Road Rage has emerged a bigger problem

Researchers in the United States are saying that Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED) often known as Road Rage, may be far more common than previously thought.

The next time someone cuts you off while driving, you might want to think twice before reacting. A new study states 16 million Americans, much more than originally thought, suffer from intermittent explosive disorder (IED) or what is commonly referred to as road rage.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, IED attacks are out of proportion to the social stressors triggering them and are not due to another mental disorder or the effects of drugs or alcohol.

As a rule people with the disorder overreact to situations with uncontrollable rage, feel a sense of relief during the angry outburst, and then feel remorseful about their actions.


According to researchers from Harvard Medical School and Chicago University 4% of the US population have severe IED which is manifested with three or more outbursts a year.

The researchers suggest that identifying the condition early on through violence prevention strategies in schools and providing appropriate treatment, might prevent problems such as alcohol and drug dependency and depression, which are associated with the disorder, appearing later in life