Road Rage: The Newest Illness?

From the front page of today’s “No Shit, Sherlock” magazine:

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Study: 16 million might have road rage disorder
Doctors say condition is far more common than they thought

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- To you, that angry, horn-blasting tailgater is suffering from road rage. But doctors have another name for it -- intermittent explosive disorder -- and a new study suggests it is far more common than they realized, affecting up to 16 million Americans.

"People think it's bad behavior and that you just need an attitude adjustment, but what they don't know ... is that there's a biology and cognitive science to this," said Dr. Emil Coccaro, chairman of psychiatry at the University of Chicago's medical school.

Road rage, temper outbursts that involve throwing or breaking objects and even spousal abuse can sometimes be attributed to the disorder, though not everyone who does those things is afflicted.

By definition, intermittent explosive disorder involves multiple outbursts that are way out of proportion to the situation. These angry outbursts often include threats or aggressive actions and property damage. The disorder typically first appears in adolescence; in the study, the average age of onset was 14.

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Swell. Next thing you know, some jackass who was late for his tee time is going to plead mental illness in court as the reason he mowed down that entire family in the crosswalk. “But your honor, you can’t throw me in prison for 20 years. I have intermittent explosive disorder!”

Here’s to hoping that our judicial system decides to treat “intermittent explosive disorder” with “extended solitary incarceration therapy.”