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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    I tend to suppress my anger, is this bad for my health?

    Related Topics
    Anger Management Mental Health
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  • Joe Gubbay

    Clinical Psychologist, Counsellor, Psychologist, Psychotherapist

    I have worked in public hospitals as well as private practice over the past 25 years. As a clinical psychologist I treat depression, social anxiety, … View Profile

    There's quite a lot of research showing that anger suppression is linked to a range of health problems. Some papers that I've seen show an increased risk for:
    - Coronary heart disease
    - High blood pressure
    - Death following heart attack
    - Reduced anti-cancer response in prostate cancer

    Other findings show that people who suppress anger are more likely to:
    - Act violently if they drink alcohol
    - Experience worse pain if they have lower back problems
    - Sleep poorly (another risk factor for health problems) 
    - Have anxiety and depression

    On the other hand some studies have found no link between anger suppression and development of breast cancer.

    Overall, the answer to your question is “yes”, though remember that it's just one risk factor!  I'd also consider whether there are other reasons to deal with anger suppression.  Sometimes suppressors don't deal with issues effectively, or anger is harboured for too long.  If you're concerned, you can see a psychologist or counsellor who provides cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), a short term psychological treatment that can be effective for anger problems.  

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    Dr Clive Jones

    Counselling Psychologist, Counsellor, Psychologist, Psychotherapist, Sport Psychologist

    Dr Clive Jones is a registered psychologist specialising in the assessment and treatment of mental health issues and disorders and High Performance Sport psychology. He … View Profile

    Suppression is an interesting word as it can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. To suppress an emotion technically means we are not completely aware that the emotion is there in the first place. With anger, this usually means that we don't fully acknowledge those time when we are angry and as a consequence we are not fully aware of those things that make us feel angry. 

    This lack of awareness, due to suppression, can really place us in a bit of a pickle… to say the least. Being angry when we don't even fully realise that we are, can result in a lot of reactions that confuse ourselves and others. To use another technical term from the same school of thought as the word ‘suppression’, emotions that are suppressed will tend to sublimate in one way or another eventually.

    What this means is that emotions, whether we are aware of them or not, do influence our reactions and responses within our daily life whether we want them to or not. 

    When we suppress an emotion it also means that we are not taking the initiative to deal directly with the situation causing the emotional reaction in the first place. As a result we end up abdicating our own influence and impact on the situation by choosing instead to ignore and avoid the emotional impact the situation has had on us and as a result come to a false sense of believing that the situation didn't really impact on us at all; I.E., “it didn't really make me feel angry”.

    So rather than suppression, emotions, whether anger or any other type, need to be clearly acknowledged by the one experiencing it and then responded to in the most appropriate way.

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  • Margie Ulbrick

    Counsellor

    I am a Melbourne Relationship Counsellor and Family Lawyer who is skilful in helping people get out of the pain of relationship distress and create … View Profile

    Yes it is damaging to health to suppress anger but it is also damaging to act out in anger. Processing and managing anger are part of being human. We all have anger, it's just that very often as it has not been tolerated or modelled well, it is suppressed. Anger if used well can be a powerful motivator for healthy change. Seek profeessional help to deal with your anger and get healthy! Good luck!

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