Nothing to Laugh About: Bouts of Rage Dangerously Common in the U.S.

Although, previously, very little was known about the epidemiology of Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED), a recent study indicates that it is quite common. 9,282 adults were included in a national, face-to-face household survey; lifetime and 12-month prevalence of IED in the sample were 7.3%, and 3.9% respectively. 60.3% of probands with IED had received treatment for emotional or substance-abuse problems in the past, but only 28.8% had received treatment specifically for their anger. IED is expensive too: the mean property damage resulting from attacks of IED was $1,359 per person. This study appeared in the Archives of General Psychiatry. http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/63/6/669