a lot of the tools felt like ones we'd already worked through, so it got a little repetitive. Easy to forgive, though, especially since she basically told us we could skim.
September 17, 2026
Before this book, I had never heard of Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) and so I was excited to dive in and learn something.
I enjoyed listening to the author, Dr. Sasha Hamdani, as the narrator and felt that her voice was very calming. Although some of the topics were repetitive, I felt that it was by design - so that the information would be easier to digest. It definitely helped my brain retain the information.
I enjoyed the tools that were presented in the book, especially those to quiet the mind, like the 5-4-3-2-1 exercise. That allows the brain to reset and get an RSD person through the process. I have been able to use those tools already, only a few days after having finished the book.
I hate rejection so it was great to know that 1) I'm not the only one who goes through this and 2) there is a light at the end of the tunnel, so that I can process rejection more easily going forward.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
I enjoyed listening to the author, Dr. Sasha Hamdani, as the narrator and felt that her voice was very calming. Although some of the topics were repetitive, I felt that it was by design - so that the information would be easier to digest. It definitely helped my brain retain the information.
I enjoyed the tools that were presented in the book, especially those to quiet the mind, like the 5-4-3-2-1 exercise. That allows the brain to reset and get an RSD person through the process. I have been able to use those tools already, only a few days after having finished the book.
I hate rejection so it was great to know that 1) I'm not the only one who goes through this and 2) there is a light at the end of the tunnel, so that I can process rejection more easily going forward.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
September 26, 2026
Glad I picked up this book! I found it to be insightful, and encouraging with turning emotional sensitivity into a strength. I've always been told I'm too sensitive and struggle with it day to day. But with being in therapy, God, and self development books like this; I find that my sensitivity is a strength and makes me ME.
Insightful information to learn about what happens to us in our brain and bodies when we're emotional. And gives techniques on how to cope and work through it! I found it helpful with being told some techniques I already do from therapy and to add on to ones I didn't have in my bucket. It got to be pretty repetitive and boring at times so I just tuned out while listening to the audiobook at times. But otherwise I liked it enough since I liked learning more about being highly sensitive and how to make it a strength.
Insightful information to learn about what happens to us in our brain and bodies when we're emotional. And gives techniques on how to cope and work through it! I found it helpful with being told some techniques I already do from therapy and to add on to ones I didn't have in my bucket. It got to be pretty repetitive and boring at times so I just tuned out while listening to the audiobook at times. But otherwise I liked it enough since I liked learning more about being highly sensitive and how to make it a strength.
September 22, 2026
This is a very timely book - I had it on advance audio, but then went to grab it from my library later, and there were dozens of holds on it. Definitely a topic that we need much more information on!
As a woman with late-diagnosed ADHD and with kids with ADHD, I have struggled with RSD for a long time, even when I didn't know what it was. I appreciated that Hamdani also has ADHD and RSD, which made her perspective valuable in many ways.
RSD is just beginning to be appreciated by clinicians and therapists, and the awareness just isn't there in the general public (ahem, teachers and SPED folks). This is a thorough description of why RSD happens and comes with plenty of information to help folks struggling with it feel better about themselves and know how to handle it.
Unfortunately, where it falls short is, the book becomes long and repetitive at some point. I see some reviews say that it's definitely LLM-assisted - I wouldn't begin to claim that I know for sure whether it is or isn't, but regardless, the repetition of the information and various phrases made the overall read a bit long and frustrating to read. However, as this is a new topic that people are just beginning to understand better, it's still a great intro into the topic and a helpful resource for people struggling with it.
I listened to this on audio and the narration was solid.
As a woman with late-diagnosed ADHD and with kids with ADHD, I have struggled with RSD for a long time, even when I didn't know what it was. I appreciated that Hamdani also has ADHD and RSD, which made her perspective valuable in many ways.
RSD is just beginning to be appreciated by clinicians and therapists, and the awareness just isn't there in the general public (ahem, teachers and SPED folks). This is a thorough description of why RSD happens and comes with plenty of information to help folks struggling with it feel better about themselves and know how to handle it.
Unfortunately, where it falls short is, the book becomes long and repetitive at some point. I see some reviews say that it's definitely LLM-assisted - I wouldn't begin to claim that I know for sure whether it is or isn't, but regardless, the repetition of the information and various phrases made the overall read a bit long and frustrating to read. However, as this is a new topic that people are just beginning to understand better, it's still a great intro into the topic and a helpful resource for people struggling with it.
I listened to this on audio and the narration was solid.
September 8, 2026
I suspected that RSD might be something I face based on Dr. Hamdani’s social media accounts, but I still didn’t realize the impact this had on my day to day life until reading this book. Reading this through once made me feel validated, let me feel my feelings, and helped me understand myself better. I’m looking forward to reading it again to pick up more of the strategies that I can use to regulate my RSD better. Thank you for writing this book!
August 8, 2026
4.5 ⭐️
Read
September 15, 2026DNF 78%
Enjoyed the beginning and personal stories but it got very repetitive.
Enjoyed the beginning and personal stories but it got very repetitive.
