Anger management

[enlighten]

My brother is a very angry and aggressive person. He becomes defensive and irritated when conversations take place in which he simply does not have an interest, and loses his temper easily and quickly such as when we ask him to do / not do something. It is almost as if he throws 'adult' tantrums, as he can be quite childish and impressionable. He is not violent, and he does not use illicit substances. I have suggested anger management therapy to him in the past, to which he did not respond well at all. I am concerned about his mental wellbeing, and the way he treats the other members of my family. I am not sure how to manage to continue to live with him until one of us can afford to move out.

[geoff]

dear Enlighten, can you tell me how old your brother is, and if he is still an adolescent then Reachout or Starlight could help him, however he has to accept that he needs this help, and this is the hard part.

I'm sure that he believes that he is doing nothing wrong, OK at some times, but not all the time when he goes away and thinks about what has happened, and I wonder if he ever apologises or does he believe that he had every right to blow his top.

He may not be violent now but it's something that may appear down the track, in which he will have to deal with the authorities, so this will prove to be a major problem for his credit. Hope to hear back from you. Geoff.