The ADHD Brain and Justice Sensitivity

The ADHD Brain and Justice Sensitivity

Understanding why justice sensitivity (JS) is so common and so intense in ADHD requires examining the neurobiology that shapes how the brain perceives, interprets, and responds to unfairness. Four major neural systems  (the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex, and default mode network) work together to determine whether a situation feels like a mild annoyance or a moral threat. In ADHD, these systems function differently, creating a profile in which emotional reactions ignite quickly while regulatory and contextualizing mechanisms come online more slowly.

At the center of this dynamic is the prefrontal cortex (PFC), responsible for executive functions such as impulse control, emotional regulation, and perspective-taking. In individuals with ADHD, the PFC tends to activate more slowly and with less efficiency, delaying the brain’s ability to put events into context or reframe them rationally (Arnsten, 2009). This means the emotional meaning of an event is often felt before the logical interpretation forms. For an ADHDer experiencing injustice (a rude comment, favoritism at work, a violated boundary), the emotional alarm sounds immediately, while the rational brain may not catch up until moments or minutes later.

Meanwhile, the amygdala, the brain’s threat-detection center, is primed for heightened reactivity in ADHD. Research has consistently shown that amygdala responses are stronger and more rapid in ADHD, particularly in emotionally charged situations (Shaw et al., 2014). Because the amygdala does not distinguish physical danger from social or moral danger, even subtle slights can register as urgent or destabilizing. A coworker taking credit for your idea may activate the same circuitry involved in perceiving physical threat. An overlooked message or dismissive tone can trigger a surge of intensity that feels disproportionate, not because the individual is “too sensitive,” but because their threat-detection system is calibrated differently.

Layered onto this is the role of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which integrates emotional meaning with bodily states and plays a central role in processing moral pain (Decety & Yoder, 2017). The ACC helps the brain register not just that something is unfair, but how it feels in the body. For many ADHDers, perceived injustice translates immediately into somatic responses: tightening in the chest, heat rising in the face, nausea, trembling, or the visceral urge to fix the problem immediately. This bodily encoding makes the experience harder to ignore or downplay, intensifying the urgency to respond.

Finally, the default mode network (DMN), responsible for self-referential thought, internal narrative formation, and rumination, tends to be overactive and under-regulated in ADHD (Castellanos & Aoki, 2016). Once an injustice registers, the DMN may generate looping thoughts: replaying conversations, imagining alternative outcomes, catastrophizing consequences, or constructing threat-based narratives. This creates a cycle in which the ADHDer not only feels wronged but continues feeling wronged long after the event has passed. This rumination is not a character flaw; it is a neurobiological pattern shaped by an overactive internal narrative system and an underactive braking system.

Together, these interacting circuits create a distinctive JS profile in ADHD: fast threat detection, slow regulation, intense bodily responses, and persistent rumination. The result is a nervous system that interprets injustice as personal, even when the intent was neutral. This does not mean ADHDers are misreading reality; rather, the brain interprets fairness violations as signals of potential exclusion, disconnection, or loss of safety. For example, an ADHDer may experience a seemingly minor workplace inequity (a supervisor overlooking their contribution during a meeting) as a profound sense of being unseen or devalued. Within seconds, their body tightens, their chest burns, and their mind races to interpret the meaning of this slight: Did I do something wrong? Why does this always happen? Should I say something? I can’t let this stand. The emotional urgency is not chosen; it is the direct product of a brain wired to react swiftly, intensely, and personally to moral or relational threat.

Justice sensitivity, then, is not overreaction but neurobiology. Understanding these mechanisms allows ADHDers to disentangle their identity from their reactions, recognize what their nervous system is doing, and develop tools to regulate the storm rather than be swept away by it.

References

Arnsten A. F. (2009). Stress signalling pathways that impair prefrontal cortex structure and function. Nature reviews. Neuroscience, 10(6), 410–422. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2648

Castellanos, F. X., & Aoki, Y. (2016). Intrinsic functional connectivity in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a science in development. Biological psychiatry: cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging, 1(3), 253-261.

Decety, J., & Yoder, K. J. (2017). The emerging social neuroscience of justice motivation. Trends in cognitive sciences, 21(1), 6-14.

Shaw, P., Stringaris, A., Nigg, J., & Leibenluft, E. (2014). Emotion dysregulation in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The American journal of psychiatry, 171(3), 276–293. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2013.13070966

About the Author

Dr. Cristina Louk is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT200) with a deep commitment to holistic well-being. She holds a BS in Psychology, an MA, and a PhD in Clinical Psychology. Since founding her private practice, Peace Humanistic Therapy, PLLC, in 2021, Dr. Louk has guided individuals on transformative healing journeys, building on her clinical experience that began in 2017.

Dr. Louk’s diverse professional background includes both agency and private practice settings. She served as the director of a supported living agency, gaining extensive experience with individuals with intellectual disabilities and co-occurring conditions such as ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, and other mental health challenges. Her clinical training emphasizes neurodevelopmental assessments for intellectual disability, ADHD, and autism.

In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Louk is actively engaged in the professional community. She currently serves as President-Elect of the Washington Mental Health Counselors Association and chairs the convention task force, spearheading the organization’s inaugural annual conference for continuing education in the field of mental health.

With 30 years of experience teaching ballet and a lifelong yoga practice, Dr. Louk understands the critical role of movement in mental health, emotional regulation, and nervous system balance. She has personally integrated yoga therapy, combining asana, pranayama, and study of the Yoga Sutras, into her own healing journey to manage ADHD and a dysregulated nervous system. This lived experience informs her specialization in treating adults with ADHD and trauma. She offers comprehensive assessments to ensure accurate diagnosis and individualized treatment, blending clinical expertise with holistic, movement-based approaches to healing.