Last updated: Mon, Jul 3, 2017
There is no DSM category for "angry," but there is a category called "intermittent explosive disorder," which may affect 10% of chronic pain patients. Little is known about anger problems in the population in general. Nearly 90% of chronic pain patients agree with some angry statements, and over two-thirds admit that they are angry with someone, often in the medical, social security, or legal systems. In a recent study, about 8% of those in the general community agreed to being chronically angry, while over a third of chronic pain patients agreed to the same thing. Sadly, about 30% of pain patients in another study had been involved in "intimate partner aggression."1
Other research has indicated that increases in pain increase the tendency to express anger, that suppressing anger may increase pain, and that expressing anger may decrease perceived pain. Swearing may increase pain tolerance.2 This suggests new therapeutic approaches....