Child Rage: How to Manage Explosive Anger in Kids and Teens

PROVEN WAYS TO HANDLE EMOTIONAL OUTBURSTS AND OVERREACTIONS

1. Keep your head in the face of tears, panic, anger, or cold shoulders.
2. Assess danger to yourself or other people.
3. Offer support without getting enmeshed in someone else’s problems.
4. Set limits without seeming uncaring or aggressive.

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1. Think before you speak. In the heat of the moment, it’s easy to say something you’ll later regret.
2. Once you’re calm, express your anger.
3. Get some exercise.
4. Take a timeout.
5. Identify possible solutions.
6. Stick with ‘I’ statements.
7. Don’t hold a grudge.
8. Use humor to release tension.

1. Ensure the Area Around Your Child Is Safe.
2. Focus on Being Calm.
3. Don’t Respond to Name-Calling or Verbal Abuse.
4. Talk Later, When You’re Both Calm.
5. Give Consequences for the Behavior, Not the Anger.
6. Be Consistent.
7. Understand Your Child’s Triggers.

To be diagnosed with intermittent explosive disorder, one must exhibit a pattern of being unable to resist angry impulses, resulting in explosions of rage that are disproportionate to the situation and sometimes quite dangerous or destructive.

You’ll be diagnosed with IED if you experience one of the following: verbal or physical aggression toward things, animals, or other people, twice a week (on average), within 3 months, which doesn’t cause physical damage or injury. three aggressive outbursts that cause damage or injury, within 12 months.

There are no specific medications for IED, but certain medications may help to reduce impulsive behavior or aggression. These include: antidepressants, in particular selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) mood stabilizers, including lithium, valproic acid, and carbamazepine.