Anger, or uncontrollable demonstrations of rage, is a serious psychological, physical and social problem that affects millions of Americans. Intermittent explosive disorder (IED) is now part of the American Medical Association's latest diagnostic codes. Untreated, IED can result in acts of violence, injuries, lawsuits and ultimately deaths. Treating chronic anger and rage is possible through a combination of therapies, including counseling, lifestyle changes and medications. "Anger management" is no joke.
Causes
IED is thought to be caused by a combination of factors, including genetics, a family history of domestic violence, abnormal brain chemistry and trauma. Sufferers of chronic anger, or IED, often have two or more of these factors present. Most sufferers display a proclivity toward "anger management issues" early in life, and the symptoms worsen into adulthood.
Symptoms
All of us get angry from time to time, but sufferers of IED have triggers that are both very sensitive and often unusual. Most sufferers of IED handle frustration very abnormally. They feel unable to control frustration and the feeling can instantly burst into full-blown anger and even rage in a very short period. Once in the grasp of IED, sufferers feel unable to control their response. They can't stop themselves without great effort. Most sufferers are aware they are "out of control" but feel powerless to stop.
Consequences
Many sufferers of anger management issues end up destroying their lives. Lashing out at others in a violent way can result in loss of employment, lawsuits, damage to property, criminal charges, imprisonment, divorce and separation from others. Some IED sufferers don't trust themselves around others and become recluses.
Counseling
Fortunately, talking therapy is very effective in teaching sufferers how to control their IED attacks through self-coaching. Various techniques are now shown to give sufferers the tools to both prevent and stop the rage outbursts from occurring. Sufferers can also come to understand how their condition developed if it was caused by a dysfunctional family or underlying post-traumatic stress syndrome.
Medical Help
IED is now thought to be related to similar brain chemistry conditions as depression, anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Many sufferers of IED respond well to medications used to adjust brain chemicals responsible for mood.
Sensitivity Training
While it is impossible for people to shield themselves from daily frustrations, sufferers of IED can recognize situations that might be risky for them and make the conscious decision to either avoid the unfavorable circumstances or face the situation more prepared to handle the frustration.
Support
The support of family and friends is extremely helpful. Offering to help a sufferer of IED with a potentially frustrating task---like fixing something that is broken---is one strategy family members can employ in a supportive manner. Refusing to overreact to an episode, such as not screaming back at the sufferer, and instead repeating the self-coaching mantra "Relaxing, Cooling, Cooling, Breathing" with them is usually effective as well.
References
- "How to Deal With Emotionally Explosive People"; Albert J. Bernstein; December 9, 2002
- "Treating Explosive Kids: The Collaborative Problem-Solving Approach"; Ross W. Greene and J. Stuart Ablon; October 18, 2005
- "Understanding Anger Disorders"; Raymond DiGiuseppe and Raymond Chip Tafrate; September 7, 2006
