Anger attacks might be more likely to occur in situations in which an individual feels emotionally trapped rather than as the result of fear and anxiety that are often associated with panic attacks. Because a person feels trapped and unsure of how to manage the situation, they lash out with anger.
As a part of Potter-Efron's book he talks about the 6 stages of an emotional or anger event which is what I want to talk about in this blog entry. In order from 1 to 6 they are: activation, modulation, preparation, action, feedback and deactivation.
Anger is present as a key criterion in five diagnoses within DSM-5: Intermittent Explosive Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder and Bipolar Disorder.
Among the most triggering primary emotions is frustration. Frustration is often experienced when you are feeling helpless or out of control. Over time, this emotion can cause your mood to stew until reaching an angry state.
Road rage, domestic abuse, throwing or breaking objects, or other temper tantrums may be signs of intermittent explosive disorder.
Not all anger is linked to anxiety, but often if individuals take a step back and uncover what is triggering their anger, they may discover that they are showing signs of fear and panic, which may be the root of an anxiety disorder.
ANGER primes increased systolic blood pressure and the magnitude of this increase predicted reaction time prolongation. Within the brain, ANGER trials evoked an enhancement of activity within dorsal pons and an attenuation of activity within visual occipitotemporal and attentional parietal cortices.
Irritability causes include vitamin deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, or lifestyle triggers (such as increased stress). Symptoms of severe vitamin B1 (thiamine) and B6 deficiencies may include irritability.
Anger can actually be good and lead to positive outcomes either by acting as a motivator to perform and succeed or acting as a means to overcome some personal difficulties. Rage is excessive anger that is often violent. Rage can be physically violent. It can drive someone to physically attack another person.
Intermittent explosive disorder affects around 11.5 to 16 million Americans in their lifetimes, including 7.3% of adults. It is a chronic disorder that usually decreases with age.
Bipolar rage is a waking nightmare for the person in it's grips and for those in its path. It is uncontrollable, unstable, and unpredictable. With regular anger there's usually a trigger, something you can pinpoint and go "Ah ha! This is what set them off and this is why it set them off".
Bipolar disorder has been linked to increased agitation and aggressive behavior in some individuals, but for these individuals, aggressiveness is limited to manic and/or depressive episodes, whereas individuals with IED experience aggressive behavior even during periods with a neutral or positive mood.
The short answer is that anger can run in families, and genetics can indeed play a role—which might help to explain your angry inclinations. However, there's another significant factor that can lead to kids adopting angry tendencies from their relatives: learned behavior.
Irritability is a state that involves feelings of anger or frustration, of being impatient and quick to get annoyed, especially over small things. People with irritability have a tendency to react with anger to slight provocation. They have a short temper and may snap at people.
While you can't cure anger, you can manage the intensity and effect it has upon you. Effective therapeutic strategies exist for managing anger and can help you become less reactive. You can even learn to develop more patience in the face of people and situations you cannot control.
Common roots of anger include fear, pain, and frustration. For example, some people become angry as a fearful reaction to uncertainty, to fear of losing a job, or to fear of failure. Others become angry when they are hurt in relationships or are caused pain by close friends.
Instead of reacting, retreating, and then rethinking, one can choose to first retreat, then rethink, and finally RESPOND. Notice “react” has been removed from the sequence. That is because when we are upset or angry, a healthy response to another person rarely involves being emotionally reactive.