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