August 24, 2026
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Too Sensitive by Sasha Hamdani, MD
I wasn’t quite sure what Too Sensitive was going to be about when I started the audiobook, but I knew from Instagram that Dr. Sasha Hamdani is an expert in ADHD. I quickly realized that this book was going to put a name to something I have experienced but never really knew how to describe.
Dr. Hamdani explains Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD), which is commonly associated with ADHD, and how it can cause extremely quick and intense emotional reactions to either real or perceived rejection. She provides detailed, relatable examples of the many ways RSD can show up, particularly for women with ADHD, and even has you take a quick quiz to assess your level of rejection sensitivity.
Wow. I scored a 99 out of 100—with 100 being the highest possible score. And that definitely isn’t necessarily an A+, but not the worst thing ever and your score can fluctuate at different times.
What I appreciated most is that this book doesn’t just explain why these reactions happen. Dr. Hamdani also walks through practical tools and strategies for recognizing those reactions and learning how to calm and manage them. The information is approachable, compassionate, and incredibly validating.
If you have ever been told that you “take everything too personally” or that “you’re reading into things that aren’t there,” you may want to pick up a copy of this book. It might help you understand yourself—or someone you love—in a completely different way.
I am so grateful that I was provided the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion. In fact, I was so impacted by it that I have already pre-ordered the hardcover to keep as a reference.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Dr. Hamdani, and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to hear something that made me feel seen in ways I never knew how to articulate—and, perhaps most importantly, helped me realize I’m not the only one.
And the narration? Top shelf. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I wasn’t quite sure what Too Sensitive was going to be about when I started the audiobook, but I knew from Instagram that Dr. Sasha Hamdani is an expert in ADHD. I quickly realized that this book was going to put a name to something I have experienced but never really knew how to describe.
Dr. Hamdani explains Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD), which is commonly associated with ADHD, and how it can cause extremely quick and intense emotional reactions to either real or perceived rejection. She provides detailed, relatable examples of the many ways RSD can show up, particularly for women with ADHD, and even has you take a quick quiz to assess your level of rejection sensitivity.
Wow. I scored a 99 out of 100—with 100 being the highest possible score. And that definitely isn’t necessarily an A+, but not the worst thing ever and your score can fluctuate at different times.
What I appreciated most is that this book doesn’t just explain why these reactions happen. Dr. Hamdani also walks through practical tools and strategies for recognizing those reactions and learning how to calm and manage them. The information is approachable, compassionate, and incredibly validating.
If you have ever been told that you “take everything too personally” or that “you’re reading into things that aren’t there,” you may want to pick up a copy of this book. It might help you understand yourself—or someone you love—in a completely different way.
I am so grateful that I was provided the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion. In fact, I was so impacted by it that I have already pre-ordered the hardcover to keep as a reference.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Dr. Hamdani, and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to hear something that made me feel seen in ways I never knew how to articulate—and, perhaps most importantly, helped me realize I’m not the only one.
And the narration? Top shelf. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I love an audiobook read by the author! This book is about emotional sensitivity and Rejection Sensitivity Disorder. Being sensitive isn’t a personality flaw. It usually means you care and that your body is having a biological reaction (& highly responsive to what’s going on around you). In this book, there is a test to see where you fall on the emotional sensitivity spectrum and tools to help you learn how to calm your nervous system in times of distress. We also learn how we can regulate our emotional reactions and how to build confidence in ourselves. Emotional sensitivity doesn’t mean you’re weak, it means you are emotionally aware, and this can be built into a strength.
I enjoyed how we learn about the science behind our emotions and reactions—how a lot of it stems from past traumas, but we can learn how to regulate better. Dr. Hamdani uses real life examples from real people and her own person life and also offers tools (including breathwork & other mindfulness techniques) to help change the results next time a dysregulation happens. She gives us specific tools and questions to ask ourselves when needed. I will be journaling and using some of her steps: 1. What actually happened/state the facts 2. Name the emotion and notice how you’re feeling in your body 3. What else could actually be true (as in why someone said what they said that in turn made you react so intensely). All around, this was a great useful book. I listed to the audiobook and would also appreciate having the hardcopy book to reference back to.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC in exchange for my honest review
I enjoyed how we learn about the science behind our emotions and reactions—how a lot of it stems from past traumas, but we can learn how to regulate better. Dr. Hamdani uses real life examples from real people and her own person life and also offers tools (including breathwork & other mindfulness techniques) to help change the results next time a dysregulation happens. She gives us specific tools and questions to ask ourselves when needed. I will be journaling and using some of her steps: 1. What actually happened/state the facts 2. Name the emotion and notice how you’re feeling in your body 3. What else could actually be true (as in why someone said what they said that in turn made you react so intensely). All around, this was a great useful book. I listed to the audiobook and would also appreciate having the hardcopy book to reference back to.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC in exchange for my honest review
October 10, 2026
I genuinely don’t even know where to begin with this book. If you’ve spent your entire life being called too sensitive, feeling things too deeply, or wondering why certain things seem to hurt you so much more than they hurt other people, please give this book a chance.
