Anger, Irritability, Aggression and Violence: States in search of a diagnostic and treatment ‘home’ Part I – Evolution
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Abstract
This paper is the first in a two-part editorial that reviews the current descriptions, relationships between, and etiologies informing, clinical terms such as ‘anger’, ‘irritability’, ‘aggression’ and ‘violence’ (AIAV), as well as the importance of their being properly conceptualized and treated. It draws from seminal academic papers across a range of disciplines including: psychiatry, psychology, sociology, neurobiology, neuroscience, medicine, anthropology, philosophy and politics. Given AIAV’s pervasiveness, as well as its concerning fiscal and psychosocial ramifications worldwide, this editorial highlights the importance to clinicians, researchers and governmental entities of properly understanding, classifying and treating this dire public health issue. While mental disorders may include AIAV, existing diagnostic categories remain unable to capture its pertinent contextual, neurobiological and cognitive components. This leaves clinicians bereft of a knowledge-base that is crucial to treatment. By striving for an overarching, interdisciplinary and ‘transdiagnostic’ paradigm that captures actual scenarios leading to AIAV, it advocates that ‘real-world’ issues (e.g. mass shootings, ‘road rage’, domestic, sexual, and workplace violence) be properly addressed with targeted interventions that have proven clinical utility, It also critiques the applicability of the current DSM ‘mental disorder’ model that dominates clinical practice, and upon which clinicians remain unduly reliant.
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