How rage can make men ill

[Wetzelbill]

Why so angry? How rage can make you ill
1 in 10 men believed mad enough to damage property, injure others

By Kevin Hoffman

Updated: 4:54 a.m. MT July 12, 2007
The baby-faced kid is crushed against the chain-link octagon, swallowing punches from a fighter twice his size. His skin glows under the lights, until something gives way, and soon he's covered in blood. He's done — pinned, but too proud to tap out — yet the crowd jeers when the ref stops the fight. Even his father protests. Somehow, this Cleveland cage fight has become Caesar's coliseum.

Why so angry? That's the question I'm mulling ringside. And I'm not talking about the grapplers. As combatants in the unofficial minor leagues of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, one of the fastest-growing sports in America, their anger is subsidized. I'm talking about the fans. According to a 2006 Harvard study, 10 million adult men in the United States are so angry, they're sick. In fact, their disease has a name: intermittent explosive disorder, or IED.

The condition has been on the books since 1980, but the Harvard study claims it's far more common than anyone believed. Few people see psychiatrists because they can't control their tempers. And those who do, say the researchers, are often misdiagnosed with other mental problems. Previous estimates put the number of IED sufferers in America at less than 0.5 percent of the population. But if the Harvard researchers are correct, almost 1 in 10 adult men routinely display wildly disproportionate aggression, and are so angry that they're likely to damage property, or threaten or injure others. (The researchers estimate that only half as many women suffer from IED.)


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19424928/

[spoony]

1. Wow, that's a lot of people

10 million men, 5 million women. On the roads with us. On planes with us. Working next to us. Living in the same house!

We so desperately need widely available mental health care in this country. Too bad the only time it's ever discussed is after tragedies.

[Wetzelbill]

14. that's just it

When it's so pervasive you never know who could explode. Could be anybody and could happen to anybody.

[JacquesMolay]

2. I believe it.

I have to control myself sometimes - when I was younger I had a really explosive temper. I would actually get pissed at people and think about how I'd like to kick their ass. And I believe it makes you ill, too - I think nothing burns up your energy like anger.

[Wetzelbill]

3. same here

I sometimes have a bad temper even now. Anger can build up badly too. I used to read way more about politics than I do now. Several papers, websites, books, white papers, declassified documents etc. I was getting so pissed over this administration it was effecting my health. I had to take a step back. That anger will drive a person to the grave.

[Blue_Tires]

4. k+r

i'll mark this thread and come back later

[Wetzelbill]

11. thanks for the recommendation

[vanlassie]

5. So sad, considering

that there are very effective and not-too-complex methods to teach people how to rid themselves of anger and resentment.

That's what the "explosions" are about- pent up feelings and beliefs. Anyone can learn to manage their own behavior with very little or even no professional help.
Sigh.

vanlassie

[Wetzelbill]

12. I'm sure you're right

Good point. Obviously, we are all different, so not everyone has the same abilities to deal with this, but what you say is definitely valid.

[marions ghost]

18. Hmmm....

well I don't know if "anyone" can manage to control explosive anger without some professional help of some kind. The article refers to their being a possible connection with serotonin deficiency for example. There are connections with other disorders also.

Non-drug techniques and therapies are available, as well as counseling and medications for someone who just can't seem to do it himself.

I agree in general however, that many people suffer with this and they don't really have to.

[Gregorian]

6. Mine comes from having my dreams crushed by other people.

I've spent years being denied the things that used to be considered for granted. Like a place to call home where jets and cars and barking dogs and a myriad of other obnoxious things disrupt an otherwise peaceful life.

Once again, I claim the number of people to be most of the issue. Now millions have left the cities. I can't even find a home far from where I once could have lived. We're being denied our privacy, our dignity, our solitude.

I was a happy guy until the frustration of denial grew bigger and bigger. I once had a dream, and it's going going gone. And now I'm pretty damn mad. I almost cannot contain myself.

Maybe this is totally unrelated. Maybe not. But if so, I predict we are on the road to many more people who just might want to explode. After all, I'm an educated, kind, careful, respectful, peaceful person. If I'm angry, I guarantee there are millions right behind.

[Wetzelbill]

15. sorry to hear that

Yeah, unfortunately, I wouldn't be surprised if you are right. The stress of living has become unbelievable in this country, the middle class is strained like never before. That has to wear down a lot of people,

[Gregorian]

22. I've been told to lower my expectations.

But that's not something I'm willing to do. I'm a perfectionist. I love beauty. Not concrete.

