What, exactly, is e.m.PD? Trying to create a clear-cut answer to that question and fully describe e.m.PD (early morning Personality Disorder) has proven to be more difficult than I initially anticipated. For now, let’s just go with a working definition as “a tendency to exhibit an aversion to social interaction upon awakening in the early morning hours”.

The information collected during my initial studies appears to show a strong link between e.m.PD and people who can be classified as non-morning personality types. This personality type applies to those who, in general, would rather watch the sun set than watch the sun rise. When they are placed in situations where they have to wake up and become socially active before their internal clocks have had time to reset, a conflict occurs. This, in turn, creates the need for a personality adjustment in order to function according to social norms. The various behaviors, or symptoms, observed during this adjustment phase can range from fairly mild to very severe, most often fluctuating someplace in-between. Sufferers have been known to exhibit a mix of anti-social behaviors such as an aversion to verbal communication, irritability, and withdrawal from social contact. Some will rely heavily on nonverbal communication and may resort to glaring or making rude gestures to convey their current social state. In some very extreme cases, sufferers have been known to growl and make rude gestures. While I cannot make an absolute declaration at this time, most of the symptoms will generally start to diminish after 10:00 a.m. – or, after the sufferer has been awake and adjusting his/her personality for an hour or more.

Although many people have reported experiencing a similar set of symptoms, and they exhibit similar behaviors when affected by e.m.PD, it would appear that no two cases are exactly alike. Early on I wondered if there was a correlation to any particular age group, but found none. e.m.PD has been known to affect all ages – from the youngest of the young to the oldest of the old. I have also discovered that, unlike the stereotype of most of the other mood related human issues, e.m.PD is not gender specific. Another little tidbit that I found to be especially surprising – and please keep in mind that I am working with geographically limited data – is that there doesn’t appear to be any notable cultural bias. Go figure. I am very interested in hearing from more members of the e.m.PD community to gauge the validity of this finding.

CASE STUDY 280630: Shonte’ is an aspiring entrepreneur in her late twenties with a Master’s degree in Education. She taught middle-school prior to becoming a work-at-home mom with two very active young daughters. This is what she had to say about her e.m.PD:
‘Oh my God, yes! I have that! I just can’t do it. Getting up at six-thirty in the morning is wrong, it’s not natural. It just feels so wrong and it totally screws up my day.’

Further discussion reveals that she more often than not stays up until two or three in the morning working – or waiting for the girls to wind down and fall asleep. This suggests the possibility of a familial trait that I will explore more as we progress.

– End entry .\ /.