History of Anger Attacks May Point to Soldiers at Greatest Risk of Anxiety Disorder, Suicidal Ideation

New Army soldiers with a history of impairing anger attacks were twice as likely to later develop major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, or suicidal ideation, according to astudy published this week inJAMA Network Open.When anger attacks, or sudden outbursts of verbal or physical aggression, cause substantial life impairment, they are a hallmark of intermittent explosive disorder (IED). IED is estimated to effect 4% to 7% of the U.S. population.Diana M. Smith, A.B., and Murray B. Stein, M.D., M.P.H., of the University of California, San Diego, and colleagues analyzed data collected as part of Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (Army STARRS) New Soldier Study. This included about 39,000 Army soldiers who were entering basic training (average age 21) and were screened for a history of psychiatric diagnoses with an adaptation of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview, a PTSD checklist, and an inventory of suicidal behavior. The soldiers also completed a survey evaluating their history of anger attacks —described in the survey as “when all of a sudden you lost control and either broke or smashed something worth more than a few dollars, hit or tried to hurt someone, or threatened someone.” The episodes were counted as anger attacks only if respondents reported (1) that they had difficulty con trolling the aggressive impulse, experienced attacks in situations where most people would not get angry, or had high...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: anger attacks Army STARRS generalized anxiety disorder intermittent explosive disorder JAMA Network Open major depressive disorder panic disorder suicidal ideation Source Type: research