How to Help Someone With Anger Issues

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSignsImpactHow to HelpHow to Cope

Table of ContentsView All

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Table of Contents

Signs

Impact

How to Help

How to Cope

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Angeris a normal, useful emotion that provides helpful information and feedback, such as when someone has violated a personal boundary. However, frequentangryoutbursts and aninability to control one’s ragemight indicate that a person has anger issues.Here are some strategies to help someone who has difficulty regulating their anger—and some tips on dealing with their rage.

“Having anger management issues usually means that someone has trouble regulating or communicating their anger and often acts out in a destructive manner as a result, potentially harming others or themselves."—Leigh McInnis, LPC, executive director at Newport Healthcare

“Having anger management issues usually means that someone has trouble regulating or communicating their anger and often acts out in a destructive manner as a result, potentially harming others or themselves."

—Leigh McInnis, LPC, executive director at Newport Healthcare

Signs of Anger Issues

According to McInnis, anger management issues can manifest in many different ways. A person might trouble regulating their anger if they:

Anger Issues: Take the Test

Impact of Anger Issues

Anger can seem effective in the short term; for example, someone who gets mad at their kids and shouts at them may feel satisfied if it means the kids do their chores. However, in the long term, anger issues can take a toll on the person’s health, relationships, work, and overall quality of life.

On Relationships

McInnis outlines some of the ways that anger issues can affect a person’s relationships:

These factors can disrupt the harmony in the person’s family and social circle, and make it hard for them to hold a job.

On Physical Health

Frequent, intense, or prolonged bouts of anger can take a toll on the person’s physical health. According to McInnis, the long-term physical effects of uncontrolled anger can include:

How to Manage Anger and Stress

How to Help Someone Who Has Anger Issues

If someone close to you hasanger managementissues, you may be concerned about them and want to help. McInnis shares some steps you can take to help them.

Urge Professional Help

Encourage the person to see a mental healthcare professional, such as a therapist. Many therapists specialize in anger management and anger issues. There are also different forms of therapy that can help treat anger, such as:

11 Anger Management Strategies to Help You Calm Down

Explore Anger Management Resources

There are severalsupport groups and anger management programs, both in-person and online, that can be helpful. Identify one that could be appropriate for the person and encourage them to join it.

There are also several books, videos, podcasts, and other resources designed to help people with anger issues. You can share them with the person and encourage them to explore them, to help them improve their communication skills.

Suggest a Health Checkup

It can also be helpful for the person to get a health checkup and SPECT brain scan, which can identify any potential organic reasons contributing to the anger management issues.

Coping With Someone Who Has Anger Issues

McInnis suggests some strategies that can help you deal with a person who has anger issues:

A Word From Verywell

McInnis recommends confiding in people you trust, seeking safety or support if you need it, and seeing a therapist or joining a support group so that you feel heard and supported.

8 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Library of Medicine.Learn to manage your anger.MedlinePlus.American Psychological Association.Understanding anger: How psychologists help with anger problems.Lee AH, DiGiuseppe R.Anger and aggression treatments: a review of meta-analyses.Curr Opin Psychol. 2018;19:65-74. doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.04.004Schwartz R, Goldsmith J.Internal family systems in family therapy. In: Lebow J.L., Chambers A.L., Breunlin D.C., eds.Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy.Springer, Cham. 2019.Ogden P, Minton K, & Pain C.Trauma and the body: A sensorimotor approach to psychotherapy.W. W. Norton & Company.Brom D, Stokar Y, Lawi C, et al.Somatic experiencing for posttraumatic stress disorder: A randomized controlled outcome study.J Trauma Stress. 2017;30(3):304-312. doi:10.1002/jts.22189The Cleveland Clinic.What Happens to Your Body During the Fight or Flight Response?. Published December 9, 2019.American Psychological Association.How to recognize and deal with anger.Additional ReadingAmerican Psychological Association.Controlling anger—before it controls you.

8 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Library of Medicine.Learn to manage your anger.MedlinePlus.American Psychological Association.Understanding anger: How psychologists help with anger problems.Lee AH, DiGiuseppe R.Anger and aggression treatments: a review of meta-analyses.Curr Opin Psychol. 2018;19:65-74. doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.04.004Schwartz R, Goldsmith J.Internal family systems in family therapy. In: Lebow J.L., Chambers A.L., Breunlin D.C., eds.Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy.Springer, Cham. 2019.Ogden P, Minton K, & Pain C.Trauma and the body: A sensorimotor approach to psychotherapy.W. W. Norton & Company.Brom D, Stokar Y, Lawi C, et al.Somatic experiencing for posttraumatic stress disorder: A randomized controlled outcome study.J Trauma Stress. 2017;30(3):304-312. doi:10.1002/jts.22189The Cleveland Clinic.What Happens to Your Body During the Fight or Flight Response?. Published December 9, 2019.American Psychological Association.How to recognize and deal with anger.Additional ReadingAmerican Psychological Association.Controlling anger—before it controls you.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

National Library of Medicine.Learn to manage your anger.MedlinePlus.American Psychological Association.Understanding anger: How psychologists help with anger problems.Lee AH, DiGiuseppe R.Anger and aggression treatments: a review of meta-analyses.Curr Opin Psychol. 2018;19:65-74. doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.04.004Schwartz R, Goldsmith J.Internal family systems in family therapy. In: Lebow J.L., Chambers A.L., Breunlin D.C., eds.Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy.Springer, Cham. 2019.Ogden P, Minton K, & Pain C.Trauma and the body: A sensorimotor approach to psychotherapy.W. W. Norton & Company.Brom D, Stokar Y, Lawi C, et al.Somatic experiencing for posttraumatic stress disorder: A randomized controlled outcome study.J Trauma Stress. 2017;30(3):304-312. doi:10.1002/jts.22189The Cleveland Clinic.What Happens to Your Body During the Fight or Flight Response?. Published December 9, 2019.American Psychological Association.How to recognize and deal with anger.

National Library of Medicine.Learn to manage your anger.MedlinePlus.

American Psychological Association.Understanding anger: How psychologists help with anger problems.

Lee AH, DiGiuseppe R.Anger and aggression treatments: a review of meta-analyses.Curr Opin Psychol. 2018;19:65-74. doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.04.004

Schwartz R, Goldsmith J.Internal family systems in family therapy. In: Lebow J.L., Chambers A.L., Breunlin D.C., eds.Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy.Springer, Cham. 2019.

Ogden P, Minton K, & Pain C.Trauma and the body: A sensorimotor approach to psychotherapy.W. W. Norton & Company.

Brom D, Stokar Y, Lawi C, et al.Somatic experiencing for posttraumatic stress disorder: A randomized controlled outcome study.J Trauma Stress. 2017;30(3):304-312. doi:10.1002/jts.22189

The Cleveland Clinic.What Happens to Your Body During the Fight or Flight Response?. Published December 9, 2019.

American Psychological Association.How to recognize and deal with anger.

American Psychological Association.Controlling anger—before it controls you.

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