General Irritability
Irritability is an excessive response to stimuli. Irritability may manifest in behavioral responses to both physiological as well as behavioral stimuli, including environmental, situational, sociological, and emotional stimuli.
Irritability can result from conditions such as:
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
- certain personality disorders
- constipation
- depression
- diabetes
- dysmenorrhea
- emotional/psychological stress
- fatigue
- fever
- frustration
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- headache
- hunger
- hyperthyroidism
- hypothyroidism
- insomnia
- lack of orgasm
- meningitis
- pain
- Premenstrual syndrome
- psychoactive substances, use/abuse of certain varieties
- post-traumatic stress disorder
- schizophrenia
- stress
- thyroid disease
- menstrual cycle.
- Parkinson's disease
COPING STRATEGIES FOR IRRITABILITY AND TEMPER OUTBURSTS
- Assess your own expectations regarding the HD affected individual. A family member may be unwilling or unable to accept the patient's new limitations.
- Try to keep the environment as calm and controlled as possible.
- Speak in a low, soft voice. Avoid confrontations and ultimatums. Sit down and keep hand gestures quiet.
- Try to identify circumstances which trigger> irritability and temper outbursts and avoid them.
- Redirect the HD person away from the source of anger.
- Learn to respond diplomatically, acknowledging the patient's irritability as a symptom of frustration.
|