Posted on 06/12/2006 6:17:05 AM PDT by rhema
You know that guy on the freeway? The one who cut you off in traffic the other day, and flashed a vulgar salute as he zoomed by? We used to think of this as "road rage" - reckless rudeness, plain and simple. Silly us.
Now, thanks to a new study, we understand that the poor man may simply be the victim of a medical condition: intermittent explosive disorder (IED).
The study, paid for in part by the National Institute of Mental Health, gives us the lowdown on this "seldom-studied mental illness." IED, it informs us, is characterized by "recurrent episodes of angry and potentially violent outbursts," and is much more common than previously thought. As many as 16 million Americans - 7.3 percent of adults - may suffer from it.
"In the general population, aggressiveness or 'blowing up' is considered bad behavior," says coauthor Dr. Emil Coccaro. "People think, 'This person just needs an attitude adjustment.' "
Such primitive ideas are wrong, the good doctor assures us. IED involves the inadequate production or function of serotonin, a mood-regulating and behavior-inhibiting brain chemical. Doctors advise a threefold approach to treatment: early diagnosis, psychiatric drugs and behavior therapy.
What a revelation! Now instead of getting mad at the guy who tailgates me while shaking his fist, I owe him my sympathy.
The "road rage" study is the latest example of America's rush to "medicalize" behavior previously thought of as simply boorish, discourteous or wrong. Real mental illnesses exist, of course. But the push to transform our nation into a giant mental hospital is getting ridiculous.
In 2005, for example, the National Comorbidity Survey found that 26 percent of American adults qualified as having a mental illness during the previous 12 months. The current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders--
(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...
Well, that's what happens when the lunatics take over the asylum...
I remember seeing a cartoon in Playboy back in the 60's when I was a teen (yes, I just looked at Playboy for the cartoons and articles, which unfortunately explains a lot about me today). There was a man lying on a couch, with a psychiatrist sitting on a chair beside the couch, and the shrink was saying "You know, my secretary has an interesting theory about your case. She thinks you're just an @$$hole."
I think this diagnosis explains a lot of road rage, as well as other antisocial behavior.
Is this a joke?
As someone who gets easily p!ssed off when treated rudely, I can honestly say that Jesus got it right (as He always does) when He instructed us to turn the other cheek and forgive those who sin against us.
There may be many people who are constantly "on the edge" and are raging drivers.
However, IMHO, the root cause of "road rage" is usually some driver who is unwilling or unable to follow the simple rules of the road, such as staying right except when passing, yielding when not having the right of way, etc.
Most of us deal with this stream of incompetents on a daily basis without getting too upset about it, but I can understand how regular exposure to willful stupidity would take its toll after awhile.
Certainly, the "ragers" should better control their emotions, but in the "road rage" discussion, one never hears any consideration that the "ragees" may be partially to blame.
"National Comorbidity Survey found that 26 percent of American adults qualified as having a mental illness during the previous 12 months."
YasSah, YasSah, YasSah, Dr. Doctor HeadShrinker, Sah!
We mere peasents real eager to give all you deservin' Shrinks ALL our money - 'cause you gonna help cure us o' what ails us.
Anyone who gave this RedStar article any credence at all should remind themselves of the Rule Of Thirds. It says that 1/3 of the Shrink's patients get better, 1/3 stay the same, 1/3 get worse.
That is true for patients of Rogerians and Skinnerians. Fraudian's (spelling deliberate) patients do not follow the rule of thirds - 1/3 get better, 2/3 get worse.
Applying the "follow the cashflow" rule explains the diagnosis quite clearly.
Brace yourselves for a new declaration by the HillaBeast that America must have more Shrinks. In one sense, she will be correct, for did not nearly half of the voters vote for Democrats? That is a reliable indicator of mental illness.
the "ragees" may be partially to blame.
Now..now..now! What's wrong with someone moving into the passing lane and staying there beside a car in the right lane without any attempt to actually pass and this goes on for miles? They can't be held responsible for contributing to the ire of an unhappy driver, can they? (sarc)
Oh...and if the SOB keeps it up. Plug him with a .357 hollow-point. But only after forgiving him.
"Maybe you should get out of the passing lane while going 10mph under the speed limit, putting on lipstick and chatting on your cell phone.
"
Or, maybe, that isn't what happened at all. I was driving on a local interstate that passes through my city the other day. I was in the left lane, going 55, the limit on that stretch of I-94.
Guy behind me motors up doing about 65, flashed his lights at me, starts blowing his horn, and is flipping me off as I look in the mirror.
My fault? No, not really. 1/4 mile ahead is the left exit I'll be taking. Left exit. It's marked well, by signs, and even arrows marking the lane to use to switch to that other Interstate. But no...that doesn't work for Mr. Butthead behind me.
The left lane is not always the passing lane. Sometimes it's a transition lane, especially in cities. Sometimes, there is even a left exit.
Oh, yeah....the lane one over to the right, which is one of the two through lanes on that freeway at that point, had no traffic in it. Mr. Butthead should have shifted to the right one lane, passed me, and gone on his way.
I had no choice. I had to be in the leftmost lane to take my exit.
It's not always as simple as you pretend it is.
This issue deals in part with what many refer to as a "hot button" issue. There are things that "bug" me that don't bug other people and vice versa. I agree that, if people while driving paid more attention to their driving and less to their cell phones and makeup, traffic would not only flow more smoothly, but there would be fewer mishaps. Of course I realize that the only way I'm going to win this one is to change my reaction to it because, rest assured, these other distracted drivers are not going to change their habits to accomodate those of us who are wanting to move along with minimal impediments.
Nah, it's caused by STRESS. The stress many of us go through every day.
