Ever since I was very young, I have had anger control problems. I have tried anger management courses, therapy, and many other treatments, but up until recently I had no success. One of the strange things about my anger disorder was that it never seemed to respond to anything and didn’t seem to have any particular source. I had no abuse in my past, and had always had a loving and supportive family.

Most people with serious anger disorders have something in their past that caused it. Sometimes it is a single traumatic relationship or incident of abuse. Other times, it is something that took place over years and years. Sometimes it is a form of post traumatic stress syndrome, while other times it is practically a learned behavior. For me, however, it seems to be none of these things.

I eventually realized that my anger disorder might have more biological roots than I had suspected. Anger disorders can be tricky things. In my case, it seemed to lie at the crux of several issues. First of all, I have a lot of trouble sleeping. Sleep disorders and anger often go hand-in-hand, since the brain becomes depleted of neurotransmitters due to lack of sleep. There is some research that even says intermittent explosive anger Is a purely biological phenomenon.

For me, however, it seemed to be even more complicated than this. One of the problems with my anger disorder was that I also had depression. In addition, I ate poorly, didn’t get enough exercise, and had a family history of emotional illnesses. It did not take a genius or someone with a serious in neuro-chemistry to see that I had many different risk factors that could go hand in hand to create an anger disorder that wasn’t explainable by any single one of them.

Fortunately, there are many different treatments for anger disorders. Our society has come up with many different psychiatric chemicals, and almost all of them can be used to treat anger and depression. Antidepressants helped me a great deal, and anxiety medications also helped. Within a few months of trying out different medications, I was able to find a regime that really cut down on explosive anger problems. I wouldn’t say that it cured me, but along with meditation it gave me the ability to cool my head and not lash out in anger at the people around me. I can’t tell you what a relief that has been both for me and for my loved ones.