His latest – Why Does Everybody Hate Me, takes a deep dive into the hurly-burly world of Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria.
Alex Partridge is an excellent and empathetic writer on the subject of ADHD and various other topics on the neurodiversity scale.
The title is a bit click-baitish – we are not all at the far end of that particular spectrum all the time – but the book does offer many insights and some helpful coping advice.
Here’s a tip – if you find it too consuming early on take a quick look at the final chapter. It’s not a murder mystery so it won’t spoil the plot but it is helpful sometimes to see there is light at the end of the tunnel. You can then go back to the body of the book with some optimism.
Partridge is relatable and this book will explain some things you didn’t know and confirm a few things you did know.
And this from Partridge himself: “I hope this book has helped you on your journey of self-awareness and enabled you to recognize that you are not broken, not too sensitive, not too much, not too energetic, not too anything. You are different, you live with RSD, and you have always been enough.”
Some readers shared their thoughts as well;
Why Does Everybody Hate Me? is a compassionate, validating, and deeply human exploration of Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) by ADHD advocate Alex Partridge. Through personal stories, humor, and accessible psychoeducation, Partridge gives language to an experience many neurodivergent people live with silently—often wrapped in shame, confusion, and self doubt. – Dr Courtney Stivers, PhD, LMFT
I absolutely loved this book — a complete 5-star read for me. – Emily
I highly recommend this book, it’s entertaining, it’ funny, it’s educational, it’s reflective. It reminds me of Dean Burnette’s The Idiot Brain. – Nenope
Oh my I really needed this! Thoroughly enjoyed listening to this in Audible and really felt like he was describing me perfectly. Only thing that let it down was how many times Alex repeatedly referred to the early 20’000 criticisms! 5 stars – Aimee
Many parts of this really hit home (low self-esteem, hypersensitive to criticism, always assuming others only tolerate me, etc) but the author associates it with ADHD which I don’t think I have. So, in a bit of delicious irony, I gave up on the book because I felt rejected for not being crazy enough. I hope you’re satisfied, Partridge! – Alex
It’s funny that this book is targeted at ADHD, because this book basically does not get to the damn point. It sketches out loads and loads of hypothetical situations and barely gives any advice on how to actually cope. Some might find it nice to have that material, but it’s just not for me. – Ashley