You are suspected to have IED if you explode on the road

Alright, not the IED you heard in the news from some other parts of the world, but still explosive in nature.

By estimation, close to 900 Clutch fans have IED.


Road rage? It's an 'explosive illness'
By Catherine Ellsworth in Los Angeles
(Filed: 07/06/2006)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/mai...age07.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/06/07/ixnews.html

Road rage drivers who speed, weave through traffic, honk their horns, cut up - and occasionally shoot at - fellow motorists are not simply having a bad day or late for work.

Medical researchers claim they could suffer from intermittent explosive disorder (IED), a psychiatric condition far more prevalent than previously thought.

Doctors in the United States believe 16 million Americans are affected by the disorder, which can trigger outbursts of road rage, tantrums that lead to violent or destructive acts and even domestic abuse.

IED involves multiple outbursts that tend to be "grossly out of proportion to the situation". It is linked to the inadequate production or functioning of serotonin, a mood and behaviour-regulating chemical in the brain.

The research findings, announced in the June issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, claim the disorder appears in adolescence, typically around the age of 14.

Sufferers have an average of 43 attacks during their lifetime resulting in $1,359 (£730) worth of property damage. The worst affected cause up to four times as much damage.

The study, conducted by Harvard Medical School and the University of Chicago, found that 7.3 per cent of Americans have IED and three per cent have the most severe form.

The study forms the first reliable indication of the disorder's prevalence. It affects more people than better-known illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, said Dr Emil Coccaro, co-author of the study.

"If people think these explosive outbursts are just bad behaviour, they are not thinking of it as a serious problem that can be treated."

Prof Ronald Kessler, who led the research team, said the prevalence of the condition surprised even mental health specialists.

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