Mental Health Foundation: Services ignore problem anger

The Mental Health Foundation says the needs of people who have problem anger are being left largely untackled.

Its Boiling Point report, published today, says social care professionals need to be better trained in how to identify, empathise and treat problem anger among clients.

Intense anger has been linked to a number of serious health conditions, such as heart disease, cancer and stroke, as well as colds, flu, self-harm and depression.

But despite the availabilty of treatments, such as anger management classes, many people are not referred to them until their anger has got them into trouble at home, school, the police or the criminal justice system.

A public attitude survey of 1,974 people found that 64% of adults believe people are getting angrier, and almost a third – 32% – have a close friend or family member who has trouble controlling their anger.

The survey also found that 84% of people believe that people should be encouraged to seek help for problem anger but 58% would not know where to go for it.

Chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation, Andrew McCulloch, said: “We need to be able to recognise anger is damaging our lives, ask for help and receive it.”

The Mental Health Foundation has also launched a year-long campaign to encourage people to learn to cope better with anger and is offering free information and signposting people to further sources of help.

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