I’ve carried the label of being “too sensitive” for as long as I can remember. I never really understood why I reacted so intensely to certain situations or why perceived rejection, conflict, and changes in relationships could affect me so deeply. I’d often find myself questioning my own reactions, wondering why I couldn’t just brush things off the way other people seemed to. I’d never even heard of Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) before reading this book, and learning about it was genuinely eye-opening.
What I loved most about Dr. Hamdani’s approach is how she helps you understand the why behind these emotional reactions, rather than simply making you feel like there’s something wrong with you. The explanations of the science behind emotional sensitivity, combined with relatable examples and practical coping strategies, helped me recognize patterns in my own behaviour that I’d never really understood before. It was such a relief to have language for experiences I’d struggled to articulate for years.
The timing of this book made it even more meaningful to me. I was going through a particularly difficult period in my life, navigating complicated friendships, relationship struggles, and learning to set boundaries. There were moments when I felt overwhelmed by my own emotions, and this book helped me take a step back and understand what was happening instead of simply getting caught up in the intensity of it all. It reminded me that understanding my emotions doesn’t mean allowing them to control me, and that I can learn to respond to difficult situations differently without invalidating what I feel.
One of the most valuable things I took away from this book is that being emotionally sensitive doesn’t automatically make you weak, dramatic, or incapable of handling life. There’s a difference between acknowledging your feelings and letting them dictate your reactions, and learning to recognize that difference is something I’m still working on. This book gave me tools to start doing that.
Is every strategy going to work perfectly in the heat of the moment? Probably not. Emotional growth isn’t that straightforward. But having a better understanding of yourself is such an important starting point, and that’s exactly what this book gave me. I also understand why some readers feel that certain ideas and coping strategies can get repetitive, but personally, I think this is the kind of book you can take your time with, revisit, and return to whenever you need a reminder.
I listened to the audiobook, and I already know this isn’t going to be a one-and-done read for me. I’m keeping it accessible because I want to revisit these chapters whenever I need help navigating my emotions, relationships, or the inevitable moments when my brain decides to turn a small interaction into an entire emotional crisis.
This is easily one of my top three books of the year, and I cannot overstate how much it meant to me to discover it when I did. It didn’t magically solve all my problems, but it helped me understand myself with a little more compassion, and that is worth so much.
Sometimes, a book comes into your life at exactly the right time. Too Sensitive was that book for me.
Five stars. No hesitation. A book I genuinely think I’ll keep coming back to for years.
October 6, 2026
Most of the books I’ve read recently have included discussions about how women have been overlooked by the medical field, and this book is no exception. This book is about Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD), an intense sensitivity and anxiety around rejection. RSD is not currently included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), but there is a lot of overlap between RSD and ADHD.
Why do I think RSD is related to the way women have been overlooked by medicine? There are both biological and cultural reasons.
The author spends a large part of the book explaining how different hormones affect the brain. Because of the menstrual cycle, women experience much greater hormonal fluctuations than men. But historically, medical research has often treated men as the default subjects, so the effects of women's hormones on the body have not been adequately studied. It is only relatively recently that researchers have started paying more attention to this.
The second reason is cultural. The author is South Asian, and similar to East Asian cultures, her culture gives boys a lot of freedom while being much more critical, strict, and demanding toward girls. Being excessively criticized and corrected as a child can create an unconscious stress response, which can make you especially sensitive to criticism later in life.
Another important cultural factor is that our society actually seems to admire a certain kind of antisocial personality. There is sometimes admiration for people who are emotionally insensitive, suppress their emotions, and can be cold or even cruel.
For example, the author originally dreamed of becoming a pediatrician. But when she was doing her pediatric medical training, the doctor supervising her refused to write her a recommendation letter because she "cried too much." This is an example of the way society can discriminate against and punish people who are emotionally expressive, emotionally sensitive, and compassionate.
However, the author believes that being highly sensitive is actually a gift.
High sensitivity allows you to pick up on other people's emotions and social cues, especially non-verbal cues that are not explicitly communicated through words. This can make you more confident at work and reduce self-doubt and imposter syndrome. It can also help you navigate social situations more effectively and create more opportunities. It can make you a better friend, romantic partner, and parent.
Highly sensitive people simply need to learn some techniques for dealing with the way their brains react under stress. About two-thirds of the book is devoted to these techniques.
These techniques include how to calm your brain down when you are under stress; how to interpret the world and other people's actions in ways that are easier for a highly sensitive brain to process; how to establish personal boundaries so that less-sensitive people or people with antisocial traits have fewer opportunities to hurt you; and how to communicate in ways that other people can understand, so that your family, romantic partner, and friends can better understand you.
There is a psychological test on the first chapter. You can use it to see how highly sensitive you are and decide whether this book might be useful to you.
Why do I think RSD is related to the way women have been overlooked by medicine? There are both biological and cultural reasons.
The author spends a large part of the book explaining how different hormones affect the brain. Because of the menstrual cycle, women experience much greater hormonal fluctuations than men. But historically, medical research has often treated men as the default subjects, so the effects of women's hormones on the body have not been adequately studied. It is only relatively recently that researchers have started paying more attention to this.
