This may be most often seen in cases of trauma that involve exploitation or violence. The trauma and shock of early childhood abuse often affects how well the survivor learns to control his or her emotions. Problems in this area lead to frequent outbursts of extreme emotions, including anger and rage.
Many physically abused children become aggressive themselves or have other behavioral problems. Aggression and “acting out” are very common, but there are a wide range of reactions.
If you experienced trauma in childhood, such as abuse or neglect, you may be more likely to develop repressed anger. This is because you may have learned to suppress your emotions to cope with the situation.
Many people experience anger after a disaster or other traumatic event. They may feel angry about the damage the disaster has caused, changes to their short- or long-term plans, the long recovery process, financial worries and problems, and their reactions to the disaster that are hard to deal with.
Intermittent explosive disorder (IED)
A child with IED may have impulsive behavior outbursts very frequently, or two or more outbursts per week for three months. Outbursts include temper tantrums, verbal or physical fights, the harming of an animal, or the damaging of property.
Intermittent explosive disorder (IED) is an impulse-control disorder characterized by sudden episodes of unwarranted anger. The disorder is typified by hostility, impulsivity, and recurrent aggressive outbursts. People with IED essentially “explode” into a rage despite a lack of apparent provocation or reason.
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.
With PTSD and anger, common symptoms include irritable behavior and angry outbursts (with little or no provocation). These are typically expressed as verbal or physical aggression toward people or objects. Another potential symptom is reckless or self-destructive behavior.
Dysregulated anger and heightened levels of aggression are prominent among Veterans and civilians with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Two decades of research with Veterans have found a robust relationship between the incidence of PTSD and elevated rates of anger, aggression, and violence.
Childhood physical abuse was also significantly associated with anger in adults, with an increased risk of approximately 40%. The researchers found no link between childhood sexual abuse and adult anger.
Our lower backs store most of our unexpressed anger. Many people develop severe and debilitating pain in the lumbar region of the back. Chronic stress activates the sympathetic nervous system that puts pressure on the spinal cord.
The impact of repressed anger can include the following: Psychosomatic symptoms and physical ailments such as headaches, chronic cough and digestive issues. Emotional numbness. Lethargy.
In univariate analyses, all 5 forms of childhood trauma in this study (ie, witnessing violence, physical neglect, emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse) demonstrated statistically significant relationships with the number of different aggressive behaviors reported in adulthood.
Traumatic reactions can include a variety of responses, such as intense and ongoing emotional upset, depressive symptoms or anxiety, behavioral changes, difficulties with self-regulation, problems relating to others or forming attachments, regression or loss of previously acquired skills, attention and academic ...
The signs of trauma in a child include obsession with death or safety and issues with sleeping, eating, attention, and regulating emotions. Kids who have experienced trauma may also start to avoid school, especially if their trauma happened at school or is related to school, such as the death of a classmate.
When one is pathologically angry due to chronic dissociation or repression of existential or appropriate anger, the threshold for anger is gradually diminished. Almost anything can then evoke irritability, annoyance, anger, or even rage—all inappropriate overreactions to the current circumstance.
While there are many reasons for anger to become a constant in your life, socioeconomic factors, chronic stressors, and underlying mental health conditions may all play a role.
There are healthy ways of managing anger and any other intense emotion you might feel overwhelmed by. For example, self-soothing skills or taking a time-out. Finally, seeking out social support can also be an effective way to cope with and manage anger. Other emotion regulation strategies can also help.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): Being subjected to constant yelling and verbal abuse can cause symptoms of PTSD. Symptoms can include insomnia, feeling the need to be on guard, getting easily startled and displaying self-destructive behavior.
Anger isn't technically a bipolar disorder symptom, but much research has linked anger to the condition. Research done in 2012 and 2014 discovered that there is a greater existence of aggression in people with bipolar disorder than in those without.
Epinephrine and non-epinephrine are the main chemicals which play the vital role in chemistry behind anger. In the absence of these chemicals, the body wouldn't be able to deliver off any reactions while you are in anger or in any other emotion that has involvement of adrenaline.