阅读理解

　　Many strong and out-of-control emotions are recognized as an illness．People who are always very sad have depression(抑郁症); those who worry a lot have anxiety．

　　But what about anger problems? Anger is largely viewed as a secondary emotion – one caused by other emotions．People are thought to be angry because they are sad, anxious or stressed．In the past, many doctors didn’t accept the idea that anger could be a problem all on its own．

　　Today, though, a growing number of mental health experts think that anger is a serious problem that needs its own treatment．

　　How to tell the difference between “normal” anger and “anger problem” is difficult．After all, everyone gets really mad from time to time．Experts point out a few ways．

　　Disordered anger, as it is sometimes called, tends to be of greater intensity(强度)．It takes very little to set off a person with an anger problem, and their responses(反应)are very strong．An example：While most people would get upset if a driver cut them off, someone with disordered anger might try to chase down the car and force it off the road．

　　And in cases of disordered anger, the person gets angry more frequently and his/her anger lasts longer．For most people, angry feelings disappear quickly．But people with anger problems often stay angry for days, weeks or even years; their feelings of anger don’t disappear over time．

　　Consequences are also important to consider：Disordered anger often damages people’s lives．“It interferes(干扰)with people’s relationships and their jobs,” says Raymond Chip Tafrate, a US psychologist．“Even their health is affected．”

　　Anger clearly increases the risk of certain health problems, as many studies have shown．“When a person is angry, their heart beats faster and their blood pressure goes up,” says Howard Kassinove, a professor at Hofstra University in New York．Over time, these changes take their toll on the body, he adds．

　　Experts suggest that people with an anger problem take anger-management programs．The programs teach people to control their responses to stressful situations through the use of relaxation techniques．The programs sometimes include life-skills training as well：increasing someone’s level of competence(竞争)– whether on the job or as a parent or partner – helps bring down stress and cut angry feelings．