Anger management typically involves counseling and self-help techniques designed to assist people whose level of anger affects the psychological and physical well-being of the patient and the people around him. The American Psychological Association (APA) reports that side effects of untreated, unregulated anger include increased heart rate and elevated blood pressure that can lead to heart disease, stroke and other serious complications.
Type
Most people who require treatment from anger management therapy have a low tolerance for frustration and annoyance.
Expression
Not all people with anger problems throw tantrums or act in a violent way. Many people with unresolved anger issues or insufficient coping abilities express their anger by withdrawing and turning the anger inward, resulting in depression and isolation.
Treatment
Treatment for anger management includes teaching patients how to recognize their feelings and how to control their reactions. Patients may learn visualization or deep breathing techniques as well as cognitive therapy to understand the source of their anger.
Source
Researchers at the APA say that some personality traits common in those who cannot control their anger may be due to genetics as well as cultural influences. Education is another important component in anger management, as many with anger problems were never taught how to control their emotions.
Humor
An approach that often helps in anger management treatment is humor. Therapists teach patients how to see the humor in their unreasonable demands of society and everyone with whom they interact.
Needs
Doctors at the Mayo Clinic say that people who need anger management classes or therapy are those who repeatedly regret their behavior as it causes harm to themselves and others and those who get into trouble with the law as result of their uncontrolled anger.
