Original article appeared in the Townsend Letter, October 2022. Preview below.
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Irritability and anger are often not well addressed in standard psychiatry. Usually, they are seen as a component of a diagnosis, such as bipolar disorder or depression. As such, irritability and anger are often relegated to the status of symptoms and not directly treated. Yet considering the problems and damage to an individual’s personal and professional life that can stem from irritability, anger, and rage, effective treatment is often critical for better long-term outcomes.
With an almost myopic focus on the patient’s clinical intake interview and symptoms, mainstream psychiatry typically doesn’t investigate physiological causes underlying mental illness. Unfortunately, this often leads to symptomatic polypharmacy – the prescription of numerous medications based on symptoms – and poor treatment outcomes. Unrecognized is the fact that anger issues are often caused by problems with neurotoxicity or nutrient deficiencies.