Anger can be triggered by bad news, fear, misunderstanding and being kept waiting. Some patients arrive already angry. A brief delay in being seen, or a receptionist that they perceive to be rude may light the fuse. Early warning signs of an impending outburst include irritable comments, sighing and agitation.
Behavioral manifestations of aggression include yelling, swearing, becoming quiet, or changing from one's baseline behavior. Some patients may not provide overt signs of anger but passively demonstrate their anger through their actions, such as noncompliance with medical treatment.
The recommendations in these articles are always similar: Stay calm, don't argue, and don't try to set limits. In other words, the best way to de-escalate a situation is to allow the patient to feel heard and to try and redirect as best you can. I get the importance of this approach as a tenet of conflict management.
Irritability can be caused by physical and mental health conditions, including: depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety. post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) dementia.
The verbal expressions include yelling, arguing, cursing, and sarcasm. However, anger can also be expressed physically by raising a clenched fist, throwing a book on the floor, breaking a pencil or hitting a wall. Sometimes, anger is not expressed externally but remains as internal rumination.
What are the three common responses to feeling angry?
People use a variety of both conscious and unconscious processes to deal with their angry feelings. The three main approaches are expressing, suppressing, and calming. Expressing your angry feelings in an assertive—not aggressive—manner is the healthiest way to express anger.
Patients who are angry, frightened, or defensive can present with clenched fists, furrowed brows, hand-wringing, and altered breathing. You'll also probably receive notice from staff about these patients before entering the room.
Listen to the explanation as to why they are angry: Demonstrate active listening skills such as eye contact, nodding, verbal responses (e.g. 'mmm'). Allow the patient to vent at you completely if needed – they may need to get some things off their chest. Give them plenty of space to speak.
Abstract. "Hateful patients" are not those with whom the physician has an occasional personality clash. As defined here they are those whom most physicians dread.
Weakness is a lack of strength. You may feel weak all over your body (generalized), or you may feel weak in one specific part of your body (focal). Common causes of weakness include: Infection and immune system disorders. Physical exhaustion.
