Citation

Mammen O, Shear K, Jennings K, Popper S. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry 1997; 36(10): 1374-1377.

Affiliation

Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1997, American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, Publisher Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/00004583-199710000-00019

PMID

9334550

Abstract

Parental anger can have detrimental effects on children and can contribute to physical abuse. Ego-dystonic anger attacks are an underrecognized psychiatric symptom that occurs in associated with depression, with other psychiatric disorders, and in the absence of comorbid disorders. They are characterized by overwhelming anger and autonomic arousal occurring upon provocation viewed as trivial by the individual, and they respond well to treatment with serotonergic antidepressants. Consequently, they represent a readily treatable problem. Four cases of anger attacks in mothers of young children are described to illustrate the importance of recognizing and treating anger attacks.

Language: en