The impact of anger on a person’s mental health

Anger is a normal emotion that everyone will feel at some point in their lives. However this can become a problem when it causes harm to yourself or others around you and it gets out of control. Anger has a negative impact on a person’s mental health. How a person expresses their anger can vary from person to person.

Outward anger – such as swearing, throwing things or being verbally or physically abusive towards a person.

Inward aggression – if you deny yourself basic needs that may make you happy, isolating yourself from others or self-harm.

Non-violent/passive aggression – if you ignore or refuse to speak to a person, refusing to do required tasks, or being late, having a sulky or sarcastic attitude. Even though the person doesn’t say anything which is obviously angry or aggressive.

Anxiety can make a person worry or feel scared. It can cause physical symptoms such as sweating, muscle tension, a fast heartbeat or stomach upset. It can affect a person’s sleep. In some situations a person can feel anxious, this is normal however if you suffer with an anxiety disorder you will feel anxious most or all of the time. Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder and was formerly known as manic depression. It can cause a person’s mood to swing from extreme highs to extreme lows. Symptoms can include having lack of energy, low self-esteem, not feeling good enough and suicidal thoughts. There are different types of bipolar and it is thought to be caused by a combination of environmental and gentic causes.

BDD – body dysmorphic disorder is where a person worries about flaws In their own appearance, they often spend a considerable amount of time worrying about this even though to the outside world this may not even be noticeable. A person may avoid mirrors all together or frequently look in them. They may compare their looks against other people’s possibly focusing on one particular area of their body. They may go to a great deal of effort in order to conceal such flaws. They may do this by spending a long time choosing the right outfit, brushing their hair for a long time or spending a long time applying make-up.

BPD – borderline personality disorder. A person may be diagnosed with BPD if they have experienced some of the following signs/Symptoms over a long period of time.

A person with BPD will feel worried that will be abandoned, their emotions are heightened and will sway between feeling content and happy to suddenly low and sad. This can change within a few hours or days. They don’t have a strong sense of their own identity and can often struggle to establish and maintain relationships, therefore feeling a sense of emptiness.

A person with BPD will often be impulsive and do things which could potentially cause them harm, for example drugs, dangerous driving or binge eating. A person will often feel paranoid and angry and find his difficult to control and some people will self-harm or have suicidal thoughts.

Depression lowers a person’s mood therefore they can lack motivation and have low self-worth. You can suffer with lack of energy and therefore interferes with a person’s daily routine and on occasion a person’s physical health. For some people depression is mild, others it can be severe and can be triggered after particular events or experiences. Such as child birth in which a person can develop post natal depression.

Dissociative disorders are a range of conditions that can cause both psychological a physical problems. Dissociation is the way in which the mind copes with too much stress, usually following a traumatic event in a person’s life. For some people that issues only last a few weeks, others can be month or much longer. A person who suffers with a dissociative disorder may suffer with periods of memory loss, seizures problems with movement and various sensation. The three main types of dissociation are dissociative amnesia, dissociative identify disorder and dissociative disorder of movement or sensation.

Drugs (recreational) and alcohol – although alcohol is a legal substance it is the most toxic or the commonly used drugs. If a person drinks in moderation it isn’t usually a problem but on a long term basis there can be problems caused. If drinking stops these problems should go away. Alcohol is a depressant and in the short term can make a person feel relaxed, therefore they enjoy this fear and they begin to have to drink more and more to gain this feeling. It can affect a person’s behavior and they can become aggressive.

There are many drugs which are stimulants but can paranoia, depression, nod swings, tiredness and aggression are among the list. Each drug type varies in it side effects, some are stimulants and some are depressants and they all have varying short and long term problems associated with them.

Eating disorders are either where a person eats to much or ears too little. The person has an unhealthy relationship with food and will either eat too much or too little beach they are constantly thinking about food and their weight. These disorders often start during teenager years or early adult hood or though they can develop as an adult.

Bulimia nervosa is where a person binge eats, often in secret. They may go through a cycle of eating, feeling guilty, purging and feeling hungry and the cycle will start again. They often will eat bad foods during these cycles and can feel depressed and suffer with anxiety.

Anorexia nervosa is a person who dies not consume enough food in order to have enough energy to stay healthy. People with this condition can often not want to eat, in order to stay slim, however in several cases it can be connected with a negative body image and low self-esteem.

BED – Binge eating disorder is where a person cannot stop themselves from eating. Often they use food to hide difficult feelings and to make themselves feel better.

Hypomania and mania are periods of time in which a person is over active and excited, these periods of time have a significant impact on a person’s day to day life. With hypomania this is milder, the behavior usually only lasts a few days where as mania last a well or longer. A person with these conditions may feel happy have lots of energy, and be willing to take risks. They may also spend excessively and inappropriately. After an episode a person may feel extremely tired, unhappy and ashamed of their behavior.

