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Intermittent Explosive Disorder and
Anger Management
Perhaps the most problematic area in the anger
management field is a serious psychological disorder called intermittent
explosive disorder. Intermittent explosive disorder (IED) is a fairly
rare disorder of the brain characterized by explosive outbursts of
behavior like throwing, breaking things, inflicting physical harm on
others with little or no provocation. It is an impulse control disorder
that is sometimes linked to temporal lobe epilepsy. It has also been
suggested by studies as the underlying cause of road rage.
It’s estimated that up to 7.3% of adults, or from 11.5 to 16 million
Americans, suffer from I.E.D. at some time during their lives, but it’s
believed the actual percentages are much higher, as I.E.D. tends to
overlap in individuals with bipolar disorder, and people diagnosed with
bipolar disorder were excluded from the testing. I.E.D is believed to be
one of the most dangerous, destructive of mental disorders. It is
characterized by angry outbursts resulting in violence or destruction of
property, and can be exacerbated by the use of alcohol or recreational
drugs, such as Crystal Methamphetamines. This mental disorder is
believed to be linked to crimes such as domestic violence, child abuse,
assault, rape, murder, road rage, and violent robberies, and does not
respond well to normal methods of anger management. People with this
disorder are prone to violent outbursts or impulsive aggressiveness
grossly out of proportion to the precipitating event.
I.E.D. is thought to begin in the early teen years, and is often brushed
aside as bullying by someone who chooses not to practice positive
methods of anger management. Since the onset of I.E.D. occurs at such an
early age, it is proposed that those exhibiting symptoms of I.E.D. be
tested at the first sign of a problem, often while they are still in
school.
I.E.D. is known to predispose sufferers for conditions such as
depression and anxiety, alcohol and drug abuse, and contributes heavily
to dysfunctional behaviors resulting domestic violence, criminal
behavior, and divorce. 71.2% of people with I.E.D never seek or receive
any treatment, other than classic anger management techniques, which,
while effective to a degree, need to be utilized in conjunction with
medications, since treatment is achieved through both cognitive
behavioral therapy, to help the patient recognize and deal with
destructive impulses, and psychotropic medication regimens, because
those who have unprovoked violence associated with the disorder, show
loss of cells and abnormalities in the left hemisphere of the brain, and
multiple drug regimens are frequently indicated for these patients.
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