The second reason is cultural. The author is South Asian, and similar to East Asian cultures, her culture gives boys a lot of freedom while being much more critical, strict, and demanding toward girls. Being excessively criticized and corrected as a child can create an unconscious stress response, which can make you especially sensitive to criticism later in life.
Another important cultural factor is that our society actually seems to admire a certain kind of antisocial personality. There is sometimes admiration for people who are emotionally insensitive, suppress their emotions, and can be cold or even cruel.
For example, the author originally dreamed of becoming a pediatrician. But when she was doing her pediatric medical training, the doctor supervising her refused to write her a recommendation letter because she "cried too much." This is an example of the way society can discriminate against and punish people who are emotionally expressive, emotionally sensitive, and compassionate.
However, the author believes that being highly sensitive is actually a gift.
High sensitivity allows you to pick up on other people's emotions and social cues, especially non-verbal cues that are not explicitly communicated through words. This can make you more confident at work and reduce self-doubt and imposter syndrome. It can also help you navigate social situations more effectively and create more opportunities. It can make you a better friend, romantic partner, and parent.
Highly sensitive people simply need to learn some techniques for dealing with the way their brains react under stress. About two-thirds of the book is devoted to these techniques.
These techniques include how to calm your brain down when you are under stress; how to interpret the world and other people's actions in ways that are easier for a highly sensitive brain to process; how to establish personal boundaries so that less-sensitive people or people with antisocial traits have fewer opportunities to hurt you; and how to communicate in ways that other people can understand, so that your family, romantic partner, and friends can better understand you.
There is a psychological test on the first chapter. You can use it to see how highly sensitive you are and decide whether this book might be useful to you.
September 26, 2026
Flatiron Books sent me an ARC of Too Sensitive awhile back, and I finally had some focused time this week where I could sit down with it without interruption.
First, I have to say that I wasn't very aware of RSD (Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria - which deals with more than just rejection, but also disappointment, perceived criticism or failure, shame, and other big emotions) before this. I had heard the term mentioned in passing, but I hadn't really done any research on it, so I was a little surprised when I realized that everything I was reading seemed to be written both for and about me.
After taking the self-assessment that is included in the book, it appears that I am not only a HSP (Highly Sensitive Person) with ADHD, I also struggle heavily with RSD. It was like everything she was saying was aimed directly at me and my often-overwhelming emotions and frequent overthinking, and I really appreciated learning the science behind why my brain works the way that it does. I found it eye-opening and affirming, and I was grateful that the information was presented in a professional-but-friendly way that was like, "You don't have to be ashamed that you have big feelings and that sometimes those emotions can unexpectedly and inconveniently take over, but here is WHY they do that, and here are some ways in which you can help manage and control those situations."
That said, the information in this book is pretty basic, especially when it comes to the coping mechanisms (take a few deep breaths, name your emotions, take a walk/move your body, remove yourself from the situation, etc.), and I found it to be really repetitive. It could have been tightened up into something 2/3 of the length for a more impactful read. Also, I REALLY hate to say this, but it definitely seems like AI had a heavy hand in the way that this book was written - not that the information here is inaccurate, but a lot of the sentence structure was VERY indicative of AI having played a role in the presentation of the information.
I also found some of the coping mechanisms to come from a very privileged viewpoint - for example, try not to schedule important meetings and reduce obligations during the luteal phase (aka PMS-phase) of your menstrual cycle, followed by "I really like scheduling vacations during that luteal window so I can veg in peace!" is just not something that is reasonably doable by a lot of people. Still, there were a lot of valuable nuggets of information in here, don't get me wrong, I just wasn't totally thrilled with the overall presentation.
Thanks so much to Flatiron Books for sending me this ARC copy!
First, I have to say that I wasn't very aware of RSD (Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria - which deals with more than just rejection, but also disappointment, perceived criticism or failure, shame, and other big emotions) before this. I had heard the term mentioned in passing, but I hadn't really done any research on it, so I was a little surprised when I realized that everything I was reading seemed to be written both for and about me.
After taking the self-assessment that is included in the book, it appears that I am not only a HSP (Highly Sensitive Person) with ADHD, I also struggle heavily with RSD. It was like everything she was saying was aimed directly at me and my often-overwhelming emotions and frequent overthinking, and I really appreciated learning the science behind why my brain works the way that it does. I found it eye-opening and affirming, and I was grateful that the information was presented in a professional-but-friendly way that was like, "You don't have to be ashamed that you have big feelings and that sometimes those emotions can unexpectedly and inconveniently take over, but here is WHY they do that, and here are some ways in which you can help manage and control those situations."
That said, the information in this book is pretty basic, especially when it comes to the coping mechanisms (take a few deep breaths, name your emotions, take a walk/move your body, remove yourself from the situation, etc.), and I found it to be really repetitive. It could have been tightened up into something 2/3 of the length for a more impactful read. Also, I REALLY hate to say this, but it definitely seems like AI had a heavy hand in the way that this book was written - not that the information here is inaccurate, but a lot of the sentence structure was VERY indicative of AI having played a role in the presentation of the information.
