Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsExamples of Emotional OutburstsCausesSymptomsAnger ManagementWhen to Seek HelpDiagnosisFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Examples of Emotional Outbursts
Causes
Symptoms
Anger Management
When to Seek Help
Diagnosis
Frequently Asked Questions
Emotional outbursts are uncontrollable, sudden, and intense emotions—like extreme anger, rage, or frustration—that are disproportionate to the event causing the response.
Emotional outbursts can mentally and emotionally distress the person experiencing them due to an inability to manage their emotions. It can also damage interpersonal, school, or work relationships.
This article gives an overview of emotional outbursts, including examples, causes, symptoms, and more.
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Causes of Emotional Outbursts
People are not born with the ability to regulate or control their emotions. However, as they grow, they usually develop emotional regulation—skills and strategies to manage and cope with powerful emotions.
For children still learning to respond to strong emotions appropriately, certain situations may trigger them. These can include the following:
Emotional Dysregulation
Sometimes, people are unable to develop effective strategies for managing strong, difficult emotions. When the ability to manage negative emotions is impaired, people have emotional dysregulation. This can cause emotional outbursts and may be due to the following:
Study: People With Neurological Conditions Often Experienced Childhood Trauma
Symptoms of Being Unable to Control Your Emotions
Symptoms of being unable to control your emotions can include:
How to Manage Anger
If you’re having difficultymanaging your anger, you may try some of the following strategies:
Remember that these strategies may not work for everyone and that there may be underlying causes for your emotional outbursts. Consult your healthcare provider to ensure you are getting the help you need.
11 Anger Management Strategies to Help You Calm Down
If you’re deciding whether to seek help for emotional or behavioral issues, consider asking yourself questions about how your behaviors impact your life. Questions about subjective distress, daily functions, and social relationships include the following:
Subjective distress:
Daily life functions:
Social relationships:
These questions are not meant to diagnose emotional outbursts but to help you consider if seeking professional help for any emotional or behavioral health issues can help.
Feeling frustrated or angry from time to time is a normal response to stressful situations. However, when outbursts of strong emotion begin to feel disruptive to your day-to-day functioning and meaningful relationships, it may be a sign to seek professional help.
Though there’s no specific diagnosis for emotional outbursts, your healthcare provider may:
Summary
Emotional outbursts are strong, uncontrollable bursts of anger or frustration disproportionate to the situation causing them. They are common for children who have not yet learned to regulate their emotions but may also occur in adulthood. Outbursts in adulthood could be due to childhood maltreatment or neglect, psychological issues, or brain trauma.
If emotional outbursts are harming your relationships and affecting your day-to-day functioning, it may be a sign that professional help is necessary. Though there’s no official diagnosis for emotional outbursts, healthcare providers can use diagnostic tools to determine your ability to regulate your emotions. These tools can help you and your healthcare provider identify the best strategies to manage your feelings.
A Word From Verywell
Having intense emotions is a normal part of life. However, if you are experiencing uncontrolled and sudden episodes of anger, you could be having emotional outbursts. If you cannot regulate your emotions, it’s a good idea to speak with a trusted healthcare provider who can diagnose any underlying causes and help you develop strategies to manage them.
Frequently Asked QuestionsEmotional outbursts are normal for toddlers and young children who may still be learning to manage their feelings. Even older children and teenagers may experience emotional outbursts. However, adults exhibiting emotional outbursts may have underlying conditions, such as childhood trauma or neurological or psychological issues.If you’re experiencing meltdowns over small things, you may want to speak with a healthcare provider to help you manage your emotions and determine if there is an underlying cause of your meltdowns.Emotional dysregulation is the term for when you can’t control your emotions. There can be many reasons for emotional dysregulation, including childhood experiences of neglect or maltreatment, brain trauma, psychological issues, and more.
Emotional outbursts are normal for toddlers and young children who may still be learning to manage their feelings. Even older children and teenagers may experience emotional outbursts. However, adults exhibiting emotional outbursts may have underlying conditions, such as childhood trauma or neurological or psychological issues.
If you’re experiencing meltdowns over small things, you may want to speak with a healthcare provider to help you manage your emotions and determine if there is an underlying cause of your meltdowns.
Emotional dysregulation is the term for when you can’t control your emotions. There can be many reasons for emotional dysregulation, including childhood experiences of neglect or maltreatment, brain trauma, psychological issues, and more.
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.The Emotional Outburst Inventory (EMO-I).Dvir Y, Ford JD, Hill M, et al.Childhood maltreatment, emotional dysregulation, and psychiatric comorbidities.Harv Rev Psychiatry. 2014;22(3):149-161. doi:10.1097/HRP.0000000000000014Hallion LS, Steinman SA, Tolin DF, et al.Psychometric properties of the difficulties in emotion regulation scale (DERS) and its short forms in adults with emotional disorders.Front Psychol. 2018;9:539. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00539Gill D, Warburton W, Sweller N, et al.The emotional dysregulation questionnaire: development and comparative analysis.Psychol Psychother Theory Res Pract. 2021;94(S2):426-463. doi:10.1111/papt.12283Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Coping with anger.Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.Deciding when to seek treatment.
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.The Emotional Outburst Inventory (EMO-I).Dvir Y, Ford JD, Hill M, et al.Childhood maltreatment, emotional dysregulation, and psychiatric comorbidities.Harv Rev Psychiatry. 2014;22(3):149-161. doi:10.1097/HRP.0000000000000014Hallion LS, Steinman SA, Tolin DF, et al.Psychometric properties of the difficulties in emotion regulation scale (DERS) and its short forms in adults with emotional disorders.Front Psychol. 2018;9:539. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00539Gill D, Warburton W, Sweller N, et al.The emotional dysregulation questionnaire: development and comparative analysis.Psychol Psychother Theory Res Pract. 2021;94(S2):426-463. doi:10.1111/papt.12283Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Coping with anger.Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.Deciding when to seek treatment.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.The Emotional Outburst Inventory (EMO-I).Dvir Y, Ford JD, Hill M, et al.Childhood maltreatment, emotional dysregulation, and psychiatric comorbidities.Harv Rev Psychiatry. 2014;22(3):149-161. doi:10.1097/HRP.0000000000000014Hallion LS, Steinman SA, Tolin DF, et al.Psychometric properties of the difficulties in emotion regulation scale (DERS) and its short forms in adults with emotional disorders.Front Psychol. 2018;9:539. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00539Gill D, Warburton W, Sweller N, et al.The emotional dysregulation questionnaire: development and comparative analysis.Psychol Psychother Theory Res Pract. 2021;94(S2):426-463. doi:10.1111/papt.12283Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Coping with anger.Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.Deciding when to seek treatment.
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.The Emotional Outburst Inventory (EMO-I).
Dvir Y, Ford JD, Hill M, et al.Childhood maltreatment, emotional dysregulation, and psychiatric comorbidities.Harv Rev Psychiatry. 2014;22(3):149-161. doi:10.1097/HRP.0000000000000014
Hallion LS, Steinman SA, Tolin DF, et al.Psychometric properties of the difficulties in emotion regulation scale (DERS) and its short forms in adults with emotional disorders.Front Psychol. 2018;9:539. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00539
Gill D, Warburton W, Sweller N, et al.The emotional dysregulation questionnaire: development and comparative analysis.Psychol Psychother Theory Res Pract. 2021;94(S2):426-463. doi:10.1111/papt.12283
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Coping with anger.
Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.Deciding when to seek treatment.
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