I wish I weren't so alone. I find so few people who see. And I find even fewer who do see and are willing to be responsible about it. Like curbing their consumptions for a better world. I'm afraid I'm a minority.

Like right now. I'm going on a bike ride. But instead of being able to jump on my bike and go off, I can't. Since several years ago, this beautiful little road is now a nearly continuous stream of cars which I will not pit my body against. So here I go, driving my monster vehicle several miles to get to where I'm going. It angers me a lot. It's not insignificant. Yes, it's only biking I'm talking about. But I see the bigger picture. And that is anything but insignificant.

Whatever. Thanks for you reply. I'm not going to change anyone. The population and consumption phenomenon will run its course, and probably become a lot worse before the dull ones wake from their stupor. Or even worse, the next generation will be left with a wreck, and they'll have to live with it.

Why are humans so stupid. So greedy. So blind. It hurts to see. That's why.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

37. Yes.

My dreams were squashed by people who were threatened by an educated, brilliant person.
Who happened to be short and female.

All I've gotten for years is "No". For really stupid reasons.

I've been walking away from bad situations for years and am looking for good situations to walk toward.

Walked away from nasty,screaming bosses, shitty jobs, screaming relatives, anybody who gave me a hard time.


You yell at me, you're outta my life.

[Gregorian]

39. Just one problem.

And I salute you on making your critical decision.

But I have a problem. What if what good situation you are walking toward continues to get further away? That is precisely what has been happening to me for nearly twenty years. And now I am at a nearly total loss as to what to do. I could discuss the details, but they're just details. I am not willing to compromise on my dream. For example, I can't tolerate hot weather which puts me on the coastline. But the coasts are completely sold out. I even looked at Canada until I found I couldn't do it.

So here I am, having done everything to lead up to the life I wanted. And I can't do it. Everyone else I know is as happy as a clam. They found their home right off. No problem. I go from place to place getting progressively more and more frustrated. I'm lost now. Everything I own in storage. Searching and searching like an obsessed rat in a maze.

Having just ridden myself breathless on great bike ride, I can only imagine that one answer to our problems is to make the least compromising compromise possible. The try that. I don't know. This population problem is maddening. People climbing over each other. And it's only going to continue until people wake up. Argh. Why me? Why couldn't I have been the cheery neighbor in Sunnyvale with four kids and a wife who drove her Honda incessantly? Oh what bliss. Why could I not be one of the 26% who flit about, happy that Bush is their leader? Hey, at least that one is temporary. The other one is permanent. And that is the real problem. I don't see how a mindset is going to help me out of that one. I can't go toward a solution. Kansas? No way. Seattle and San Francisco? No vacancy..

Oh well... Wish I knew. One solution would be money. But that's not likely. Actually, even the money won't buy me solitude in a place like the Bay Area. The whole place is swarming with cars now. So money will only buy solitude in a place without the things I originally wanted in my life. Like a modern museum of art, and a good restaurant, and a few progressive thinkers in the neighborhood.

[bbgrunt]

21. and it is only getting worse. Everything in ordinary

life is becoming a catch 22. Just trying to figure out your phone bill/plan is an all consuming activity. Too many choices that are meant to confuse and confound no matter what you do---and the parameters change every month. All you can do is hold on tighter and tighter until you realize that it is not going to ever get any better--then you snap.

[Gregorian]

25. Haha. I love it!

I totally agree. And it's not funny at all. But it kind of is. I think it's the abstract concept of phone bill complexity as a symbolism of the problem.


I think in concrete terms. I see these articles talking about diseases. Or for example, I called a realtor yesterday who has been working on and off with me for over a decade, in trying to find a place to call home. Well, now it's an empty barrel. There's nothing. Not unless one has many millions of dollars. And I search and search. Papers, websites, Craiglist, etc. And he diagnoses me with obsessive compulsive disorder. And it may be true. But if it is, it came from the desire to find a home, and not some synapse that just decided it had enough. Not from some obtuse disease. If I am that way, even to a slight degree, it came from being a rat in a maze. Not one of the rats that's happy in some shit filled corner. But one that wants to get out and feel the sunlight.

I mean, we are building a world that is going to kill us. Selfishness is all most people know. And of course that's why I love DU. A great group of thinking and caring people.

And thanks for your reply. I don't know why I found it funny, but it helps to laugh a little.

