After a brief absence on the old blog, I’ve been inspired to comment on this article published today by the BBC: Anger syndrome ‘under-diagnosed’
WARNING: The first signs of this truly serious disorder appear in adolescence. The study claims that it’s not just “bad behavior,” but actually a serious biomedical problem. I agree – at least partially.
Here are some of the tell-tale signs:
To be diagnosed with IED, an individual must have had three episodes of impulsive aggressiveness which are grossly out of proportion to the situation, such as that seen in cases of road rage or domestic violence.
This not-so-unique disorder is also commonly known as: “Immaturity & Lack of Self-Control.” I’m curious to find out who actually funded this study – no doubt we will see numerous high priced prescription remedies.
But please, give me a break. When people lash out, as the study describes, there is obviously some sort of chemical imbalance occuring internally. If these people possessed some level of internal balance, they wouldn’t engage in such activities.
As a youth, I too had of bouts of ‘aggressive’ behavior – albeit there was no road rage or domestic violence involved; but I certainly had my fair share childish sparring matches. Although, by blaming this on a “disorder,” it seems to me that we are relieving individuals of any responsibility for their actions…and this is where I firmly disagree. Bad behavior is, in fact, a condition which is the result of a lack of internal discipline. Everyone goes through periods of imbalance in life; although not everyone lashes out in such ways. The difference is in how we react, and luckily we have been endowded with an ability to choose our reaction to any given set of circumstances.
Oops, I think I just lashed out 😉