OCD – obsessive compulsive disorder is an anxiety related disorder which can be split into two categories obsessions and compulsions. The obsessions are the worries, urges or thoughts that repeatedly appear in a person’s mind. The compulsions are the repetitive activity which a person carries out in order to reduce the anxiety. For example repeatedly checking if a plug is switched off or that the door is locked. It can be very disruptive to a person’s day. The thoughts leave a person lacking concentration, therefore leaving them exhausted. It can affect relationships, the person can feel ashamed and lonely and may isolate themselves because of it.

Paranoia is where a person feels and thinks that they under threat even though there is no evidence suggesting this. Each person’s paranoia will vary but common thoughts of paranoia are that people are talking about you, trying to steal your personal belongings or money or that you are bring controlled or that a particular group is targeting you i. e. the government. Some people have these thoughts all the time, but for others they occur occasionally when they are in stressful situations.

Personality disorder – there are several types of personality disorders, people who suffer with these think very differently from an average person, they relate to others in a different way, feel and think differently.

Borderline personality disorder – it is uncertain the cause of this condition however it is thought to be a combination of environmental and genetic factors. It usually starts in adolescence but continues through adulthood. A person can be emotionally unstable, and be impulsive in their thinking. The relationships they have with others may be Intense and often unstable.

Phobias are a type of anxiety disorder, more extreme that a fear and is cause by a particular situation. A phobia last A more than 6 months, it has a significant impact on a person’s life. Often they are learned i. e. if a family has this phobia, genetics if a person if born with a tendency than can be prone to be anxious. The symptoms of a phobia can include stomach upset, sweating, breathlessness, dizziness, increased heart rate.

There are simple or specific phobias,. Simple phobias develop during childhood or teenage years and often become less severe as a person’s enters adulthood. There are various categories of phobias such as animal phobias, environmental i. e. heights, germs or deep water. There is also situational phobias such as flying, going to the doctors, dentist or going for a job Interview.

Bodily phobias such as vomit, blood or having injections. Sexual phobias having a fear of your sexual performance or a fear that you will contract sexually transmitted infections. Complex phobias, these are usually develop during adulthood and usually occur because of a deeper fear of anxiety of one particular situation. Agroraphobia is one of the most common types of complex phobias, a person will feel anxious if they are somewhere they feel they can’t escape if they have a panic attack as well as the commonly thought fear of open spaces. Social phobia, you may have a fear of social situations i. e. public speaking, or having a fear of embarrassing yourself in public which can be extremely debilitating as it can prevent them from going to events or meeting friends.

Psychosis is where a person views what is happening very different to those around them. They lose touch with what is reality and often suffer with hallucinations and delusions.

PMDD – pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder is a severe case of PMS, it occurs during a week or two before yourself starts. It can cause physical and emotional symptoms. A person can have mood swings , anxiety, be emotional, lack energy, and feel overwhelmed. A person can also suffer physical symptoms such as bloating, sleep disruption, muscle and joint pain, changes in eating habits and a sense of feeling rejected by others. Postnatal depression and perinatal depression- perinatal is the period of time during your pregnancy and for up to a year after giving birth. There are various types of problems surrounding pregnancy and child birth. These can be split into give categories, perinatal depression, perinatal anxiety, perinatal OCD, postpartum psychosis and postpartum PTSD. PTSD- post traumatic stress disorder is an anxiety, it is caused by a frightening, stressful or traumatic event. It can occur if a person has been in a road traffic accident, served in the military, been sexually abused or neglected or been affected by a natural disaster such as flooding, earthquakes or a hurricane. A person may relive the traumatic event by having nightmares, flash backs and physical symptoms such as pain, nausea sweating or trembling.

SAD- seasonal affective disorder is experienced during a particular part of the year. More commonly in winter however for some people it is the reverse. It can affect, sexual desire, concentration, lack of energy and van cause depression, most swings, and can cause panic attacks. To be diagnosed these symptoms need to occur at the same time of year for at least two to three years.

Self-harm is a way in which a person deals with difficult feeling, memories or experiences. Instead of expressing themselves verbally they do something physical to cause harm. to themselves it is their way of feeling in control, or punishing themself for the way in which they are feeling. There are varying forms of self-harm from biting to cuttings burning themselves, pulling their hair or poisoning themselves. They may feel better for a short period of time, but it doesn’t last often they can feel worse about themselves be sure the problem isn’t resolved and the damage they have now caused.

Schizophrenia is where a person lacks concentration and interest , they don’t take care themselves and have hallucinations such as hearing voices. They can be delusional and often have strong beliefs that other people don’t share. Paranoia can play a large part of this illness too.