Do today’s teenagers have anger management issues?
Clinical Psychologist Daniela Hearst reveals how parents can influence their child’s ability to control their temper. Traffic jams, queuing, public transport, junk mail…we all have pet hates that get our blood boiling. Our temperature rises, heart rate quickens and adrenalin surges through our bodies. Anger isn’t just an emotional response to a stressful situation; it’s a physical reaction. “Anger isn’t bad; it’s a completely natural emotion,” comments Celia Richardson, campaigns director for the Mental Health Foundation. “It’s how people manage anger that counts. When anger starts to control people they can find themselves in a downward spiral because of its effect on relationships, health and work.” This year the Mental Health Foundation launched a campaign called Boiling Point that aims to raise awareness about anger management. “After doing focus group work we discovered that lots of people have real concerns about anger and how much they see it now,” says Celia. This isn’t surpr