Anxiety, depression, bipolar, and ADHD are a few common mental health issues that may cause passive aggression. When a mental health condition causes overwhelm or fatigue, behaving passive-aggressively may help some to feel heard or gain a sense of control in their life.
Passive-aggressive personality disorder (PAPD) causes people to express negative feelings and emotions subtly or passively rather than directly. This often creates a contradiction between what they say and do.
According to the American Psychological Association, passive-aggressive personality disorder (PAPD) was "a personality disorder of long standing in which ambivalence toward the self and others was expressed by such means as procrastination, dawdling, stubbornness, intentional inefficiency, "forgetting" appointments, or ...
Anger is not an emotion that people typically associate with the up and down moods of bipolar disorder. Studies show, however, that individuals with this condition do experience more anger and aggression, and that these feelings are most intense during acute mood episodes.
With bipolar rage there does not necessarily need to be a trigger, it can show up without warning and is always absent of reason. It chooses chaos, it's not the individual choosing to lose control. If anything, control is something we're desperate to have and that desperation only makes our anger more chaotic.
A “bipolar meltdown” is, much like “bipolar anger,” a very stigmatizing phrase, and not something that really exists. The phrase “bipolar meltdown” could refer to a bipolar person having a manic episode or being in a depressed state.
This type of behavior often comes from feelings of insecurity or powerlessness, which lead to subtle but damaging reactions. It's important to remember that the person behaving passive aggressively is not automatically a bad person, they are just responding to their environment in the only way they know how.
Passive-Aggressive Behavioral Causes
It might not have felt safe for them to directly express their feelings as a child. But people can also pick up this behavior as adults. They may act this way because it helps them get what they want. They may do it to avoid confrontation.
Someone who is passive-aggressive often lets others take control while someone who is aggressive is more confrontational or directly forceful. So, someone who is passive-aggressive exerts their control over situations in a less direct or recognizable way.
"Passive-aggressive partners are generally codependent, and like codependents, suffer from shame and low self-esteem," Lancer says. Attempts to engage with a partner who suffers from this may result in a sense of emotional abandonment. They can form an intimate connection up to a certain point.
Passive-aggressiveness is a behavior where people tend to avoid direct conflict and express their anger indirectly through sulking, procrastination, withdrawal, stubbornness, controlling, and sabotaging tasks (1).
People who are passive-aggressive don't express their anger, disagreement, or negative emotions directly, but rather through hostile or mean-spirited actions. These mixed messages leave others feeling confused, and this destructive trait can damage relationships at home, at work, or in love.
A passive-aggressive person will avoid face-to-face confrontation. They can't show their feelings; therefore, being lonely will improve peace of mind. Most passive aggressors will isolate themselves to clear harsh feedback.
Many people learn to use passive-aggressive behavior from others around them. In some cases, stress caused by life events or a mental health issue can cause people to act in passive-aggressive ways. Anxiety, depression, bipolar, and ADHD are a few common mental health issues that may cause passive aggression.
Setting clear boundaries. Since passive aggression often involves behaviors like being late, missing deadlines, or procrastinating, setting clear expectations and boundaries may keep passive aggression from evolving into more harmful behaviors.
Grandiosity and overconfidence. Easy tearfulness, frequent sadness. Needing little sleep to feel rested. Uncharacteristic impulsive behavior.
Here are some reasons why people with bipolar push others away: They don't want to burden people with their problems. The inside of a bipolar mind can be a dark place sometimes. It's common for people with bipolar to worry that their problems are going to bring people down.
One study published in the journal Bipolar Disorders involving more than 500 people found that those with bipolar (either type I or II) are more likely to be argumentative, feel hostile toward others, have hot tempers, and act out than those without the disorder, especially during a mood episode.
Often, there's no discernible trigger. Some days, someone with bipolar disorder might just wake up feeling mad at the world. Other times, they may feel particularly sensitive to something happening to or around them and find themselves growing angrier by the minute.
Individuals with bipolar disorder may have a heightened sense of self-confidence and a reduced filter in their speech during manic episodes. This can cause them to speak harshly and say things they may not mean or fully consider the implications of.
Manipulation isn't a formal symptom of bipolar disorder, although some people with the condition may exhibit this behavior. In some cases, manipulative behavior is a result of living with another mental health condition, such as personality disorders, substance use disorders, or trauma.