I have sudden outburts of anger all the time. I just have to punch something or slam something. Is this an ADD problem or just a temper problem?

idk if this helps but i have ADD and i also have these same issues now n then *right now actually*

yea, I get that alot too. A few months ago, I got mad at my mother and kicked a big hole in her bedroom wall

I used to get angry at school all the time, I would throw about the tables and chairs, and kick the glass doors in!! :eek:

My anger was more of a problem when I was a kid. Afterwords ... I always end up feeling bad about it; a lot of guilt. Its real easy for someone to take advantage of that and it leaves me quite naive. Somehow, these days, I manage to contain my "outbursts" without completely throwing away all of my aggression. Sometimes its hard though and I end up putting a hole in the wall or kicking something over.

Its important to control your anger because if you are overexcessive you will find yourself in a very submissive position.

At one point I denied my aggression and thought myself to be some sort of monster. Today I feel a lot differently about it because, since I have come here, I have begun to see the positions that I put myself in. As you get older you learn to "pick your battles" so I dont think its an adrenaline driven thing. Its simply a matter of looking the other way: Ignorance is bliss, truly. Things will bother you and its just a matter of accepting that.

It's fine if you don't get the last word if you hold the moral high-ground. When the argument is over they will be left alone with the truth while your anger will have long subsided by then. Find comfort in that.

ive always had symptoms of ADD but didntg et diag till 25. I just recently.. past couple years got the sudden temper.. I think mine has to do with depression tho. not ADD

eta.. my anti dep helped me control the sudden temper outbursts

I get these outbursts too. Ive had alot of broken knuckles and wrists and I completely regret punching things when I lose my temper.

For me I don't think it's an anger problem. I think it's more about impulsivity from the ADHD. Thet fact that we live in the moment and don't always think of the consequences of our actions. So when we lose our temper we lose control because we don't think about what the consequences of what these outbursts will be. We just think about why we are angry and thats all we can think about. That's just my opinion anyway. You might have a genuine anger problem and if you feel you need help then go get it, it can't hurt to help yourself.

What I do instead of hitting things now is I walk out of the house (btw it is agreed with my parents that I am to do this and they know where I'll be). Then I sort of 'walk off' the steam. It helps for me.

If these episodes:

result in violence outbursts against people OR things (walls; objects), and you
have "no control" of over it (like a seizure),
then you could have INTERMITTENT EXPLOSIVE DISORDER.
You need to talk to your Doctor.

Medication, such as mood stabilizers, can help.

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Dr. Daniel Amen writes in his book Making a Good Brain Great, that pretty much every violent person's brain he has examined (scanned) has neurological problems. (He studies people on Death Row. Many of those inmates assaults were "impulsive". Most crime is IMPULSIVE, in fact. That is why people get caught. They don't or can't, PLAN.)

Better to get this treated medically (it's neurological), then see this wind up becoming a problem criminally.

INTERMITTENT EXPLOSIVE DISORDER

e.g. violent "road rages"(out of proportion to the "trigger") would be another example.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/explosive.html

sometimes when im right ticked off i say woosa woosa in my head over and over and it works, seriously:) you try it woosa woosa lol seriously oull try not to get angry so you dont say it to yourself in your head over and over:faint:. im not trying to be an asshat it works at least for me:foot:

Medication, such as mood stabilizers, can help.

oh? like Risperdal, eh?

***-hat? uhmm. . . . but ya, woosa=woosa sounds fun.

also, being on meds like Desoxyn, also helps control these outbursts, and change these outbursts into quests of righteousness, and uhmm, woosa!

nice posts, there Queensgirly

power of words is amazing~~~~:-)

oh ya, also, must say., w/ great power, comes great responsibility, that these quests of righteousness are for good of all mankind, not for a true delusion (if that is even possible). Best to keep all thigns in moderation

ok, peace, everybody. .

thanks for everyone who replied. It was very helpful.

I think my sudden bursts of anger are associated with the impulsivity of ADD.

No you dont need to punch something.... I went through a DBT program and it helped me to learn new skill how to manange my behaviour.

You need to learn to manange that anger. Therapy can help you do that. I have learned to stop making excuses aand blaming something or someone else.

I think it would be benifical for you to look into it.

me too. broke a couple of chairs today and by break i mean totally smashed them to pieces for no good reason and they were pretty solid chairst tooo.

Hmm explosive anger disorder, ADD, and TBD or is the BDT hmmm BDT {not a dyslexic friendly set of letters} any way it just might be related to AGE!

Younger people weather they are ADD or not tend to be more impulsive, once you begin paying for the crap you break{or live without it} the incentive to find another less costly form of anger expression becomes more apparent.

