Anger attacks in patients with depression

Anger attacks are sudden intense spells of anger that resemble panic attack s but lack the predominant affects of fear and anxiety associated with pani c attacks. They typically occur in situations in which an individual feels emotionally trapped and experiences outbursts of anger that are later descr ibed by the patient as being uncharacteristic and inappropriate to the situ ation at hand. Anger attacks consist of both behavioral and autonomic featu res, and various criteria and an Anger Attacks Questionnaire have been desi gned to identify the presence of these attacks. The prevalence of anger att acks in depressed patients is approximately 30% to 40%, and the attacks hav e disappeared in 53% to 71% of depressed patients treated with fluoxetine, sertraline, or imipramine. This article discusses the development of the co ncept of anger attacks, the presence of anger attacks in depression and oth er psychiatric disorders, and the current treatment of anger attacks.