Link: Anger and Depression

[sonia]

If You're Often Angry Or Irritable, You May Be Depressed by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Newsflash! Anger and depression are associated! On the one hand, this seems crashingly obvious. Grief and depression are similar. Anger can certainly be a part of grief. On the other hand, as the article says, the DSM doesn't consider anger a symptom of depression. Fortunately they're starting to do studies that strongly show the link.

Comments

[silveradept]

That would explain more than a few things for me about how I felt in relation to the entirely terrible situation I was in for much of the last decade.

[sonia]

I'm sorry to hear about the terrible situation, and glad to hear the article illuminated something for you. I do think anger is a normal response to terrible situations.

I noticed that when people close to me are being particularly oblivious of me and I don't feel like I can do anything about it, I (over-)react angrily to strangers being oblivious of me out in the world. This article made that feel like it made more sense.

[silveradept]

I think much of mine was trying to find an outlet for all the anger I had at other people and only being able to use myself as the person who could take it and deserved to be yelled at. Not a great loop to get caught in.

[sonia]

No, that doesn't sound like a fun time. I hope that's improving now that your situation is better!

[silveradept]

It is better now. And also, I find that I'm having less outbursts and less sustained anger.

[sonia]

That does sound more comfortable!