[Alexander]

7. I bet 90% of these people live in the Phoenix area.

Lots of angry, violent, uncontrollable assholes here.

[Wetzelbill]

13. yeah elected to office too

:)

[marions ghost]

8. this study seems relevant to our society

and may explain some of the violence we are constantly witnessing. Some people seem to have no brakes on their anger. It just spirals out of control way too fast. I'm certainly willing to believe there may be a genetic component. I also know that excess anger is correlated with ADD and related conditions. It seems that we should offer help to those who feel they can't control their anger, and take it more seriously. As the article points out, people can be retrained to use techniques for reducing anger--that might be a good thing even if you are not off the charts with extreme fits but just have a low-level seething state all the time....

We need anger. Some of our frustrations as activists seems to come from the fact that others don't seem to get angry even when they are being abused. Some people apparently have more tolerance for suffering oppression without fighting back. This can be maddening to those who are action-oriented. Then there are those who take the aikido approach--ie. you appear to be compliant but then at the point of no return you use the opponent's force against him. So you let the opponent hang himself by his own rope, but you have to be very sharp about where that point of no return is and know when to dig in. A lot of jobs call for this kind of strategy--politicians, lawyers, psychologists etc. learn skills of deflecting and channeling anger. I think it's productive for schoolchildren to be taught these techniques, but if a child has a biological short fuse, more help than that will be needed.

Re. us. These past years of NeoCon domination have fanned the flames. Our anger today is appropriate to the threat IMO. It's much more rewarding to fight back non-violently than to sit passively and complain. But some people confuse that with this out-of-control anger that we see around us. They are different.

As things heat up politically in the coming months, anger management is a real concern. In the end, explosive anger does not accomplish anything except a discharge of emotions, which may be necessary and cathartic but in the long run is not very productive.

Thanks for posting.

[Wetzelbill]

10. you're welcome

Thanks for replying.

I think you have a cogent point, that a certain amount of anger is appropriate. Outrage at despicable acts or situations is natural, it's what you do with that that is important.

[davsand]

19. "...excess anger is correlated with ADD and related conditions..."

Marions ghost, when I saw that single statement in your comment I immediately flashed mentally to some of the articles I have seen lately about the subject of Omega Three consumption/supplementation and how its lack impacts on subsequent generations.

One theory put forth of late, (and it does sound like it has some research to support it) is that we are getting now to the second and third generations where Omega Three is not sufficient in the diet and there seems to be some changes going on in the brain. They are wondering if that is contributing to the rise in ADD, certain mental illnesses, and specific forms of Autism.

I have got to wonder if maybe the increase in anger disused here is a part of that...

Regards!



Laura

[marions ghost]

26. I'm on your wave, yes

I think there are nutritional factors involved, & genetic factors. Where they intersect is a fascinating area of research right now. Problems with excessive anger can be complex. You have to look at the physical in addition to the psychological. This could also be reflecting the greater exposure to chemicals and environmental factors. We just don't have a long-range view yet.

Do you have a link for that study you mention or any other info on it? I knew omega-3's come into this but I'm not up on the multi-generational theories.

[davsand]

41. Oh, man, I was afraid you were gonna ask me that!

I have been doing a lot of reading about Omega Threes for about the last year or so. I originally stated looking at it because of the impact it plays in cardiac health--especially given how it reduces mortality from sudden cardiac arrest.

My husband had a heart attack in late May last year and I have been looking at everything I can find about nutrition and heart disease--especially going beyond the "heart healthy" diet put forth all these years. The info on the impact of Omega Three supplements caught my eye early on, and I now take them along with my husband.

I am drawing a complete blank as to where I saw that info on the decreasing levels of Omega Threes in the modern diet. It would most certainly have been someplace on the net because I do my research online.

I'm sorry.


Laura

[marions ghost]

43. oh that's OK

I'm sure I can search it out. Just thought you might have it handy.:)

I completely agree that the "heart healthy" diet can become too extreme. We need some fats and oils.
People got the message that they should avoid all fats. Not true. Lately I'm following the increase of palm oil into American food products. (Palm fruit oil as opposed to palm kernel oil).
It seems to be beneficial.

http://www.americanpalmoil.com/benefits.html

* Palm fruit oil is trans fat free.
* Palm fruit oil provides the same "hard or solid" fat that is required for pastries, cookies, crackers and other items that require long shelf stability and a particular mouth feel or texture.
* Palm fruit oil is odorless and tasteless, perfect for consumers and manufacturers alike looking for a healthy oil for cooking and baking needs.
* Palm fruit oil is rich in antioxidants.
* Animal studies have found that tocotrienols may have the ability to reverse blockage of the carotid artery and platelet aggregation thereby reducing the risk of stroke, arteriosclerosis and other heart disease problems.
* Animal studies have found that tocotrienols may exhibit activity against tumor promotion.
* Cellular and animal studies have found that tocotrienols may inhibit certain types of cancer.
* Palm fruit oil increases 'good' HDL, compared to other saturated oils, such as coconut oil.

