Why Am I So Angry?

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsTake the Anger TestSymptomsCausesExperiences and UpbringingMental Health ConditionsUncontrolled AngerHow to Cope

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Take the Anger Test

Symptoms

Causes

Experiences and Upbringing

Mental Health Conditions

Uncontrolled Anger

How to Cope

Close

If you find yourself wondering why you’re so angry, it’s time to explore the triggers, feelings, experiences, and frustrations that might lie behind it all. A good place to start is the quiz in this article, which also discusses anger’s possible causes, its effects on behavior, and some strategies to cope with it.

This short, free 21-item test measures a variety of symptoms and feelings associated withanger, such as anger about the present and future, anger towards the self, and hostile feelings toward others.

Symptoms of Anger

Anger can manifest in many ways. It’s one of sixprimary human emotions, but when it occurs inappropriately, too often, or too intensely, it might be a problem. Here are a few things to watch for:

Why Anger Happens

Anger is often a response to stressful eventsor threats that trigger the body’sfight-or-flight response. An area of the brain, theamygdala, stimulates the hypothalamus, triggering the release of hormones that prepare the body to flee or stay and deal with the threat.

Some of the many threats and stressors that can cause anger include:

Everyone feels angry from time to time. However, intense, disproportionate, or frequent anger can signal a problem that warrants help—before it negatively affects your life and relationships.

Childhood experiences and parenting can play an important role in how people experience, express, and cope with anger in adulthood. For example, if you grew up in a home where adult caregivers regularly modeled unhealthy expressions of anger, you may be more likely to express your anger in distressing or unhelpful ways in adulthood.

You may have learned that expressing your anger through outbursts of verbal aggression or even violence is acceptable. In many cases, you may not have ever learned the coping skills andemotional self-regulationstrategies to deal with feelings of frustration and anger.

Experience can make it difficult to know how and when to express anger. If expressing discomfort, irritation, or anger wasn’t acceptable or safe for you as a child, you might be more likely to suppress your feelings as an adult.

Instead of dealing with the things that bother you, you might allow them to fester until you reach your breaking point.

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Anger and Mental Health Conditions

Although your past might affect your responses and coping mechanisms, many aspects of your current circumstances shape how you experience frustration and anger. Certain mental health conditions, for example, may influence how often you experience anger and how you react to these emotions.

Anger can be a symptom of different mental health conditions listed in the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” (DSM-5), the tool that clinicians use to diagnose different mental disorders. Here are some of the mental health conditions that can contribute to feeling angry all the time.

Intermittent Explosive Disorder

After an outburst, people with IED may experience embarrassment, shame, and remorse. However, they report that their anger is uncontrollable and present most or all of the time.

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that causes symptoms related to hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity. The condition is most often diagnosed in childhood, but symptoms frequentlypersist into adulthoodand affect adults differently.

Symptoms of anger, including irritability and physical aggression, can sometimes occur in children and adults with the condition.

Bipolar Disorder

Depression

Depressioncan cause sadness and hopelessness, but irritability and anger are also common. Other symptoms of depression include loss of interest in normal activities, sleep disturbances, lack of energy, and feelings of worthlessness.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Substance Use

Alcohol and other substances affect the brain in various ways, including reducing inhibition and increasing the likelihood of impulsivity.

Press Play for Advice on Dealing With Uncomfortable EmotionsThis episode ofThe Verywell Mind Podcastshares strategies for tolerating uncomfortable emotions. Click below to listen now.

Press Play for Advice on Dealing With Uncomfortable Emotions

This episode ofThe Verywell Mind Podcastshares strategies for tolerating uncomfortable emotions. Click below to listen now.

The Impact of Uncontrolled Anger

Constant anger can have serious consequences. Try as you might to suppress your feelings, they can eventually lead to outbursts of anger that might harm you or others.

Research has found that uncontrolled anger has a detrimental effect on both physical and mental well-being.

Suppressed or otherwise poorly managed anger leads to increased stress, triggering the release of hormones such ascortisol, adrenaline, and norepinephrine. It also generates a stress response, resulting in increased blood pressure and heart rate, along with other physiological changes.

Prolonged and repeated exposure to these physical changes can lead to lasting effects on health and well-being. Some of the consequences of always feeling angry include an increased risk of:

Your anger likely affects other people, too. This can lead to conflicts, poorinterpersonal relationships, social difficulties, problems at work, isolation, andloneliness.

How to Cope With Anger

Try these strategies for coping with and relieving your rage.

Although venting has been touted as an effectiveanger managementtool, blowing off steam actually mightworsenyour anger. That’s because aggressive physical actions such as yelling, stomping your feet, and punching a pillow essentially train your brain and body to respond to anger with violence.

