Psychiatrist warned about the connection of anger outbursts with bipolar disorder

Sudden outbursts of anger can be a symptom of bipolar affective disorder (BAR). Alina Popovich, a psychiatrist and psychotherapist at St. Petersburg Psychiatric Hospital No. 1 named after P.P. Kashchenko and a member of the Russian Society of Psychiatrists, told Izvestia on September 13 how to distinguish the manifestations of a "bad character" from the symptoms of mental disorders.

"The main difference lies in the episodicity and circumstances of anger, as well as the presence of concomitant symptoms: increased talkativeness, monologue speech, mood reactivity, "leaps" of ideas, demonstrativeness," Popovich explained.

She emphasized that character is a permanent personality trait, whereas a symptom of a mental disorder is radically different from normal human behavior.

The psychiatrist described in detail the manifestations of anger in bipolar disorder: anger at BAR is part of a manic/hypomanic episode. Such patients sleep little or lose sleep altogether, while they are very active, agitated, impulsive, talk a lot, can be both complacent and aggressive, without any self-control.

Popovich warned that such anger could have dangerous consequences, including injury and serious offenses. The expert also listed other conditions that may be accompanied by outbursts of anger.

With your bowler hat: who cares about the mental health of Russians

Against the background of the growing number of applications, the country is developing assistance within the framework of compulsory medical insurance

"In emotionally unstable personality disorder, anger is associated with conflicts with others and the fear of being abandoned. In ADHD, anger can be associated with intolerance to frustrating situations and impulsivity. With generalized anxiety disorder, irritability and anger can be associated with exhaustion against a background of constantly increased anxiety," the specialist said.

The doctor drew attention to the need to exclude somatic diseases. According to her, do not forget about endocrine diseases, which can also cause mood swings, irritability and anger.

When it comes to uncontrollable anger with a risk to others or the patient himself, it is not worth writing it off as "character". These are conditions that require an assessment by a specialist, you should not engage in self-diagnosis. In acute situations, emergency services should be contacted, the expert concluded.

Expert Maria Molostvova spoke on July 21 about the impact of sleep quality on brain health. She noted that chronic sleep disorders can cause serious harm to brain function, including an increased risk of cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.