I was more physically violent when I was younger,I found that to be expensive then it was verbal until I crapped out some really good relationships{another form of expense} now due to the negative experience of these unproductive forms of expression I find more productive ways to release my hostility . . . .like exercising or journaling.

although anger problems may coincide with adhd they are not necessarily related. Plenty of people have add that don't have anger problems. Of course everyone gets angry, but it's how you deal with it. If you have anger problems, then you need to either actively try to grow to a higher level of emotional expression or you need to get help. Although, expanding on what the above poster said, I think that if you are younger than that advancement in self awareness (which bell curves between 18 and 21) then you may just need to age a bit.

For me I don't think it's an anger problem. I think it's more about impulsivity from the ADHD. Thet fact that we live in the moment and don't always think of the consequences of our actions. So when we lose our temper we lose control because we don't think about what the consequences of what these outbursts will be. We just think about why we are angry and thats all we can think about. Yeah, that's how it works for me too. I get tunnel-vision where all I can think about is how angry I am and don't really care about the consequences. I almost always regret what I've said or done immediately after, but it's like I need the release of emotions or something.

I figure it has to be ADD-related for me because it doesn't happen nearly as much when I'm on Adderall.

Karate helps. Ive been training for over 5 years now and I've just passed to my provisional black belt in karate on 12/7.

What I have learned from that is how to control my anger. I had an anger management problem before. It has really helped me learn self control not just for breaking or hitting things but for what I say and don't say (still working on pulling faces).

I teach karate with my husband on Friday nights and we have a lot of adult males that come to class coz we always do sparring (non / light contact style). This lets them get their frustrations out before the weekend so they can go home and be good husbands and fathers after a stressful week at work. (this seems to help normal people a lot).

For having this problem with ADD I find that practicing basic techniques or kata with aggression helps coz it means that I have to concentrate on something else and my short attention span makes it easier to forget what I was mad about in the first place. Also it helps to release the adrenaline which calms me down too.

When I'm feeling agitated I choose to spar someone that hits people hard so I can use that as a good reason to hit them hard too.

It's Ok to let it out it's just picking the right time and place. Also sometimes it's fun to give someone a good flogging (as long as you don't lose your temper)

I get these outbursts too. Ive had alot of broken knuckles and wrists and I completely regret punching things when I lose my temper.

For me I don't think it's an anger problem. I think it's more about impulsivity from the ADHD. Thet fact that we live in the moment and don't always think of the consequences of our actions. So when we lose our temper we lose control because we don't think about what the consequences of what these outbursts will be.Makes sense. Then there are the young adolescents who consider it a rite of passage to break knuckles, wrists and hands when they are ****ed off at someone or something and brag about it.

Tudorose and Auntchris: good suggestions for alternative behaviour.

Very gratifying to me personally to read all of the above on anger. I once hit the wall with my fist in my parents' home so hard I split the paint. It's still there as a reminder. I had gotten really angry with mother over something. This happened when my dad was away in hospital having heart surgery. Woosa, Woosa may work for me. Thanks for that! All of you are just brilliant. Thank you.

Woosa, Woosa may work for me. Thanks for that! All of you are just brilliant. Thank you.I knew I forgot something! Johnnny's woosa, woosa is a brilliant idea.

An outburst last year finally pushed me over the edge last year to get help.

We have these crazy kids that speed through our subdivision in access of 70 mph. Finally one night we were out by the street talking to neighbors and this kid was antaganizing us by making several passes at well over 70 mph.
He literally sat down at the end of the street until the rpms were very high and let loose right passed us.

This is a 25 mph street and there were kids out there!

I finally had enough so I stood in the middle of the street telling him to stop and he just kept going.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I just happened to grab a brick that was by the neighbors mailbox and threw it directly into his door which made a hole in the metal.

Being arrested and spending the night in jail was a wake up call.

I'm a 44 year old professional for Pete's sake acting like a crazy lunatic...

Steviefranchise, I'm sure there are people here who would benefit by your treatment experience, if you care to share. What worked for you?

INTERMITTENT EXPLOSIVE DISORDER

e.g. violent "road rages"(out of proportion to the "trigger") would be another example.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/cond.../explosive.html (http://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/explosive.html)
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I would like this "psychologist" to drive around the 405 and 10 at rush hour from 4pm to 7pm. People not only brake hard infront of you but they cut you off but will come within MILLIMETERS of your car whether your car costs 8.00 or 80.000 dollars and vice versa! Let's see doc's report afterwards... snicker!

Welcome to the land of plenty.