Trying to do the work of two people, while your boss is complaining that you don't do enough. Juggling work and family. Trying to work and save money, while the price of everything keeps going up. Oh yeah, and taxes seem to take half your paycheck.
You feel like your on a treadmill that's just been greased.
Been there.
It's so true. We need to somehow be kinder to ourselves. I realized lately that I've been a very bad driver, and have let those exact same stresses make me think that just by going faster and getting ahead of people on the road, that somehow I'll compensate for all the perceived failures.
I realized that I was only further jeopardizing my happiness with the likelihood of an accident. We saw two bad ones yesterday. They happen in a flash.
"Just my observations in my area, YYMV."
And there it is. I wonder, though: What is the prevailing speed on that Interstate you're talking about? Is it around the speed limit?
In any case, that's the situation you find yourself in. The way I figure, I can either drive along with the traffic, listen to the radio, and get where I'm going with some sanity, or I can get royally ticked off at my situation, and get where I'm going in the same time, but with my blood pressure elevated.
I think I'll stick with the more relaxed option.
Works for me.
Let us hope those individuals with road rage vent it all before they get home to kick the dog or worse their kids.
"Let us hope those individuals with road rage vent it all before they get home to kick the dog or worse their kids."
"Exactly. No matter what speed I am traveling...if I spot someone coming up behind me at warp speed, I just slide over a lane and let them through....much easier that way. I' figure (s)he'll be "running screen" for me over the course of the next few miles...."
Thanks. I like to try and find a "bubble", behind one pack and ahead of another, in the right hand lane and enjoy the trip.
I know that's tough to do on a daily trek.
Think of it this way: If you drive 80 instead of 65, you may save 10 to 15 minutes an hour, if you survive. We all feel that we can handle situations as they come. As you said "They happen in a flash.", and we may not have time to react, especially if we are tailgating.
We need to slow down the treadmill, one step at a time. Or, get off it, if possible.
Your job should support your life. Your life shouldn't support your job. If we can get off the bigger, newer, better than lifestyle, life is SO much sweeter.
" I' figure (s)he'll be "running screen" for me over the course of the next few miles...."
I call them "rabbits", 'cause there's usually a "fox" (highway patrol) lurkin' around the bend.
I like to "bless" them 1) in hopes that they will get to their destination and 2) thank them for keeping the "fox" occupied.
A necessary link to the earlier post. I was looking this disorder up on the JAMA site and came across "Conduct Disorder". If Intermittent Explosive Disorder gets your blood boiling look up Conduct Disorder.
Am I the cause of their rage? Probably.
If I'm already going the speed limit, is their rage unreasonable? Probably.
Does it matter when they pull the pistol and shoot me? Not a bit.
It's called "pacing" and it's a favorite pastime in Alabama. If there were only three cars on a road in Alabama, two would be driving side-by-side to keep the other car from passing.
I read a magazine that had a series on Road Rage.
It's what you don't know that might make a difference.
Maybe the guy just got fired. Maybe his wife just went to the hospital. Maybe he is just an ass.
Whatever reason, if you react by behaving in the same way, you will lose. He might not even notice you giving him the finger. You try to catch up and cut the jerk off.
Problem is , you'll probably have an accident, not him.
Your blood pressure just shot way up, and all that anger will eat you up sooner or later.
Best is to just get out of their way, and let it go. Let it go.
I used to get frustrated when stuck in traffic.
Time is not a constant.
If you are in a hurry, tailgating everyone, switching lane to lane, you will find it takes forever to get through the congestion.
If you just let the engine idle along, and dont' worry about all the idiots passing you to cut in your lane (and then slam on their brakes), you'll find the mess is over before you notice. Keeping a slow consistent speed also prevents other accidents, and keeps traffic flowing much smoother. I like to get beside a semi and idle along with them. Noone can surge in front and jam up traffic, so you move along better, and it's better for your engine.
What it took for me was realizing that I was not in control of the traffic, the other drivers, and the passage of time.
By letting it go, like the tortoise and the hare, sometimes slow and easy gets you there faster than gas/brake/gas/brake/scream/yell.
It isn't a disease. Road rage.
It's an attitude. Short and simple.
In my state, if you're going the speed limit in the left lane, and there is no traffic in the right lane, then you are breaking the law just as much as the guy going 25mph over the speed limit.
If you can't move any farther right then you are obligated by law and common courtesy to pull to the right as soon as possible after passing the vehicle in the right lane and let the faster traffic pass unimpeded.
If you're going the same speed as the traffic to the right of you, barring excessive conjestion, you're in the wrong lane.
As it is in my state, even though it's a law I disagree with.
If you're going the same speed as the traffic to the right of you, barring excessive conjestion, you're in the wrong lane.
That's where I disagree. There are many times during a commute that almost all lanes are going the speed limit, or a little above and someone comes along that thinks that 1 or 2 minutes saved by going 85 or 90 miles an hour over a 10 mile stretch is theirs by right.
Well, tough, they can hang behind my 68 MPH and wait till an opening comes that I can move over.
If they decide to tailgate me I'll go slower than I normally would.
If they confront me.......I'll pull into a police station (I know where most of them are) and let them go for it.
And some think we have too many lawyers. These jokers are just as expensive to our society. I want to hear a bunch of talk about their constant efforts to perpetuate livelihood with such nonsense so they can get more of the trough the federal government gives away.
You have a valid point. Most of the time there aren't that many people behind in the fast lane but during congestion that IS a valid point.
The medical/psychological communities are preparing to treat IED and make money.
It gets worse. Look up "Conduct Disorder". Pretty soon you can string all these disorders together and relieve yourself of all responsibility. And the plethora of Disorders seem to take away from the seriousness of the real psychological diseases.
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