[vanlassie]

9. Resentment is the poison

Resentment is the poison you swallow
And wait for the other guy to die.


Seriously. No one makes you angry.
When I wrapped my mind around that one and understood that I was the only, only one paying the price for my anger and resentment, I had a new set of tools to use to improve my life.
There's More To Life
vanlassie

[Wetzelbill]

16. thanks for the link

[HCE SuiGeneris]

17. Too true

Welcome back to posting on DU... :hi: :blush:

[Gregorian]

27. I don't believe it.

To an extent that is true. But there are phenomenon going on that make for an unnatural world of suffering. Noise, pollution, war.

Looking at that website brings back vivid recollections of EST. Including the word "trainers".

I'll look at it more in depth when I get back home, but it sounds too much like something I'm already way to familiar with.

All I can say is it works both ways. I know the Dalai Lama doesn't agree with me on that. But I don't agree with him either.

But I don't know. And I could be completely wrong. I love being wrong. I would so love to be wrong about this. Because that would mean I am the only one on the planet who could control my happiness. And I absolutely disagree that that is the case. Stab me in the eye with a knife and see how happy I am. I don't buy it.

Edit- I'm totally willing to hear all arguments against what I just said. Please!

[vanlassie]

34. There's Good News and Bad News

The Good News? You're right. Only YOU control your happiness.
The Bad news? You're right. Only YOU control your happiness.

It sure puts the responsibility all on us, doesn't it?? That can be scary and many people don't want to face this reality. It IS easier to point to outside sources as the cause of our discomfort.

[Gregorian]

36. I can disprove that in three minutes.

If not, give me a few more minutes. I guarantee it.

Let me invade your privacy. Let me break your arm. Let my dog shit on your couch. I can go on and on.

I'm talking about EXTERNAL STRIFE.

I argue that the Dalai Lama is just good at being ignorant. Sure he visited the White House. And sure there is a part of George Bush even I wouldn't mind having a beer with. But the bottom line is, unless one isn't totally enraged, they aren't paying attention. I'm talking about murder.

On the contrary, I have seen a victim make friendship with their attacker. But that is human versus human. When it's machine versus human, which one could argue is still human versus human, I say it's a very different animal. This is a new modern world with very inhumane things going on.

I'm not convinced. But I'll gladly listen.

[Madspirit]

20. k&r...n/t

[Wetzelbill]

23. thanks for the vote

:)

[gatorboy]

24. IED? Oh, man you know if they create an acronym for it, theres a pill just around the corner.

[Wetzelbill]

29. might need to invest in that

:)

[WinkyDink]

28. Why? Maybe they don't belong to "the investor class"; maybe they are in a dead-end job, if any;

maybe they always had trouble reading, and so did poorly in school; maybe they see more clearly than many how bleak the future looks (pick a topic, any topic: degrading environment; sagging economy; unending war; incipient Fascism; increased incarcerations; stolen elections; rising prices; etc.).

I'm angry, too, and I'm relatively well-off.

[militaryspouse]

30. ..

maybe some ppl just have more testoserone than others?!

[Rosemary2205]

31. IMHO Men are SUPPOSE to be violent - genetically.

When humans were still tribal someone had to murder the wildlife for food and clothing, fight to protect hunting grounds etc and nature made it the men. IMHO a lot of this misplaced agression has to do with life being physically comfortable for us. Men have to actually dream up ways to get rid of the natural aggression nature built in.

And don't think women weren't built with some aggression too but in our society women don't have to fight quite as hard to keep their babies alive. Now it's all brain work to get the resources to raise one's children rather than a physical battle against that bear eying "little Billy" as a snack.

[frustrated_lefty]

32. I'm curious about this, although I remain skeptical.

IF this is a real phenomenon (that's a big if), I'm curious if anger management training helps?

No matter the acronym, there is no justification for injuring another, so please don't perceive this as an evasion or backhanded apology for things which are simply a matter of personal responisibility.

