Why Am I So Irritable, Angry, Anxious or Depressed All the Time?

Feeling irritable, angry, anxious or low once in a while is part of being human. When one of these feelings seems to be there all the time, though, it can wear on your health, your relationships and your sense of yourself, and it may point to something worth addressing.

Below, we look at what chronic irritability, persistent anger, ongoing anxiety and long-lasting depression can look like, what tends to cause them, practical ways to cope and when it’s time to get professional help.

Why Am I So Irritable All the Time?

What Is Chronic Irritability?

People may exhibit chronic irritability when they become easily angry, upset, or excited. Being irritated at the dog barking whenever someone knocks or rings the bell doesn’t mean you’re chronically irritable. Think of the dog as your diligent watcher, alerting you to the presence of someone. So, the irritability felt at this moment is temporary and a normal emotional response.

Furthermore, with the constant news cycle and an inability to escape the outside world’s influences, it is understandable that people have a tough time turning off worries about threats and perceived negative influences on themselves and their families.

Medical and behavioral experts say that chronic irritability may be a sign of various mental health issues and conditions. Irritability and mental health disorders are inextricably intertwined. The list of conditions and disorders characterized by symptoms of chronic irritability include substance use, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety, depression, stress, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), even chronic pain, and disordered sleep.

Other Signs of Chronic Irritability

When chronic irritability exists, other feelings are also present. Someone who is chronically irritable may feel highly frustrated, exhibit profound impatience, and visibly demonstrate their agitation at the circumstances or people around them.

Chronic irritability looks and feels like someone is overreacting. It can be an overreaction. But it can also be an exaggerated emotional response to a persistent or recurring situation. The intensity of the reaction is what gives it away, likely resulting in others pointing out the behavioral response.

It is important to note that individuals experiencing chronic irritability aren’t feeling it non-stop. Their frustration, impatience, and agitation are more prevalent sometimes and not others.

Common Causes of Persistent Irritability

If all the chronic irritability causes could be neatly summed up and categorized into a readily understandable list, it would make diagnosis, prevention, and treatment more manageable.

Some of the common chronic irritability causes are the same ones that tend to escalate stress. They’re familiar to everyone because they are part of the human condition. Individuals can become chronically irritable due to the following:

• Underlying Medical Causes — Only a doctor can diagnose medical conditions, but often, the fact that someone experiences near-persistent irritation is a sign they may have a chronic illness. This can include chronic pain from an injury or medical condition. People with chronic illness often display irritability.
• Medication Side Effects — Some prescription medications are known to have irritability as one of their side effects. Furthermore, discontinuing some prescription medications can precipitate an increase in irritability.
• Mental Health Disorders — According to research, chronic irritability causes may stem from the presence of depression or during a major depressive episode. Seasonal affective disorder, substance use disorder, disruptive mood dysregulation disorder in children and adolescents, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder are also associated with irritability.
• Life Stress Incidence — The increase in life stressors can trigger irritability. When those stressors mount, and the individual has difficulty managing irritability, it can lead to chronic irritability.
  • Common life stressors include loneliness, burnout, job and career issues, financial concerns, and relationships (friendships, family, romantic, work).
• Sleep Issues — Sleep irregularities are a known cause of irritability. This includes lack of adequate sleep, interrupted sleep, sleep characterized by nightmares, sleep apnea, and insomnia. Waking up exhausted leaves a person groggy, disoriented, confused, and highly irritable.
• Too Much Caffeine — While it may seem like having a cup of coffee to get you going in the morning is the right approach, it can prove the opposite for those with chronic irritability. Since caffeine is a stimulant, there’s a crash once the rush from the caffeine passes. Too much caffeine or insufficient caffeine can promote irritability for heavy coffee consumers.
• Low Blood Sugar The human body requires balanced blood sugar for optimum efficiency. When blood sugar levels drop, the result is often impatience and irritability. This is caused by a hormonal cascade that includes cortisol and adrenaline. Too much cortisol may trigger aggression. Besides irritability, low blood sugar may hamper impulse control and behavior regulation.

Why Am I So Angry All the Time?

Managing constant anger is difficult if you don’t first have a grasp on this type of anger. Typical anger, at its core, is just an emotional reaction to a situation that motivates us to make changes. The body floods with stress hormones that increase focus, increase heart rate, speed up breathing, and mute various other impulses.

When we are actually in danger, these changes can be extremely helpful. Unfortunately, the stress response can trigger in response to pretty much anything—especially if a person already struggles with coping with anger issues. But why is that the case?

