Causes and risk factors for aggression for adults
Aggression in adults can develop as a result of negative life experiences or mental illnesses. In some cases, individuals who suffer from mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, or PTSD unintentionally display aggressive behaviors as a result. For adults who don’t have an underlying medical or emotional disorder, aggression is usually thought to be the result of frustration. Additionally, aggression can occur when an individual stops caring about the consequences of their behaviors and how it impacts others. The most common disorders that have aggression as a symptom include:
Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD):This personality disorder is characterized by a long-term pattern of a violation and disregard for the rights of others. This may be the result of decreased conscience or moral values, or a history of criminality, incarceration, legal problems, or impulsive and overly aggressive acts.
Bipolar disorder:During the manic or depressive cycle of bipolar disorder, some individuals become irritable and may end up acting in an aggressive manner, lashing out at those around them physically, verbally, or both.
Borderline personality disorder (BPD):People who have BPD are more likely to experience severe emotional instability, especially during a time when they feel a threat of abandonment, which can lead to aggressive acts.
Histrionic personality disorder (HPD):Individuals who have HPD exhibit many attention-seeking behaviors and emotional instability. When a person with this disorder isn’t getting the attention they want, they may lash out aggressively to gain the needed attention.
Intermittent explosive disorder (IED):People who struggle with IED have a pattern of impulsive, violent, angry, and aggressive behaviors that are greatly out of proportion to the situations they occur in. People with IED may attack other people who they see as a threat or may destroy others’ possessions during a bout of aggressive behaviors.
Schizoaffective disorder: This disorder combines the symptoms of schizophrenia and a mood disorder, including hallucinations and delusions. When a person with schizoaffective disorder has a psychotic break, he or she may act out aggressively in response to internal stimuli and faulty perceptions.
Schizophrenia: Most individuals with schizophrenia are not violent, however, sometimes these individuals experience breaks in reality. During this time, the hallucinations and delusions they experience may cause them to behave in an aggressive manner out of fear or in response to internal stimuli.
Substance abuse: Those who abuse certain drugs or alcohol are at an increased risk for developing addiction. Many psychoactive drugs cause aggression and during withdrawal states, aggression is common.