[Trillo]

33. Me too, I wonder if its just more of the War against the Type A person.

Physical violence against another is clearly illegal, but how does physically breaking your own property link to violence against another person? I think that there's a framing occurring in this article that may not be factual.

Perhaps Big Brother should go to the auto repair facility and arrest all the people with broken cars, assuming the accident is the result of road rage. (yes, its a wee bit of sarcasm, but only a little)

Should we lock up people that yell repeatedly at the neighbors out-of-control, aggressive, barking dogs before we give the same people a chance to call animal control and or noise abatement? Perhaps the neighbor raging at those dangerous dogs is trying to communicate with the dogs' owners first. Why is it considered "humane" and "safe" to blast those same dogs with 120 decibels of ultrasonic sound as a training aid?

Edited to add: Why do some high schools (such as military academies) force plebes to scream at the top of their lungs?

[Manifestor_of_Light]

35. A lot of them are alpha males with power.

Some of them are alpha females.

I used to work at the courthouse, and occasionally there were judges and lawyers who would scream at me, or the lawyers, or somebody for no reason and go on a yelling tear. Some of them would even lie and file grievances against me, when I did absolutely nothing to deserve it.

It's not new, it's just being recognized I guess. Alpha males can usually get away with it. They have money and power. Federal judges are the worst at thinking they are God. Because they are the Prince of the Realm.

Some people don't understand that the peons respect the office, and that the judge doesn't have to yell and scream to prove that he has to have respect.

The old Federal judges were nice guys. The young ones were obnoxiously imperious.

Actually, what happened was that they made ME sick. I developed high blood pressure at an early age from my job stress and later ran off screaming and said I would never work again under those conditions. They make lots of other people sick. As far as making them sick, I don't know if the rage makes them sick or not. At least they don't show it.

I have had to take 3 diff BP pills a day since I was 34.

And those bastards who caused it, certainly aren't going to pay for them.

[militaryspouse]

38. ..

outside of family i've never yelled at another person or even hit another person, but i wouldn't say others that do were uncommon. While i don't condone it, we are all human and subject to make fools of ourselves. Unless it's a pattern and the same ppl are being beaten over and over again(ie wife/kids), i don't think twice about it.

[NC_Nurse]

40. We better get rid of this admin, they'll kill all of our men!

Who makes anyone more angry than them? :shrug:

[cutlassmama]

42. My oldest son

has IED. I finally had to do "tough love" and exclude him from my life, except for an occasional phone call. At the age of 24 he's had at least a dozen roommates, none of whom could live with him for very long. He doesn't think he has a problem even though several doctors I took him to said he had IED. If someone doesn't want to help themselves there is nothing anyone else can do...believe me I tried it all.

[Wetzelbill]

45. wow I'm sorry about that

That sounds very difficult to deal with. Thanks for sharing and replying to my thread.

[lostnfound]

44. The frustrations of our society combined with shunning of the inner life

add up to a whole lot of anger and not many healthy channels for it.

I've been wondering about rampant anger problems, also. I personally know more than a couple families broken up by intense anger bouts from an otherwise seemingly sane, good men. Am I exaggerating? Scenario 1: kicks pregnant wife (come to think of it, I know 2 of these). Scenario 2: tries to kill family pet.

[Blue_Tires]

46. i think there is something to this

those that know my situation (depression, loneliness, unemployment and financial difficulty) know i've been struggling with fear, anger, and resentment by lashing out at others for a long time...The can attest that the anger, stress and similar feelings i've felt have taken a physical toll as I continue to internalize and suppress it...(i have no one else to direct it to but myself)...

the physical ailments have been minor for the most part, but they continue to add up and are exaggerated whenever i'm angry

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

47. I believe a sense of desperation is in play because,...look at the environment of "NEVER GOOD,...

,...ENOUGH".

Whether it be media or church or school or profession or,...any venture a common person tries,...in our country, NOTHING is ever good enough, ever (except those in control/charge, of course,...they can never do anything wrong).

[Dogmudgeon]

48. Just men?

Men, for a number of reasons, may be more inclined to volcanic anger, but it is becoming increasingly common among everyone.

And then, there's the associated response, self-destruction. Self-mutilation seems to be one manifestation of it.

I disagree that much of it is from indulging in catharsis. I think it's from overload, both a symptom and the disease itself.

--p!

[Blue_Tires]

49. final kick