The Mental Health Foundation has revealed that problem anger is left untackled in the UK, despite widespread concern about aggression, and physical and mental health problems linked with anger. Problem anger goes largely untackled unless someone commits an aggressive criminal act, when a court may refer them to anger management training.

The Boiling Point report says chronic and intense anger has been linked with heart disease, cancer, stroke, colds and flu as well as depression, self-harm and substance misuse. Higher levels of anger are related to lower levels of social support and higher stress levels. Anger is more likely to have a negative effect on relationships than any other emotion. Anger is a vital emotion, and essential to our survival, but it can become entrenched in everyday life for some people, interfering with their thinking, feeling and behaviour and creating misery for themselves and others.

Almost two thirds (64%) of participants in a YouGov survey thought that people in general are getting angrier. According to the poll almost a third (32%) have a close friend or family member who has trouble controlling their anger. More than a quarter (28%) worries about how angry they sometimes feel. One in five (20%) say they have ended a relationship or friendship with someone because of how they behaved when angry. Polling also found strong public support for tackling problem anger – 84% believe that people should be encouraged to seek help if they have problems with anger, but 58 percent wouldn’t know where to go.

Dr Andrew McCulloch, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation said, “In a society where people can get help for depression and anxiety, panic, phobia, eating disorders and a range of other psychological and emotional problems, it seems extraordinary that we are left to fend for ourselves when it comes to an emotion as powerful as anger. We need to be able to recognise when anger is damaging our lives, ask for help and receive it.

"In the media and in mainstream life we hear a lot about road rage and many other types of rage. Our polling shows that the general public understands what’s going on. But as a society we have yet to tackle the issue. It is the elephant in the room in mental health. This is not about excusing bad behaviour, but about helping individuals and communities to take responsibility. Tackling it won’t be simple or straightforward, but the benefits could be enormous.”

(Courtesy The People Bulletin)

www.mentalhealth.org.