Topic Overview
Anger signals your body to
prepare for a fight. This reaction is commonly classified as "fight or flight."
When you get angry, adrenaline and other hormones are released into the
bloodstream. Then your blood pressure goes up, your heart beats faster, and you
breathe faster.
Many people mistakenly believe that anger is always
a bad emotion and that expressing anger is not okay. In reality, anger can be a
normal response to everyday events. It is the right response to any situation
that is a real threat. Anger can be a positive driving force behind our
actions. Anger can also be a symptom of something else, depending on how often
a person feels angry and how angry the person feels.
Hostility is being ready for a fight all the time. Hostile
people are often stubborn, impatient, hotheaded, or have an "attitude." They are
frequently in fights or may say they feel like hitting something or someone.
Hostility isolates you from other people.
Anger and constant
hostility keep your
blood pressure high and increase your chances of
having another health problem, such as
depression,
heart attack, or a
stroke.
Teens who say they often feel
angry and hostile also more often feel
anxious,
stressed, sad, and
fatigued. They have more problems with alcohol and
drug abuse, smoking, and eating disorders than teens who do not have high
levels of anger.
Violent behavior often
begins with verbal threats or relatively minor incidents, but over time it can
involve physical harm. Violent behavior is very damaging, both physically and
emotionally. Violent behavior can include physical, verbal, or sexual abuse of
an intimate partner (domestic violence), a child (child abuse), or an older adult (elder abuse).
Violence
causes more injury and death in children, teenagers, and young adults than
infectious disease, cancer, or birth defects. Murder,
suicide, and violent injury are the leading causes of
death in children. Violence with guns is one of the leading causes of death of
children and teenagers in the United States.
If you are angry or hostile
or if you have violent behavior, it is important to find help. You can learn ways to
control your feelings and actions. Contact the National Domestic Violence
Hotline toll-free at 1-800-799-7233 or the National Department on Mental Health
at 1-888-793-4357 to help you find the help you need.
Check your symptoms to decide if and when you should see a
doctor.
Check Your Symptoms
Home Treatment
If you are angry, hostile, or
violent, it is important to find help. You can learn ways to control your
feelings and actions. Contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline toll-free
at 1-800-799-7233 or the National Department on Mental Health at
1-888-793-4357. These agencies can help you find the help you need.
You can control your feelings of anger or hostility and avoid violence.
- Think before you act. Take time to stop and cool
down when you feel yourself becoming angry. Count to 10, or practice some other
form of mental relaxation. When you have calmed down, you will be better able
to deal with your conflict thoughtfully.
- Recognize feelings that
often lead to angry outbursts. Do you have trouble dealing with feelings of
sadness, confusion, or helplessness? Identify these feelings, and develop
positive ways to express them.
- Come up with a reasonable
explanation of why you are angry. If a person triggers your anger, suggest to
yourself that perhaps the person is having a bad day.
- Avoid
situations that trigger your anger.
- If you have trouble coping with heavy
traffic, try to adjust your work schedule so that you do not have to travel in
peak traffic hours.
- Do errands at less-busy times if standing in
line bothers you.
- Evaluate your lifestyle choices. Anger and
hostility may be a symptom of unhappy feelings or
depression about your job, your relationship, or other
aspects of your personal life.
- Notice when you start to become
angry, and learn to express your feelings in a positive manner. Don't just
ignore your anger until you "blow up." Express anger in a healthy way:
- Give yourself a "time-out." Go someplace
quiet to allow yourself time to calm down.
- Try screaming or yelling
in a private place, not at other people.
- Go for a short walk or
jog.
- Talk about your feelings with a friend. Avoid gossiping about
the person you are upset with.
- Draw, paint, or listen to music to
release the anger.
- Write in a daily journal.
- Develop assertive skills to replace your aggressive
behavior. Use "I" statements, not "you" statements, to discuss your anger. Say
"I don't feel valued when my needs are not being met" instead of "You make me
mad when you are so inconsiderate."
- Listen to what the other person
has to say. This can be hard. Try to understand his or her point of view.
Seek to understand, then to be understood.
- Explore other resources
that may be available through your job or your community.
- Contact your human resources department at work to
see whether you have services available through an employee assistance
program.