Building effective communication skills can help, too. Instead of letting feelings fester and grow, talk with the people involved. Give yourself time to organize your thoughts, and then discuss the issue calmly to arrive at a mutually agreeable solution.

Using conflict management skills and presenting your feelings using “I statements” can prevent arguments from worsening.

The Takeaway

If your anger is causing distress or disrupting your life, talk to a healthcare provider. They can help you discover the roots of your anger and evaluate whether it might be related to a mental health condition such as depression, ADHD, or bipolar disorder. They also can recommend treatments such ascognitive behavior therapy(CBT),anger management classes, and support groups.

How to Stop Being Angry All the Time

12 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.Blair RJR.Considering anger from a cognitive neuroscience perspective. WileyInterdiscip Rev Cogn Sci. 2012;3(1):65-74. doi:10.1002/wcs.154Win E, Zainal NH, Newman MG.Trait anger expression mediates childhood trauma predicting for adulthood anxiety, depressive, and alcohol use disorders.J Affect Disord. 2021;288:114-121. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2021.03.086Rynar L, Coccaro EF.Psychosocial impairment in DSM-5 intermittent explosive disorder.Psychiatry Res. 2018;264:91-95. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2018.03.077Saylor KE, Amann BH.Impulsive aggression as a comorbidity of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents.J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2016;26(1):19-25. doi:10.1089/cap.2015.0126Suppes T, Eberhard J, Lemming O, Young AH, McIntyre RS.Anxiety, irritability, and agitation as indicators of bipolar mania with depressive symptoms: a post hoc analysis of two clinical trials.Int J Bipolar Disord. 2017;5(1):36. doi:10.1186/s40345-017-0103-7Cludius B, Mannsfeld AK, Schmidt AF, Jelinek L.Anger and aggressiveness in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and the mediating role of responsibility, non-acceptance of emotions, and social desirability.Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2021;271(6):1179-1191. doi:10.1007/s00406-020-01199-8National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.Alcohol and violence.Staicu ML, Cuţov M.Anger and health risk behaviors.J Med Life. 2010 Oct-Dec;3(4):372-5.American Psychological Association.How to recognize and deal with anger.Thom NJ, O’Connor PJ, Clementz BA, Dishman RK.Acute exercise prevents angry mood induction but does not change angry emotions. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2019 Jul;51(7):1451-1459. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000001922Tonnaer F, Cima M, Arntz A.Explosive matters: does venting anger reduce or increase aggression? Differences in anger venting effects in violent offenders.J Aggress Maltreatment Trauma. 2020;29(5):611-627. doi:10.1080/10926771.2019.1575303Muhyatun M.Transforming stress to happiness: implementation of the i-message technique for establishing positive communication patterns in the family.IJIP : Indonesian Journal of Islamic Psychology. 2022;4(2):18-35. doi:10.18326/ijip.v4i2.10

12 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.Blair RJR.Considering anger from a cognitive neuroscience perspective. WileyInterdiscip Rev Cogn Sci. 2012;3(1):65-74. doi:10.1002/wcs.154Win E, Zainal NH, Newman MG.Trait anger expression mediates childhood trauma predicting for adulthood anxiety, depressive, and alcohol use disorders.J Affect Disord. 2021;288:114-121. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2021.03.086Rynar L, Coccaro EF.Psychosocial impairment in DSM-5 intermittent explosive disorder.Psychiatry Res. 2018;264:91-95. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2018.03.077Saylor KE, Amann BH.Impulsive aggression as a comorbidity of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents.J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2016;26(1):19-25. doi:10.1089/cap.2015.0126Suppes T, Eberhard J, Lemming O, Young AH, McIntyre RS.Anxiety, irritability, and agitation as indicators of bipolar mania with depressive symptoms: a post hoc analysis of two clinical trials.Int J Bipolar Disord. 2017;5(1):36. doi:10.1186/s40345-017-0103-7Cludius B, Mannsfeld AK, Schmidt AF, Jelinek L.Anger and aggressiveness in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and the mediating role of responsibility, non-acceptance of emotions, and social desirability.Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2021;271(6):1179-1191. doi:10.1007/s00406-020-01199-8National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.Alcohol and violence.Staicu ML, Cuţov M.Anger and health risk behaviors.J Med Life. 2010 Oct-Dec;3(4):372-5.American Psychological Association.How to recognize and deal with anger.Thom NJ, O’Connor PJ, Clementz BA, Dishman RK.Acute exercise prevents angry mood induction but does not change angry emotions. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2019 Jul;51(7):1451-1459. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000001922Tonnaer F, Cima M, Arntz A.Explosive matters: does venting anger reduce or increase aggression? Differences in anger venting effects in violent offenders.J Aggress Maltreatment Trauma. 2020;29(5):611-627. doi:10.1080/10926771.2019.1575303Muhyatun M.Transforming stress to happiness: implementation of the i-message technique for establishing positive communication patterns in the family.IJIP : Indonesian Journal of Islamic Psychology. 2022;4(2):18-35. doi:10.18326/ijip.v4i2.10

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.

