Man with Intermittent Explosive Disorder Clutching Hair in a Fit of Rage
Intermittent explosive disorder (IED) causes a great deal of discord and upset in a person’s life. Having this disorder goes beyond someone just known for having a bad temper. People who have intermittent explosive disorder have habitual outbursts of anger that upset both themselves and those around them.
Montare Behavioral Health in Tucson understands the complexities of treating IED. Our therapists have the training and skills required to help people understand their disorder and overcome it. Our residential program offers a safe harbor for people with IED to stay while they work on sorting through and reducing their rage. Our staff teaches them how to identify their triggers and work on staying calm. No matter how much feeling rage and ire may have been a person’s default reaction, we can show them how to change it.
Intermittent explosive disorder is a disorder that drastically affects a person’s feelings and behaviors related to anger and rage. Even if the person wants to control their temper, they still end up acting out in verbal and physical ways that often frighten both themselves and others. About 4% of people in the U.S. will develop IED during their lifetimes. Adolescents are approximately twice as likely to have it as adults.
When a person with IED displays anger, it may be related to an obvious issue, conversation, or person. Other times the outbursts can seem to come out of nowhere. As well, an episode of anger may be out of proportion in that it’s an extreme reaction to something minor. People who live with or spend a great deal of time with someone with intermittent explosive disorder often end up fearing the next act of outrage.
Acting out because of IED can include yelling, verbal abuse, starting arguments, carrying on an argument for an excessive amount of time, and physical acts of aggression. This can include interactions with family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and other people the individual knows. It can also involve strangers met in public or private events or acts of road rage.
It can prove difficult to know if someone just has an angry outlook on life and alienates people from time to time or if they have intermittent explosive disorder. Signs and symptoms that someone has IED include:
Someone who has IED but does not seek treatment will keep using their verbal and physical behaviors. In fact, they often escalate in nature and can cause damage to other people and property. This makes getting professional help as soon as possible important.
Someone who has intermittent explosive disorder often wonders what triggered it. It can be one thing or a combination of things that cause the onset of this illness. For many people, genetics plays a part in developing IED. Someone with a parent with this disorder has a bigger risk of having it than those whose parents do not have it. However, not everyone with a parent with IED will also suffer from it.
The environment in which a person grows up can greatly influence the development of IED. A child who is around a parent or other family member who has no healthy coping skills for their anger will not have a role model for how to handle their own feelings of discord and upset. As well, kids who are punished in extreme manners or abused may hold onto their resentment until they get older. As teenagers or adults, the resentment and anger they feel come flooding out in the form of IED.
Finally, faulty brain chemistry can lend itself to intermittent explosive disorder behaviors. A treatment professional can help try to determine causal factors for IED by providing an assessment of the individual who has it.
While IED can be treated, there isn’t one specific therapy that targets it. Individual therapy is a great place to start because it provides the person with a safe space to open up about their issues. They can discuss their emotions and behaviors to a therapist who is trained to help them target ways to change their angry reactions.
Types of therapy that include learning to relax and be mindful also help. This can include any number of holistic types of therapy that allow people to express themselves in creative or healing ways.
Finally, prescription medications can offer respite from unending feelings of anger. Someone with IED often has an additional mental illness such as depression, PTSD, borderline personality disorder, or anxiety. The use of prescription drugs that treat those mental health disorders can cause a tremendous reduction in the symptoms that come with IED.
Do you struggle with intermittent explosive disorder and don’t know where to turn? Having IED can cause a person to feel embarrassed and have difficulty knowing who to ask for help. Montare Behavioral Health in Tucson treats this challenging disorder through the use of compassion and lessons learned by attending different types of therapy. Our clinicians meet each person where they are in terms of their treatment needs and walk with them every step of the way while they heal.
Contact us today to find out more about how we can help treat intermittent explosive disorder. Life is too valuable and enjoyable to spend it mired in anger. Find your inner peace and reestablish healthy relationships with our assistance.
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