Road Rage

“Sometimes when driving a vehicle we find the opportunity to funnel our frustration at conditions at home and misdirect these feelings to other drivers through our poor driving habits, shouting or other displays of anger,” said Dr. Marc Lockhart, consultant psychiatrist at the Cayman Islands and Chrissie Tomlinson Memorial hospitals.

“The key thing to keep in mind these days is that we must be continually aware of our moods, thoughts and the events that cause us to feel frustrated. We are all at risk for “road rage” or the directing of our frustration at others through bad behaviour. The overall situation requires that we step back and evaluate our moods and take care in monitoring our behaviour and emotions. We must be aware of the type of activity we are about to engage in such as driving, interacting with children or making major decisions and determine if we are able to do these activities while feeling frustrated.”

For individuals who feel out of control and who are experiencing increasing episodes of anger and frustration, Dr. Lockhart said there are appropriate outlets for discussing these feelings with trained counselors and therapists.