Is Road Rage A Psychiatric Disorder?

Recent headline: "Road Rage may be due toAre all cases like this due to Intermittent
medical condition called Intermittent ExplosiveExplosive Disorder? Very Unlikely! Some are and
Disorder (IED)"some are not. This is why it is important to have
WHAT IS THE SCIENCE BEHIND THIS?a professional assessment of each case of "road
The study, reported in the June (2006) issue ofrage" to determine the underlying cause, such as
the Archives of General Psychiatry was based onIED - or some other problem.
a national face-to-face survey of 9,282 U.S. adultsOther causes that could come into play would
who answered diagnostic questionnaires ininclude: alcohol or drug intoxication, stress,
2001-03. It was funded by the National Institutedepression or bipolar disorder and, of course, bad,
of Mental Health.selfish or inconsiderate behavior.
Results? About 5 percent to 7 percent of theROAD RAGE VS AGGRESSIVE DRIVING
nationally representative sample had had theThe person who weaves in and out of traffic, tail
disorder, which would equal up to 16 milliongates, or cuts in front of you may not be
Americans. That is higher than better-knownshowing "road rage" per se, but inconsiderate
mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolaraggressive driving. He is not angry at you; he
disorder.probably doesn't even know you exist, being
The average number of lifetime attacks perpreoccupied with his own selfish needs.
person was 43, resulting in $1,359 in propertyIED SEEN IN OTHER LIFE AREAS
damage per person. About 4 percent hadIt is also important to remember that persons
suffered recent attacks.who do indeed suffer from Intermittent Explosive
IS IT REAL?Disorder may explode in many other situations
This study has created much controversybesides road rage. Often they "blow up" at
regarding exactly what is "medical" about roadspouses, children, co-workers, or customer
rage and how it differs from plain bad,service employees.
inconsiderate behavior.REMEDIES FOR ROAD RAGE
Take the two following headline which wereIf road rage is indeed due to IED, there are two
published recently:treatments that can help both adolescents and
News Item #1: "Police search for shooter followingadults: (1)medications , and (2) cognitive training
road rage incident"The medications usually involve SSRIs (a type of
Date: June 10, 2006. City: Indianapolis, Indiana.anti-depressant). In my opinion, most people who
The event: At an intersection, two drivers wereshow rage on the road do not need medication,
involved in a confrontation when one of thembut some do and will benefit greatly from them.
opened fire on the other at a stoplight.Cognitive Training means learning to think
News Item #2: "Man, 21, charged in road ragedifferently about driving, aggression on the road,
shooting."and other drivers. Cognitive training is an
Date: May 21, 2006. City: San Antonio, Texas.important element in many anger management
The event (according to news reports): "Aroundprograms, which a few states now require for
3AM Samuel Hitchcock, 21, Daniel Pena, 17, and"road rage" behavior and/or aggressive driving.
another man were driving when a pickup passedIn our anger management classes and programs,
them on an inside lane, striking Hitchcock's sidewe teach specific cognitive and behavior skills to
mirror. Hitchcock followed the truck into acontrol aggressive, inconsiderate, and dangerous
residential area to gather information and thedriving behaviors. These skill include:
truck made a sudden turn, stopping. Hitchcock*managing life stress better, including
pulled up next to the truck. Pena, who was in thetime-management skills
front passenger seat told police the truck's driver*developing empathy for other drivers
pulled a gun and started shooting at them, striking*learning healthy "self-talk" phrases
him and killing Hitchcock.*adjusting expectations of others on the road.