Problem anger is the term the Mental Health Foundation has chosen to describe anger that persistently causes problems in someone’s life – in their thinking, feeling, behaviour and relationships. We have identified it in the course of our research on the subject of anger and we want to see it properly researched and treated. More information on problem anger
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No, anger is a universal emotion and we all need it. There are people with anger problems in all walks of life. Anger can help us enormously, but it’s a powerful emotion and it’s not always easy to deal with. Some people can get ‘stuck’ in a cycle and anger becomes entrenched in their everyday life and can cause harm. Chronic anger is linked to a range of physical and mental health problems, as well as relationship and social problems. Anger is an obvious and a pressing emotional problem and we want to see more support given to people who struggle with it – not labels attached to them.
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It’s not possible to say for sure. Anger has been with us throughout our evolution and evolution is a slow process. It’s very unlikely that there’s been a recent change in the core structure of our emotions. But there have been rapid changes in our social behaviour and economic circumstances in the last fifty years. Some experts believe these are contributing to a rise in emotional and mental health problems.
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No. Anger is a feeling and aggression and violence are types of behaviour. This may be one of the reasons anger gets left untackled – because anger and aggression get confused and we punish the behaviour without tackling the feeling. That said, anger is the emotion that most often precedes aggression and that is one reason why we should tackle it properly.
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There are a number of people who have set up courses and therapies to tackle anger around the country already. The most common methods are talking therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy. This helps people to understand how thoughts affect feelings and to help people develop new ways of addressing situations and thinking about things to break a cycle of negative thoughts and feelings.
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We are running a public awareness campaign on anger for a year. If you’re very worried you should speak to a GP. There are also some anger management courses available privately or you can see a counsellor or other therapist privately.
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There are some practical ways of avoiding an angry or aggressive outburst. The main priority is to buy yourself time – anger is often a very immediate, emotional reaction so you need to give rational thinking time to kick in. More tips on healthy ways to deal with anger
Our free booklet Cool Down: Anger and how to deal with it is full of hints, tips and useful contacts for anyone concerned about their own anger.
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It’s important that parents feel able to teach their children how to listen to their emotions while staying control. Techniques such as problem solving and encouraging children who are old enough to see things from other people’s point view are a couple of the ways to help children stay in control of their emotions.
The benefits of engaging with troubled young people at an early stage, rather than waiting for them to be picked up by the criminal justice system later in life, could be enormous.
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Any workplace where problem anger is prevalent is bound to suffer, both in terms of staff wellbeing and the bottom line. Managers need to be aware of the issue and offer support where necessary – someone with an anger problem can often be helped and the benefits to themselves and the organisation can be enormous. There are several private companies that offer anger training and conflict resolution to organisations.
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