I also found some of the coping mechanisms to come from a very privileged viewpoint - for example, try not to schedule important meetings and reduce obligations during the luteal phase (aka PMS-phase) of your menstrual cycle, followed by "I really like scheduling vacations during that luteal window so I can veg in peace!" is just not something that is reasonably doable by a lot of people. Still, there were a lot of valuable nuggets of information in here, don't get me wrong, I just wasn't totally thrilled with the overall presentation.
Thanks so much to Flatiron Books for sending me this ARC copy!
September 7, 2026
TOO SENSITIVE
BY: SASHA HAMDANI
I thought that this was informative written by a compassionate, warmth about why some people take things too personally which the author is a practicing Psychiatrist and she suffers from a condition that she vulnerably shared experiences of her youth which I don't ever remember having such extremely thinking that the solutions weren't rational. There's nothing that I am expressing without any judgement since I wouldn't feel that is my place or how I feel is that I found it was pure well intentioned with how she struggled deserves compassion and empathetic that her descriptions of examples were hard to relate to because her solutions were drastic like changing schools, not going to her own again over something minor that I thought were over very common situations that most of us have experienced. I thought that her including examples from her life was helpful, and I have had times of being sensitive but I don't have what she has researched and what forms the basis of this book, because I don't have ADHD which her claim is that her diagnosis of RSD is not in the DSM-5 as I also never heard of that, but since it isn't included in the DSM-5 which means that in my opinion not a widely recognized disorder that made this book's thesis more her theory but it still made this less scientific, and she had a self evaluation but not anything about which I didn't already know but her theory was interesting but I liked her structure with which kept me engaged enough to finish it. Still I was disappointed that I thought it was actually going to get something that was scientifically cutting edge that its basis was more than her conjecture that she has obscure research, but I can't take away as more than it is more suited to an article but not a book. I thought it was also repetitive, but I have never come across anything like this before. I thought it was going to be more established, and it was not a good fit for me, but with my extensive background in Psychology I did like her biochemistry in the first couple of chapters, but I thought her purpose was admirable but overall I think her heart is in the right place.
Publication Date: August 25, 2026
Thank you to Net Galley, Sasha Hamdani, and Flatiron Books for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are entirely my own, as always.
#TooSensitive #SashaHamdani #FlatironBooks #NetGalley
BY: SASHA HAMDANI
I thought that this was informative written by a compassionate, warmth about why some people take things too personally which the author is a practicing Psychiatrist and she suffers from a condition that she vulnerably shared experiences of her youth which I don't ever remember having such extremely thinking that the solutions weren't rational. There's nothing that I am expressing without any judgement since I wouldn't feel that is my place or how I feel is that I found it was pure well intentioned with how she struggled deserves compassion and empathetic that her descriptions of examples were hard to relate to because her solutions were drastic like changing schools, not going to her own again over something minor that I thought were over very common situations that most of us have experienced. I thought that her including examples from her life was helpful, and I have had times of being sensitive but I don't have what she has researched and what forms the basis of this book, because I don't have ADHD which her claim is that her diagnosis of RSD is not in the DSM-5 as I also never heard of that, but since it isn't included in the DSM-5 which means that in my opinion not a widely recognized disorder that made this book's thesis more her theory but it still made this less scientific, and she had a self evaluation but not anything about which I didn't already know but her theory was interesting but I liked her structure with which kept me engaged enough to finish it. Still I was disappointed that I thought it was actually going to get something that was scientifically cutting edge that its basis was more than her conjecture that she has obscure research, but I can't take away as more than it is more suited to an article but not a book. I thought it was also repetitive, but I have never come across anything like this before. I thought it was going to be more established, and it was not a good fit for me, but with my extensive background in Psychology I did like her biochemistry in the first couple of chapters, but I thought her purpose was admirable but overall I think her heart is in the right place.
Publication Date: August 25, 2026
Thank you to Net Galley, Sasha Hamdani, and Flatiron Books for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are entirely my own, as always.
#TooSensitive #SashaHamdani #FlatironBooks #NetGalley
August 25, 2026
As a huge fan of Dr. Hamdani’s Instagram page, I recommend her content to all of my ADHD and Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) clients. Naturally, I was thrilled to read her new book, Too Sensitive.
The phrase "you're too sensitive" is something so many of my clients hear. It gets weaponized against people until it becomes part of their core self-concept. Having been a therapist for over 20 years, I realized around the start of the pandemic that much of my knowledge on adult ADHD was outdated. While administering the ASRS assessment to a client, I actually scored higher than they did.
Lightbulbs went off. I reflected on a lifetime of challenges, dove into research on how ADHD presents in women, and eventually received my own evaluation and diagnosis. What I had previously misattributed to anxiety, depression, and mood instability were actually part of the ADHD package. I wasn’t lazy—I was experiencing dopamine burnout. My emotional explosions were RSD. My perfectionism and extreme task-procrastination were just me grasping for dopamine. Receiving a diagnosis and understanding the neurochemistry behind my behavior was deeply validating. Seeing Dr. Hamdani speak so openly and vulnerability on social media helped both me and my clients feel truly seen.