Over time, chronic anger changes the body and mind. Because the stress response “turns down” the intensity of other emotions and sensations, anger becomes the predominant emotion for all reactions. Angry people essentially prime themselves to feel anger in response to incoming situations and anticipate other events that would cause them to become furious. Additionally, they will place greater blame on others for their misery, leading to a feedback loop as the blame feeds right back into the fury.

Other outcomes include viewing neutral situations more negatively, thinking more poorly of other people, loss of analytical thinking, and an increase in recalling situations that caused anger.

Everyone’s experience with anger is different and we all have unique reactions to anger. It’s important to remember that while we often associate anger with aggression and explosive reactions, this isn’t always the case. Anger can be a much more subtle emotion, especially in cases of chronic anger.

Common Triggers for Chronic Anger

So what are the chronic anger causes? In the short term, pretty much anything that causes stress can trigger a bout of rage. It just depends on the context and your personal history with anger. Driving is a major source of anger for people, especially because road rage is quite normalized. Others might become enraged if they feel slighted, like if they weren’t invited to a party or received a gift that they felt was lackluster.

But, ultimately, these are not the causes of chronic anger. These situations are just catalysts for specific spikes in rage. Persistent anger is much more complex.
Social and Economic Problems

Constant anger can have roots in socioeconomic factors. A lack of financial stability is extremely stressful and anger-inducing, especially if a person feels as if they are not being rewarded for their work. Social problems like prejudice are also common triggers for ongoing anger. These issues make it feel as if the world isn’t fair, or—in some cases—actively out to harm people.

These systemic problems don’t even necessarily need to directly affect a person for them to feel angry. Developing chronic anger at these grand problems on behalf of others is quite common.
Powerful Emotions

For many people, anger is an accessible emotion that acts as an outlet for other active, unresolved, or compounded emotions. One of the most common is grief. There often isn’t enough time or space in our schedules to properly grieve when something happens. Without a break to process major events, people tend to turn to anger as a form of release.
Past Traumas, a Need for Justice and Other Deep-Seated Issues

Problems in a person’s past can continue to affect their life for many years. Childhood trauma is a source of significant mental health struggles for millions of people around the world. Anger is simply one of many ways in which these traumas may influence someone. Sometimes, such as in cases of abuse, this stems from a desire for justice or revenge. It can also be an expression of jealousy if other people discuss having happier pasts. Ultimately, the specifics depend on the individual and their unique circumstances.
Depression

People often tend to think of depression as a type of sadness. While there’s a hint of truth to this, it’s a very inaccurate idea. Among many other symptoms, depression involves feelings of low mood with a loss of interest in activities, flat affect, feelings of hopelessness, or thoughts of self-harm. Studies show that the same chemical imbalances in the brain that influence depression—serotonergic dysfunction—could also be partially responsible for chronic anger. In some cases, a person may feel anger as a symptom of their depression or have both issues at once.

Why Am I So Anxious All the Time?

Anxiety disorders, which affect an estimated 470 million people worldwide, have a genetic foundation. Individuals in families can inherit the genes for anxiety. Furthermore, those experiencing one subtype of anxiety disorder also show a tendency to have another anxiety subtype.

Anxiety Disorders That Cause Chronic Anxiety

Several types of anxiety disorders may cause individuals to experience chronic anxiety. These include generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder (SAD).

Chronic Anxiety Causes

Experts say anxiety tends to originate from several factors in combination. There is the genetic component, with a family history of anxiety disorders increasing heritable risk.

Environmental factors play a role in common chronic anxiety causes. Those who experience significant or recurring trauma, chronic stress, and other adverse environmental elements may develop chronic anxiety.

Trying to deal with challenging or worrying social issues can aggravate existing anxiety or precipitate the onset of chronic anxiety.

There is also evidence that personality traits as a child may be influential in developing an anxiety disorder as an adult.

Signs of Chronic Anxiety

Worrying about your ability to pay monthly bills doesn’t mean you’re chronically anxious. Nor does the occasional anxiousness about a health condition. Most people have these concerns. Chronic anxiety is persistent and unrelenting and typically exists for a long time. Often, the roots begin in childhood. It is characterized by several symptoms that may include the following:

• Anxious thoughts that won’t go away
• Difficulty relaxing
• Disturbed sleep
• Dry mouth
• Fatigue, tiredness
• Feeling fear or panic
• Headaches
• Inability to control anxiety
• Irritability
• Muscle pain or tension
• Nausea
• Rapid heartbeat
• Repetitive and obsessive thoughts
• Restlessness
• Shortness of breath
• Stomach pain
• Worry that’s excessive and without basis

It is essential to recognize that the symptoms of anxiety don’t remain constant. They may be more physical in nature at times, while they’re distinctly psychological at other times. Furthermore, the kinds of symptoms can vary depending on the anxiety disorder type.