- Contact your local hospital, mental health facility, or
health department to see what types of programs or support groups are available
in your area.
- Read books on anger and how to handle
it.
- Forgive and forget. Forgiving helps lower blood pressure and
ease muscle tension so you can feel more relaxed.
- Take care of
yourself.
- Exercise regularly.
- Eat a
balanced diet. Do not skip meals.
- Try to get 8 hours of sleep each
night.
- Limit your use of alcohol, and do not use illegal
drugs.
- Practice a relaxation technique such as
yoga,
meditation, or
tai chi.
Symptoms to watch for during home treatment
Call your doctor to
evaluate your feelings if your anger, hostility, or violent behavior becomes
more frequent or severe.
Prevention
To prevent anger and hostility and to avoid
violence:
- Seek nonhostile ways to resolve conflicts.
Arguing is fine, even healthy, as long as it does not turn violent.
- Prevent violence with guns and other weapons.
- Do not provide your children or teenagers
with unsupervised access to guns or other dangerous weapons.
- Do not
keep guns in your home.
- If you have guns in your home,
unload them and lock them up. Lock ammunition in a separate
place.
- Do not keep guns in a home where there is someone who
has a drug or alcohol problem, is prone to violent behavior, or has threatened
suicide.
- Make sure that no one in your home will have access to
guns or other weapons unless he or she knows how to use them safely.
- Take steps to lead a healthy life.
- Engage in some type of regular physical
activity. Exercise is one of the best ways to release all types of stress,
including anger. A brisk walk is a good way to start. For more information, see
the topic
Fitness.
- Eat a balanced diet. Remember to
drink plenty of water.
- Establish a healthy sleep pattern. Try to
get the same amount of sleep each night.
- Limit your use of
alcohol, and do not use other drugs, such as cocaine, crack, or
methamphetamines. Alcohol and drugs may make your feelings of anger and
hostility worse and make them even harder to handle. For more information, see
the topic
Alcohol and Drug Problems.
- Practice a
relaxation technique such as
yoga,
meditation, or
tai chi.
- Consider your feelings before you become angry:
- Talk about your feelings with a
friend.
- Draw or paint to express your feelings.
- Write
in a daily journal.
- Think about your relationships with others.
Don't spend time with people who are apt to make you angry or who add negative
energy to your life.
- Think before you act. Take time to stop and cool
down when you feel yourself becoming angry. Count to 10, or practice some other
form of mental relaxation. When you have calmed down, you will be better able
to deal with your conflict thoughtfully.
- Teach your children that
anger is not a solution.
- Give your children consistent love and
attention.
- Settle arguments without yelling or
hitting.
- Do not use physical discipline, such as spanking or other
forms of
corporal punishment. If you need help controlling your
children, consider taking a course in parenting skills.
- Limit your
child's exposure to TV, movies, and video games. Watch television with your
children to discuss or limit violent content.
Preparing For Your Appointment
To prepare for your appointment, see the topic Making the Most of Your Appointment.
You can help your
doctor diagnose and treat your condition by being prepared to
answer the following questions:
- How long have you felt you had a problem with
anger, hostility, or violent behavior?
- What makes you feel better
or worse? What have you tried to control your feelings or
actions?
- Is your use of alcohol or
illegal drugs leading to your feelings of anger or
hostility or violence? Are you using alcohol or drugs as an attempt at
"self-medication" to relieve your symptoms?
- Have you or anyone else
in your family ever been diagnosed with depression or other mental
problems?
- Do work or relationship issues contribute to your
feelings of anger? Think about these issues before your visit.
- Have
you experienced any recent major life changes, such as a move, new job,
divorce, marriage, or retirement?
- What medicines do you use, both
prescription and nonprescription?
- Do you have access to guns or
other violent weapons?
- Do you have any
health risks?
While waiting for your appointment, it may be helpful to keep
a diary of your feelings.
Credits
| By | Healthwise Staff |
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| Primary Medical Reviewer | William H. Blahd, Jr., MD, FACEP - Emergency Medicine |
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| Specialist Medical Reviewer | H. Michael O'Connor, MD - Emergency Medicine |
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| Last Revised | December 23, 2011 |
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