Well done! You have taken another natural, everyday expression of emotion and turned it into a condition. I’m sure the pharmaceutical companies are licking their lips at the prospect of manufacturing another type of cocaine-like pill for our latest condition – “Intermittent Explosive Disorder“:
Around the age of 12 or earlier, many kids — just over 5% of all adolescents between the ages of 13 and 17, according to a new study — report that they have suffered attacks of anger that are destructive, frightening and wildly out of proportion to any provocation.
The abbreviation for Intermittent Explosive Disorder — IED — is particularly apt for these kids:
IED is also seen in adults. But it appears to be more widespread in adolescents, and the current study suggests that early adolescence (age 12) is where it most commonly starts.
Although a precise definition of this disorder has not been established, the authors of the latest study queried a total of 6,483 teens and their parents about the number of disproportionate “anger attacks” the child had had in the past month, the past year, or ever. They also gathered information on what kind of behavior resulted — say, verbal threats, physical menacing or a rampage of throwing and breaking — and whether it resulted in the need for medical attention or the destruction of property worth more than a few dollars.
This makes me so angry! I think I’ve come down with SOSCED (sick of seeing children exploited disorder)!
Tags: adolescent anger, anger attacks, Anger in children, Children and Medication, Children who have tantrums, Destructive kids, Disorders, IED, Intermittent Explosive Disorder, Mental Conditions, mental disorders, Parenting
July 4, 2012 at 11:35 am |
We are teachers, not doctors. We educate not medicate. I thought IED was proportional to the intake of baked beans.
July 4, 2012 at 11:38 am |
Yes. And baked beans should be used to treat it too.
July 4, 2012 at 8:49 pm |
Why limit the diagnosis of intermittent explosive disorder to kids between the ages of 12-17? I, and millions of other women my age, certainly have it. It’s called perimenopause. 🙂 Then there’s the terrible twos of toddlerhood. Maybe we should just medicate everyone. What happened to the old explanation of puberty and hormones?
I think we need to stop prescribing medicine at the drop of a hat and start teaching awareness and coping skills. For myself, I find that running and meditation work wonders. Taking time to listen to your body/mind so you recognize when you’re about to wig out helps nip it in the bud, too.
And if you don’t believe how successful I’ve been with my coping skills, just stop by my home. My husband is still alive. 😉
July 5, 2012 at 12:16 pm |
A living husband is always a good indicator.