What are anger issues?
Anger is an entirely natural emotion, and it’s normal to feel angry when you’ve experienced injustice. However, whether or not this injustice results in angry outbursts comes down to how you deal with it. Anger becomes dangerous when it causes harm to you or others. Anger management difficulties can lead to the loss of relationships and opportunities such as jobs and education, and may also lead to loss of liberty, for example, as a result of criminal convictions.
While it’s important that you don’t bottle up your anger, maintaining control over your anger is important as the consequences can be severe and can potentially lead to contact with the criminal justice system via the police. Being able to remain calm is crucial in order to reduce the negative impact of anger and ensure that outward expressions of anger don’t negatively impact your relationships. Sometimes, maintaining this calm can be achieved by anger management therapy and classes, where a specialist can teach you coping methods to manage feelings of anger.
Common Signs of Anger Issues
- Punching/breaking objects such as walls or plates to feel a sense of release
- Reacting quickly and violently to small problems, for example, becoming angry when somebody bumps into you
- Accusing friends and relatives of disrespecting you or of going behind your back
- Finding it difficult to calm the feeling of anger without feeling the urge to express it through displays of anger
- Consistently having the same arguments with friends, relatives or colleagues
- Feeling frustrated with your actions during an argument or regretting them instantly after the event
- Struggling to compromise or arrive at mutual agreements without getting angry
- Becoming angry or violent during or after consuming alcohol
- Being unable to accept feedback and assuming it’s a critical reflection
- Automatically blaming others for negative situations
- Inward aggression that can lead to isolation or self-harm
- Wanting to control the outcome of situations without compromise
- Physical symptoms such as headaches, heart palpitations, sweating and anxiety
What causes anger issues?
Anger can have a wide range of triggers, which can differ from person-to-person. Some of the common causes of anger problems can include:
- Being threatened or treated unfairly
- Being publicly humiliated or having your self-esteem or confidence undermined in public
- Personal problems such as financial problems or stress at work
- Past experiences
- Trauma/abuse
- Bereavement and grief
- Existing mental health conditions
Treatment for anger issues
With anger management, each case requires careful evaluation and assessment. Underlying mental health difficulties need to be identified and treated, while interpersonal difficulties may need to be addressed and alcohol or substance use will need to be tackled.
Priory has been supporting people with anger issues for many years. We know that personal situations are different, which is why we ensure that everyone has a unique therapy plan tailored to their needs.