Angry outbursts typically refer to explosive, violent, or loud reactions to events that are either without cause, or out of proportion to the actual event. People of all ages can suffer from angry outbursts, even though they are most often associated with children. Adults with anger issues, or sometimes those suffering from other mental illnesses such as depression or anxiety disorders, can experience these outbursts as well. This can cause significant problems in all aspects of an individual's life, particularly in work and interpersonal relationships. Often, an individual with anger problems will feel as if he or she wants to control the anger, but that it is not possible to do so.
There are some common characteristics that people with angry outbursts will experience each time it occurs. Many people will feel changes in the body that precede an outburst, such as an increased heart rate or shallow, rapid breaths; others will actually feel warmth or heat in the body and face. This is typically due to a rush of adrenaline in the body, often known as the "fight or flight" response. It tends to just make the angry outbursts worse, because physiologically, it is very difficult to control this adrenaline response.
Depending on how a person usually responds to anger, this rush of adrenaline can cause outbursts to look different in each person. Some people will respond by yelling or using inappropriate language at someone. Others will behave in a more violent way, sometimes throwing or breaking things or, in the worst scenarios, becoming violent toward another person. Abusive relationships are often characterized by angry outbursts of this nature, which is always unacceptable, regardless of the cause. Sometimes the person experiencing the outburst will legitimately feel as if it is beyond his or her control; at this point, it is time for the person to seek professional help.
Angry outbursts can be caused for a number of reasons. Sometimes people just did not ever learn how to properly express themselves. Substance abuse, particularly alcohol abuse, often contributes to these types of outbursts as well. Other mental illnesses such as anger and depression can also cause these events, sometimes because anger is the safest way for an individual to express the way he or she is feeling; in addition, some outbursts can be attributed to ADD or even low blood sugar. Regardless, people who are experiencing this situation in their lives need to take immediate steps to get help and resolve the problem.