This book is an absolute game-changer. Dr. Hamdani explains the neurochemistry that reinforces ADHD behaviors in a clear, accessible way. For readers familiar with Gabor Maté’s work on trauma and ADHD, this book succinctly lays out the underlying science. It shifts the narrative away from perceived "character flaws" toward understanding a system operating in a deficit. Once you know what you’re working with, you can actually tackle it.
Her CALM YOUR MIND framework is fantastic. Synthesizing tools from third-wave behavioral therapies and IPT, she gives readers an actionable toolkit paired with real-world applications. Beyond coping skills, she offers deep reflective questions to help readers gain insight into their behavior, history, and growth.
I will undoubtedly be recommending this book to my clients. The work outlined here will help people extend grace to themselves, improve emotional regulation, and ultimately transform their relationships. Thanks to Net Galley and Flatiron Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
The phrase "you're too sensitive" is something so many of my clients hear. It gets weaponized against people until it becomes part of their core self-concept. Having been a therapist for over 20 years, I realized around the start of the pandemic that much of my knowledge on adult ADHD was outdated. While administering the ASRS assessment to a client, I actually scored higher than they did.
Lightbulbs went off. I reflected on a lifetime of challenges, dove into research on how ADHD presents in women, and eventually received my own evaluation and diagnosis. What I had previously misattributed to anxiety, depression, and mood instability were actually part of the ADHD package. I wasn’t lazy—I was experiencing dopamine burnout. My emotional explosions were RSD. My perfectionism and extreme task-procrastination were just me grasping for dopamine. Receiving a diagnosis and understanding the neurochemistry behind my behavior was deeply validating. Seeing Dr. Hamdani speak so openly and vulnerability on social media helped both me and my clients feel truly seen.
This book is an absolute game-changer. Dr. Hamdani explains the neurochemistry that reinforces ADHD behaviors in a clear, accessible way. For readers familiar with Gabor Maté’s work on trauma and ADHD, this book succinctly lays out the underlying science. It shifts the narrative away from perceived "character flaws" toward understanding a system operating in a deficit. Once you know what you’re working with, you can actually tackle it.
Her CALM YOUR MIND framework is fantastic. Synthesizing tools from third-wave behavioral therapies and IPT, she gives readers an actionable toolkit paired with real-world applications. Beyond coping skills, she offers deep reflective questions to help readers gain insight into their behavior, history, and growth.
I will undoubtedly be recommending this book to my clients. The work outlined here will help people extend grace to themselves, improve emotional regulation, and ultimately transform their relationships. Thanks to Net Galley and Flatiron Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Rating: 3 ⭐
Dr. Sasha Hamdani is a board-certified psychiatrist, which gives Too Sensitive more authority than most ADHD-adjacent self-help books. She cites studies, brings in other people’s work, and uses patient examples without turning the whole book into a memoir. After reading weaker ADHD books that make big claims with little support, this had more legitimacy from the start.
The first four chapters are the best part of the book. Hamdani explains RSD through ADHD, dopamine regulation, norepinephrine sensitivity, the amygdala, the prefrontal cortex, the limbic system, nervous-system reactivity, and hormones. They make the case that emotional sensitivity is biological, not a character flaw.
The hormone chapter adds the discussion of estrogen, progesterone, cortisol, testosterone, menstrual cycles, pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, and menopause. It connects emotional sensitivity to body chemistry instead of vague self-compassion language. Chapter 4 also helps because it explains what RSD can look and feel like from the inside. The explanation could help people with RSD name the pattern, and help people around them understand why a delayed text, a flat tone, silence, or a small criticism can hit so hard. The 25-question self-assessment is more useful than most of the later tools because it helps identify the pattern before the book starts handing out coping skills.
Examples from the assessment:
• Do you frequently feel hurt by perceived slights or rejections from people closest to you?
• Do you find that you often take longer to recover from feelings of rejection than you think is typical?
• Do you struggle to set boundaries because you fear it might upset or alienate others?
Part Two is where the book drifts from what is going on with RSD to general therapy theory. The description promises research-informed strategies to regulate emotional surges, interrupt spirals, build self-worth, and manage relationships and work. The tools mostly come from CBT, DBT, ACT, mindfulness, grounding, I-statements, boundaries, movement, delayed reaction, and thought-challenging. Although the tools are legitimate, they were developed for neurotypicals and assume a level of real-time self-awareness and emotional regulation that many ADHD readers may not have access to while activated. These tools also appear in every book about anxiety, emotional regulation, or self-help. The tools should reflect the realities of an ADHD brain that fires off an emotional reaction in milliseconds and can't necessarily identify the emotion or body response in real time.
Chapter 5 is presented as a toolkit, but it functions as a therapy-skills chapter. Challenge negative thoughts. Accept the present moment. Label your emotions. Manage with mindfulness. Reframe. Move your body. Use I-statements. Delay reaction. Every tool runs into the same problem: it requires real-time self-awareness. The book describes RSD as fast, physical, automatic, and tied to ADHD and emotional dysregulation. Then it tells readers to pause, identify the thought, name the feeling, challenge the belief, breathe, ground themselves, and choose a measured response. You can't have it both ways. You can't just tell people, "now, change."
