People Prone to Angry Oubursts May Have Intermittent Explosive Disorder

The road rager blaring his horn at you on the highway may not be a jerk at all, but could be suffering from something called intermittent explosive disorder (IED), which a new study from the National Institute of Health says is much more common than had been realized, affecting 5 to 7 percent of Americans. Dr. Emil Coccaro, chairman of psychiatry at the University of Chicago's medical school, told AP, "People think it's bad behavior and that you just need an attitude adjustment, but what they don't know ... is that there's a biology and cognitive science to this."

IED, which usually first appears in adolescence, involves multiple outbursts that are way out of proportion to the situation, often including threats, aggressive action and property damage. But although things like road rage, attacks of temper that involve throwing or breaking things, and even spousal abuse can be caused by IED, not everyone who does those things has the disorder. IED involves inadequate production of functioning of the mood-regulating chemical serotonin in the brain, and treatment with antidepressants can help, along with behavior therapy similar to anger management.