Anger is as common as depressed mood and psychic anxiety amongst psychiatric outpatients, according to a recent study, and problems with anger cut across diagnostic categories. 3,800 individuals presenting to the Rhode Island Hospital Department of Psychiatry outpatient practice underwent a semi-structured interview to determine current Axis I (n=3,800) and Axis II (n=2,151) pathology. Severity of subjective anger and overt aggression within the past week were also assessed for each patient, and odds ratios were determined for each disorder. Researchers found:

• Almost half of the sample reported moderate-to-severe levels of current subjective anger, and more than 20% endorsed moderate-to-severe levels of current overt aggression.
• The frequency of anger was similar to the frequencies of depressed mood and psychic anxiety.
• Anger and aggression were elevated across all diagnoses except adjustment disorder.
• Anger and aggression were most elevated in patients with major depressive disorder, panic disorder with agoraphobia, post-traumatic stress disorder, intermittent explosive disorder, and cluster B personality disorders.