Blair RJR.Considering anger from a cognitive neuroscience perspective. WileyInterdiscip Rev Cogn Sci. 2012;3(1):65-74. doi:10.1002/wcs.154Win E, Zainal NH, Newman MG.Trait anger expression mediates childhood trauma predicting for adulthood anxiety, depressive, and alcohol use disorders.J Affect Disord. 2021;288:114-121. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2021.03.086Rynar L, Coccaro EF.Psychosocial impairment in DSM-5 intermittent explosive disorder.Psychiatry Res. 2018;264:91-95. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2018.03.077Saylor KE, Amann BH.Impulsive aggression as a comorbidity of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents.J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2016;26(1):19-25. doi:10.1089/cap.2015.0126Suppes T, Eberhard J, Lemming O, Young AH, McIntyre RS.Anxiety, irritability, and agitation as indicators of bipolar mania with depressive symptoms: a post hoc analysis of two clinical trials.Int J Bipolar Disord. 2017;5(1):36. doi:10.1186/s40345-017-0103-7Cludius B, Mannsfeld AK, Schmidt AF, Jelinek L.Anger and aggressiveness in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and the mediating role of responsibility, non-acceptance of emotions, and social desirability.Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2021;271(6):1179-1191. doi:10.1007/s00406-020-01199-8National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.Alcohol and violence.Staicu ML, Cuţov M.Anger and health risk behaviors.J Med Life. 2010 Oct-Dec;3(4):372-5.American Psychological Association.How to recognize and deal with anger.Thom NJ, O’Connor PJ, Clementz BA, Dishman RK.Acute exercise prevents angry mood induction but does not change angry emotions. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2019 Jul;51(7):1451-1459. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000001922Tonnaer F, Cima M, Arntz A.Explosive matters: does venting anger reduce or increase aggression? Differences in anger venting effects in violent offenders.J Aggress Maltreatment Trauma. 2020;29(5):611-627. doi:10.1080/10926771.2019.1575303Muhyatun M.Transforming stress to happiness: implementation of the i-message technique for establishing positive communication patterns in the family.IJIP : Indonesian Journal of Islamic Psychology. 2022;4(2):18-35. doi:10.18326/ijip.v4i2.10

Blair RJR.Considering anger from a cognitive neuroscience perspective. WileyInterdiscip Rev Cogn Sci. 2012;3(1):65-74. doi:10.1002/wcs.154

Win E, Zainal NH, Newman MG.Trait anger expression mediates childhood trauma predicting for adulthood anxiety, depressive, and alcohol use disorders.J Affect Disord. 2021;288:114-121. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2021.03.086

Rynar L, Coccaro EF.Psychosocial impairment in DSM-5 intermittent explosive disorder.Psychiatry Res. 2018;264:91-95. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2018.03.077

Saylor KE, Amann BH.Impulsive aggression as a comorbidity of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents.J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2016;26(1):19-25. doi:10.1089/cap.2015.0126

Suppes T, Eberhard J, Lemming O, Young AH, McIntyre RS.Anxiety, irritability, and agitation as indicators of bipolar mania with depressive symptoms: a post hoc analysis of two clinical trials.Int J Bipolar Disord. 2017;5(1):36. doi:10.1186/s40345-017-0103-7

Cludius B, Mannsfeld AK, Schmidt AF, Jelinek L.Anger and aggressiveness in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and the mediating role of responsibility, non-acceptance of emotions, and social desirability.Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2021;271(6):1179-1191. doi:10.1007/s00406-020-01199-8

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.Alcohol and violence.

Staicu ML, Cuţov M.Anger and health risk behaviors.J Med Life. 2010 Oct-Dec;3(4):372-5.

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

Thom NJ, O’Connor PJ, Clementz BA, Dishman RK.Acute exercise prevents angry mood induction but does not change angry emotions. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2019 Jul;51(7):1451-1459. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000001922

Tonnaer F, Cima M, Arntz A.Explosive matters: does venting anger reduce or increase aggression? Differences in anger venting effects in violent offenders.J Aggress Maltreatment Trauma. 2020;29(5):611-627. doi:10.1080/10926771.2019.1575303

Muhyatun M.Transforming stress to happiness: implementation of the i-message technique for establishing positive communication patterns in the family.IJIP : Indonesian Journal of Islamic Psychology. 2022;4(2):18-35. doi:10.18326/ijip.v4i2.10

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