The book says emotional dysregulation is one of the most profound and impairing symptoms many people with ADHD experience. That makes the practical chapters more frustrating, because the advice assumes the reader can access the specific regulation skills the book says may be impaired or overwhelmed. The issue is being able to pause while activated. If someone could calmly notice, name, challenge, reframe, and delay every reaction, emotional dysregulation would not be a problem.
The relationship, friendship, family, and career chapters use relevant RSD-triggering scenarios: mixed signals, silence between texts, reassurance-seeking, canceled plans, feeling overlooked, family dismissal, breakup panic, and imposter syndrome. The answers to managing these problems always circle back to the same tools: pause, breathe, ground yourself, name the feeling, use an I-statement, move your body, delay the reaction. The scenarios are specific. The interventions are generic.
The “nearly 100% of people with ADHD have some component of RSD” claim also needs more precision. RSD is not a formal DSM diagnosis, so it's not a standardized construct. Rejection sensitivity and emotional dysregulation are common ways ADHD can affect people's lives. But emotional dysregulation being central to ADHD doesn't prove the claim that nearly everyone with ADHD has RSD. The author addressed this topic on her social media account, so it may be edited in the final draft.
The medication discussion appears in the reference section rather than in a dedicated chapter. That placement choice is a little unexpected for a psychiatrist-authored book that spends Part Two promising practical help. Hamdani says there are no medications designed specifically for RSD, but clinicians may treat overlapping ADHD, emotional dysregulation, stress reactivity, anxiety, depression, or mood instability. She also says medication can help “take the edge off” when grounding, reframing, and self-compassion are not enough and the emotional spiral takes over. That point could have been a chapter, particularly since RSD can interact with anxiety, depression and other mental health co-morbidities.
Too Sensitive is an excellent book to explain RSD through science, but it's weaker as a practical guide. The first four chapters are strong enough to make the book worth reading, especially for understanding RSD, emotional sensitivity, ADHD biology, and the role hormones can play. The rest turns into a repetitive therapy workbook that doesn't match the intensity of the problem the book just described. The science gets specific. The intervention remains generic.
Dr. Sasha Hamdani is a board-certified psychiatrist, which gives Too Sensitive more authority than most ADHD-adjacent self-help books. She cites studies, brings in other people’s work, and uses patient examples without turning the whole book into a memoir. After reading weaker ADHD books that make big claims with little support, this had more legitimacy from the start.
The first four chapters are the best part of the book. Hamdani explains RSD through ADHD, dopamine regulation, norepinephrine sensitivity, the amygdala, the prefrontal cortex, the limbic system, nervous-system reactivity, and hormones. They make the case that emotional sensitivity is biological, not a character flaw.
The hormone chapter adds the discussion of estrogen, progesterone, cortisol, testosterone, menstrual cycles, pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, and menopause. It connects emotional sensitivity to body chemistry instead of vague self-compassion language. Chapter 4 also helps because it explains what RSD can look and feel like from the inside. The explanation could help people with RSD name the pattern, and help people around them understand why a delayed text, a flat tone, silence, or a small criticism can hit so hard. The 25-question self-assessment is more useful than most of the later tools because it helps identify the pattern before the book starts handing out coping skills.
Examples from the assessment:
• Do you frequently feel hurt by perceived slights or rejections from people closest to you?
• Do you find that you often take longer to recover from feelings of rejection than you think is typical?
• Do you struggle to set boundaries because you fear it might upset or alienate others?
Part Two is where the book drifts from what is going on with RSD to general therapy theory. The description promises research-informed strategies to regulate emotional surges, interrupt spirals, build self-worth, and manage relationships and work. The tools mostly come from CBT, DBT, ACT, mindfulness, grounding, I-statements, boundaries, movement, delayed reaction, and thought-challenging. Although the tools are legitimate, they were developed for neurotypicals and assume a level of real-time self-awareness and emotional regulation that many ADHD readers may not have access to while activated. These tools also appear in every book about anxiety, emotional regulation, or self-help. The tools should reflect the realities of an ADHD brain that fires off an emotional reaction in milliseconds and can't necessarily identify the emotion or body response in real time.
Chapter 5 is presented as a toolkit, but it functions as a therapy-skills chapter. Challenge negative thoughts. Accept the present moment. Label your emotions. Manage with mindfulness. Reframe. Move your body. Use I-statements. Delay reaction. Every tool runs into the same problem: it requires real-time self-awareness. The book describes RSD as fast, physical, automatic, and tied to ADHD and emotional dysregulation. Then it tells readers to pause, identify the thought, name the feeling, challenge the belief, breathe, ground themselves, and choose a measured response. You can't have it both ways. You can't just tell people, "now, change."
