In an era of restlessness, irritation, and anger, having a calm and balanced spouse where harmony reigns can be a blessing. How does one even begin to handle the IED or Intermittent Explosive Disorder that rages within your spouse and explodes for no rhyme or reason?
IED counseling help
You can always admire someone who recognizes a problem within themselves and wants to change. The private counseling at Interactive Counselling at Grand Prairie sees many people in groups or individually.
Therapy isn’t a one-size-fits-all process, and their counselors devise a therapy plan and counseling that is unique to you and promises the best results. The therapists, too, are well trained and skilled with excellent academic achievements.
The counselors know too well that cognitive-behavioral therapy helps them identify harmful patterns and to come up with techniques that will help the IED person deal with their aggressive impulses.
Remain cool and collected
It sometimes seems unrealistic to expect someone to stay cool and collected when their spouse is ranting and raving and almost frothing at the mouth.
It’s not easy to not want to hurl verbal abuse at such a person but that would just add fuel to the fire. It will be best to say and do nothing at all during these aggressive outbursts as a heated response can well see you receiving a blow to your face and body. True, in some cases, staying calm and not responding can anger someone further, but whatever the case, it is always better to stay calm so you can think rationally.
It’s not you
You might be a considerate, non-confrontational spouse, yet your IED spouse sometimes seems to want to argue. You know the pattern and these days, you don’t even try to analyze what the motive is.
You can be sure it’s not you that’s the problem as they lash out at others too. It can be difficult to disregard negative statements when your spouse is angry and volatile but you have to ignore the expressions of blame and abuse. Whatever the source of your spouse’s anger, it’s not all about you, and often they make remarks that they regret later on and even offer an apology.
Supplementation
While there are no specific medications for IED, there are certain natural supplements that can help to reduce impulsive behavior or aggression. Just like lack of vitamin C causes scurvy, a deficiency in essential fats for the brain and other nutrients causes a host of mental problems such as aggression.
An excellent idea is to consider taking a vitamin supplement to treat anger and stress. Amino acids such as 5-HTP, vitamin B can be useful to optimize brain balance.
Many people aren’t aware of the connection between nutrition and mood and malnutrition isn’t only found in developing countries but people are suffering from serious nutritional deficiencies in industrialized nations as well.
Mood and food link
Anger is a normal emotion, but when IED replaces it so that your spouse loses control and becomes irrational, the problem needs to be fixed. Research tells us that what we eat can contribute greatly to how angry we feel.
Studies show that diets high in trans fatty acids are linked to increased aggression. They interfere with the brain's ability to produce Omega 3 fatty acids, a nutrient needed to lower aggression. Numerous studies back up the validity of the mood and food link. A poor diet with a low intake of fruits and vegetables is a recipe for low mood and anger.
Certainly, those suffering from IED need to seek out treatment with reliable counselors and treatment plans and combine it with the practice of relaxation techniques.