Encyclopedia of Health and Medicine

anger and anger management 241
NEPHRINE—the stress hormones. This cascade
causes BLOOD vessels throughout the body to constrict,
raising BLOOD PRESSURE. It also causes HEART
RATE to go up and BREATHING rate to increase. These
changes can take place within seconds, though the
body takes much longer to return to normal.
Anger can become a personal health issue or a
social problem when its expression is inappropriate
or when it is a persistent state of being. On the
health front, prolonged elevations of the stress
hormones can cause permanent changes in the
cardiovascular system. Numerous research studies
linking prolonged anger in particular with CORO-
NARY ARTERY DISEASE (CAD). The suppression of
anger can also result in physical manifestations
such as chronic HEADACHE, chronic gastrointestinal
symptoms such as NAUSEA or DIARRHEA, or clinical
DEPRESSION.
The inappropriate expression of anger that
involves aggressive or violent words or actions
may also risk the well-being of others. Such
expressions may include prolonged yelling, throwing
things, physically fighting with others, acts of
road rage, acts of VIOLENCE, and in other ways lashing
out. ALCOHOL abuse and substance abuse often
contribute to inappropriate anger or anger expression.
INAPPROPRIATE EXPRESSIONS OF ANGER
getting into fights
hitting
passive–aggressive behavior persistent yelling or tirades
placing blame
pretending nothing is wrong
reckless or erratic driving swearing and abusive
tantrums (at any age)
language
throwing or breaking things
Anger management is the structured effort to
express anger in appropriate, constructive ways
through learned responses and behaviors. Therapists
and psychologists can teach methods to identify
circumstances that trigger anger and appropriate
ways of expression through approaches that
may include
• COGNITIVE THERAPY to change the way a person
thinks about anger
• BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION THERAPY to change a person’s
actions and behaviors
• discussion of underlying worries, fears, and
issues that may contribute to feeling angry
• problem-solving and communication skills
People who are unable to control anger and
their behavior responses through therapy may
have a psychiatric disorder called intermittent
explosive disorder, which often improves with
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) medication
treatment. The SSRIs are ANTIDEPRESSANT
MEDICATIONS that extend the presence of serotonin,
a NEUROTRANSMITTER, in the BRAIN. Serotonin is key
in the movement of electrical impulses among
brain neurons responsible for mood and emotion.
Some people also benefit from alternative and
complementary approaches such as HYPNOSIS and
BIOFEEDBACK and from relaxation methods including
MEDITATION and YOGA. Regular physical exercise
reduces stress, provides an outlet for physical tension,
and induces the release of endorphins and
enkephalins, biochemicals in the brain that cause
feelings of pleasure. Health conditions that can
cause changes, sometimes sudden, in a person’s
anger response and anger management ability
include serious illness or injury, STROKE, BRAIN
TUMOR, degenerative neurologic conditions such as
ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE, and TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY
(TBI).
See also CHILD ABUSE; DOMESTIC VIOLENCE; ELDER
ABUSE; EXERCISE AND HEALTH; PROBLEM-SOLVING AND
CONFLICT RESOLUTION; STRESS AND STRESS MANAGEMENT.