Bipolar disorder and anger are closely linked, with mood swings often leading to anger outbursts. Poor anger management skills are common in those with bipolar disorder, but therapy can help control anger. Even with medication, mood destabilization can occur, but self-awareness through therapy can help identify early symptoms.
Bipolarism and anger are inextricably linked and have a very specific relationship to each other. Bipolar disorder is a condition in which the brain is unable to regulate mood for long periods of time, and people can go from mania or hypomania to pronounced depression. Mood swings are essentially the expression of the brain lacking the appropriate biochemistry to maintain an even mood, and if a person is depressed or manic, anger is likely to manifest itself as a symptom. Brain chemicals that stabilize mood, in part, affect anger control.
Many people who have bipolar disorder describe anger states as moments of anger that they later learned were exaggerated and unwarranted. It often doesn’t take much to cause anger in someone experiencing mood swings. The relationship between bipolarity and easily expressed anger also explains some of the inherent difficulties of this disorder. People who have uncontrollable anger may find it difficult to keep jobs or function well in society. A bipolar mom or dad who can’t fix this could go from fearful to abusive children, and spouses or partners may have trouble coping with one partner’s lightning-fast transition into a raging mood.
While there is a clear association between bipolarity and anger from a biochemical perspective, another element comes into play. People who express anger inappropriately show little knowledge of how to handle this emotion. Poor anger management skills are actually an encouraging sign in someone with bipolar disorder because this is an area where people can improve. While it’s absolutely important to stabilize mood with medications, which may reduce anger episodes, it doesn’t always solve anger problems. Fortunately, therapy can help control anger.
Many different therapeutic schools address bipolar and anger management. These range from traditional psychodynamic approaches to third wave behavioral therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and dialectical behavioral therapy. Because mood swings respond gradually to chemical control, any of these therapies can be helpful in learning how to safely deal with and express angry emotions. Therapy work of this nature, while difficult, is often very satisfying for the bipolar client because many people with the condition are deeply ashamed when they lose their temper, and this is an experience they may have had repeatedly.
Another unfortunate consequence of bipolarity and anger is the amount of guilt people manifest for behaviors that seem to be out of their control. More guilt fuels self-hatred, more mood swings, and more anger. As moods stabilize, addressing these underlying feelings can help people forgive themselves and learn to exercise more control in the future.
Even with medication, most people with bipolar disorder will experience mood destabilizing episodes in the future. Self-awareness through therapy can also help people identify if this occurs. An early symptom of mood destabilization is a sudden return of extreme anger that is difficult to control, despite effective therapy for this problem.
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