The book says emotional dysregulation is one of the most profound and impairing symptoms many people with ADHD experience. That makes the practical chapters more frustrating, because the advice assumes the reader can access the specific regulation skills the book says may be impaired or overwhelmed. The issue is being able to pause while activated. If someone could calmly notice, name, challenge, reframe, and delay every reaction, emotional dysregulation would not be a problem.
The relationship, friendship, family, and career chapters use relevant RSD-triggering scenarios: mixed signals, silence between texts, reassurance-seeking, canceled plans, feeling overlooked, family dismissal, breakup panic, and imposter syndrome. The answers to managing these problems always circle back to the same tools: pause, breathe, ground yourself, name the feeling, use an I-statement, move your body, delay the reaction. The scenarios are specific. The interventions are generic.
The “nearly 100% of people with ADHD have some component of RSD” claim also needs more precision. RSD is not a formal DSM diagnosis, so it's not a standardized construct. Rejection sensitivity and emotional dysregulation are common ways ADHD can affect people's lives. But emotional dysregulation being central to ADHD doesn't prove the claim that nearly everyone with ADHD has RSD. The author addressed this topic on her social media account, so it may be edited in the final draft.
The medication discussion appears in the reference section rather than in a dedicated chapter. That placement choice is a little unexpected for a psychiatrist-authored book that spends Part Two promising practical help. Hamdani says there are no medications designed specifically for RSD, but clinicians may treat overlapping ADHD, emotional dysregulation, stress reactivity, anxiety, depression, or mood instability. She also says medication can help “take the edge off” when grounding, reframing, and self-compassion are not enough and the emotional spiral takes over. That point could have been a chapter, particularly since RSD can interact with anxiety, depression and other mental health co-morbidities.
Too Sensitive is an excellent book to explain RSD through science, but it's weaker as a practical guide. The first four chapters are strong enough to make the book worth reading, especially for understanding RSD, emotional sensitivity, ADHD biology, and the role hormones can play. The rest turns into a repetitive therapy workbook that doesn't match the intensity of the problem the book just described. The science gets specific. The intervention remains generic.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
ARC from NetGalley
Book Publishing August 25, 2026
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance listening copy of “Too Sensitive: Rejection, Resilience, and the Science of Feeling Deeply” in exchange for my honest review.
Dr. Sasha Hamdani, a board-certified psychiatrist, explains and explores coping strategies to help navigate Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD). RSD isn’t an officially recognized diagnosis in the DSM-5, but it has some more specific and distinguishing features that set it apart from other mental health diagnoses, such as ADHD and anxiety.
I thought this book was really interesting. I appreciated how the first few chapters were dedicated to defining and explaining the science behind RSD. Before discussing ways to cope with RSD, Dr. Hamdani included a questionnaire for people to screen themselves. The questionnaire was particularly helpful because I was on the fence about how well I could relate to this condition until I took the time to answer the questions and realized this book was for me.
After the scientific explanations and the questionnaire, the rest of the book focused on how RSD can affect all aspects of social life (friends, family, work, etc.) and on how to cope with it when it arises in specific situations. I liked how the scenarios came from real people, many of whom I could relate to. I liked the question-and-answer format for this section of the book, but I wished she had included some more in-depth stories as examples of situations and treatments. I also thought the mentions of the 5-4-3-2-1 method were a little repetitive.
I appreciated that the author included her own experiences, and I particularly enjoyed the letter she wrote to herself years ago as a struggling psychiatry resident at the end of the book.
I listened to the audiobook, and it was well done. I may have to purchase the print copy of this book for future reference.
Overall, this was an interesting and helpful book for anyone who struggles with being “too sensitive.”
Book Publishing August 25, 2026
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance listening copy of “Too Sensitive: Rejection, Resilience, and the Science of Feeling Deeply” in exchange for my honest review.
Dr. Sasha Hamdani, a board-certified psychiatrist, explains and explores coping strategies to help navigate Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD). RSD isn’t an officially recognized diagnosis in the DSM-5, but it has some more specific and distinguishing features that set it apart from other mental health diagnoses, such as ADHD and anxiety.
I thought this book was really interesting. I appreciated how the first few chapters were dedicated to defining and explaining the science behind RSD. Before discussing ways to cope with RSD, Dr. Hamdani included a questionnaire for people to screen themselves. The questionnaire was particularly helpful because I was on the fence about how well I could relate to this condition until I took the time to answer the questions and realized this book was for me.
After the scientific explanations and the questionnaire, the rest of the book focused on how RSD can affect all aspects of social life (friends, family, work, etc.) and on how to cope with it when it arises in specific situations. I liked how the scenarios came from real people, many of whom I could relate to. I liked the question-and-answer format for this section of the book, but I wished she had included some more in-depth stories as examples of situations and treatments. I also thought the mentions of the 5-4-3-2-1 method were a little repetitive.
I appreciated that the author included her own experiences, and I particularly enjoyed the letter she wrote to herself years ago as a struggling psychiatry resident at the end of the book.
I listened to the audiobook, and it was well done. I may have to purchase the print copy of this book for future reference.
Overall, this was an interesting and helpful book for anyone who struggles with being “too sensitive.”
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