Don’t be Mad, you Could be Depressed

Do you often find yourself irritable or quickly angered? A recent NPR report says you might actually be depressed.
Irritability, a reduced control over one’s temper that results in angry outbursts, according to Dr. Maurizio Fava, is a core symptom of depression for children and adolescents.
However, the psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School, says irritability isn’t listed as a core symptom for adults. That didn’t make sense to Fava, who asks why would a patient “suddenly stop being angry at age 18?”
“Two-thirds of individuals reported notable irritability and anger and approximately half reported it at a moderate or severe level,” says Dr. Mark Zimmerman, a Brown University professor of psychiatry, who along with colleagues, surveyed thousands of patients.