Irritability what is, causes, symptoms and how to control it

We live surrounded by stimuli that generate different emotions and, sometimes, we react with joy or astonishment in unforeseen or planned situations. In general, we connect with the world through the sensations and thoughts we have throughout our daily lives. However, there are times when we believe that unfavorable consequences are produced for us. Given this, anger is an answer in which a disagreement is expressed. Anger is a basic emotion that the human being possesses and can occur at certain specific moments. However, there are people who live with permanent anger and this produces consequences that harm their daily actions.

Maybe some of this is familiar to you or know someone who presents these characteristics. Having concrete data about this theme can help us address this problem in a more effective way. If you want to know more about this, in this Psychology-online article, we will give you information about the irritability: what is, causes, symptoms and how to control it.

1. What is irritability
2. Causes of irritability
3. Symptoms of irritability
4. How to control irritability

What is irritability

When we talk about irritability, we refer to a tendency of people to react with anger or anger in the face of certain situations. According to the Royal Spanish Academy, this word is related to body sensations that produce excitation in an individual. In other words, changes are generated in the body that refer to irritability.

On some occasions, irritability is presented following a clinical picture called intermittent explosive disorder. According to the DSM-V^[1], The intermittent explosive disorder presents the following characteristics:

• Loss of control of aggressive impulses
• Verbal and/or physical aggressions
• Impulsivity situations are disproportionate to the factors that trigger it

To determine that we are talking about this clinical picture, these qualities must be presented in people six years or more for a period of twelve months.

Causes of irritability

When a person suffers from irritability, it is crucial to determine the causes to be able to address the problem in question in an effective way. Next, we will present the main main causes of irritability.

Genetic factors

If you wonder what the cause of irritability is, you should know that they exist certain neuronal connections that are carried out in the cerebral cortex that are linked to anger and anger reactions When certain stimuli are presented. Here the genetic inheritance plays an important role, since genes are transmitted from parents to children.

If you want to better understand the genetic causes that we have just told you, we recommend you consult the following article on the cerebral cortex: functions and parts.

Environmental factors

On the one hand, the causes of irritability can be attributed to unpleasant experiences lived in the past. It is possible that trigger situations of great anger have occurred that could not be expressed in due course. As a consequence, this produces irritable behaviors.

On the other hand, imitation has its importance in the formation of human behavior, since people usually imitate family models that are adopted as patterns. Due to this reason, there is an association between the emergence of irritability and having had parents with the same behavior features.

Symptoms of irritability

One of the most important aspects to consider are the symptoms that arise in the presence of irritability. This will allow to detect the problem and solve it through the available alternatives. So, then we will show you What are the symptoms of irritability:

• Palpitations.
• Incrise of cardiac frecuency.
• Sweating.
• Tremors.
• Screams.
• Distress.
• Anxiety.
• Depression.
• Muscle tension.
• Hyperventilation.
• Stomach ache.
• Accelerated movements.

If you suffer anxiety or anguish, we recommend you read this article about anguish crises: symptoms, causes and treatment. First of all, it should be noted that the presence of any of these symptoms does not necessarily imply that we are facing an irritability picture. It is important that The diagnosis is made by a health professional, since he will be in charge of evaluating the clinical conditions of the patient and observing the evolution.

How to control irritability

In spite of the negative consequences that produces the irritability in the life of the people who suffer from it, there are some forms that allow it to control it in an effective way. Next, we will describe how to control irritability.

Psychological therapy

Before episodes of irritability, both long -term and the most short duration therapies provide tools to combat them. Brief -duration therapies work in the gradual exposure of the patient to the trigger of irritability. This allows you to learn to react in another way to certain stimuli.

As for the most extensive therapies, the approach consists of place the origin of the symptoms so that the person can act in another way to stimuli that cause irritability.

Meditation

If you ask what to do to combat irritability, this approach works the thoughts and body sensations of the present with the objective of subtract importance to the events of the past. The guided and continuous practice of meditation generates beneficial effects for people suffering from irritability.

If you want to know more, in this article you will find information about what meditation is for.

Psychiatric medication

If you want to control irritability, there are some medicines that act on the chemistry of the brain and produce modifications in the neuronal connections that are carried out in the cerebral cortex. This generates one Inhibition of reactions associated with irritability. First of all, this procedure must be supervised by a health professional.

This article is merely informative, in psychology-online we have no power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Irritability: what is, causes, symptoms and how to control it, We recommend that you enter our clinical psychology category.

1. American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-V). Arlington: Pan -American Medical Editorial.