Common Triggers for Chronic Worry and Anxiety

While persistent, unrelenting anxiety is a sign of significant psychological distress, someone experiencing increasing anxiety should pay heed to common triggers. Knowing what precipitates chronic worry and anxiety can be helpful in managing persistent anxiety.

Triggers may include:

• Chronic stress
• Medications
• Unbalanced diet, skipped meals
• Underlying health issues or dealing with chronic illnesses
• Excessive caffeine
• Mounting financial problems and debt
• Increase in negative thinking and self-talk
• Escalating conflict in a relationship, including arguments and disagreements
• New or unfamiliar social situations
• Public speaking, events, or performances
• Reminders of traumatic events, memories, or experiences

Many people experiencing chronic anxiety say they notice multiple triggers that worsen their emotional state. Sometimes, feeling constantly anxious isn’t due to anything they consciously recognize. In this case, they may have undiagnosed generalized anxiety disorder since constantly feeling anxious without a known reason is one of the symptoms of GAD.

Why Am I So Depressed All the Time?

Depression is a mood disorder affecting how an individual thinks and feels. Sadness and other symptoms of depression can interfere with activities such as school, work, and sleep and can also get in the way of maintaining healthy relationships. Depression is more common than you may think, and people experience different types. Some people may wonder why they feel so depressed all the time, and there is an answer. When individuals experience depression with symptoms lasting at least two years, the condition is called persistent depression.

Understanding Persistent Depression

A person experiencing persistent depression typically lives with poor emotional health and constant sadness most of the time for two or more years. Persistent depression is also called persistent depressive disorder, dysthymia, or dysthymic disorder. If you have felt sad and can’t pinpoint the cause, you may have wondered, “Why do I feel so depressed all the time?” However, you are not alone. Persistent depression affects adults and children. In addition to chronic sadness, persistent depression symptoms include appetite changes, difficulty concentrating, insomnia, low energy, and low self-esteem.

Common Triggers for Chronic Sadness

Life experiences and environmental influences can put people at risk for chronic sadness, including having a parent or sibling with depression, living in an unstable home environment, witnessing a traumatic event, or losing a loved one. The loss of a friendship, romantic relationship, or a job can also cause grief and chronic sadness. Persistent depression can be a symptom of another mental health disorder. For example, people with anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and substance use disorder may experience chronic depression. Factors contributing to persistent depression in children include family history, abuse, developmental delays, other mental health disorders, neglect, loss of a parent or caregiver, and living in stressful environments.

Why Am I Depressed for No Reason?

Depression is a mental health condition that affects people everywhere. Often, people think that if they’re depressed without a reason, what they’re feeling isn’t “real depression.” The truth is, depression often occurs without a clear cause. Just because there isn’t an obvious reason, it doesn’t make the symptoms of depression any less real.

Depression can be caused by many things. A stressful life event is a common trigger. For example, a divorce, bereavement or even job loss can cause a person to feel depressed.

However, depression doesn’t always have an obvious cause. Some individuals are genetically predisposed to depression, while others experience depression because of a hormonal imbalance or other biological factor. Fortunately, treatments are available to help a person overcome depression and return to a normal life.

Biological and Genetic Factors That May Play a Role

Biological and genetic factors that can lead to depression include:

• Pregnancy and childbirth. Antenatal depression can occur during pregnancy due to hormonal changes. Another common issue is postnatal depression, which occurs after childbirth and is thought to be caused by the combination of hormonal changes, the physical challenges associated with giving birth and the stresses related to life as a new parent.
• Menopause. Women going through menopause may experience low mood or severe mood swings, resulting in symptoms similar to depression.
• Drug or alcohol use. Drinking alcohol on a regular basis can increase the risk of developing depression. Certain drugs, such as cannabis, may also bring on depression in those genetically predisposed to the condition.
• Chronic pain. People living with chronic pain or experiencing a life-threatening illness may develop depression as a result.
• Hypothyroidism. Fatigue and weight gain are the most well-known symptoms of an underactive thyroid, but this condition can also cause depression.

Situational vs. Clinical Depression: Knowing the Difference

Clinical depression can be defined as a mental health condition characterized by a persistent low mood and loss of interest in activities a person previously enjoyed. This state must continue for at least 2 weeks before a diagnosis of clinical depression can be made.

Situational depression is a short-term, milder condition that typically arises from a life-changing event.

A key difference between the two forms of depression is that someone with situational depression may return to a normal mental state once the underlying cause is resolved or they get help dealing with their grief or stress. Clinical depression is typically more severe and requires treatment that may include psychotherapy and/or medication.

Getting a Correct Diagnosis

Since persistent depression is long-term, individuals with the condition can benefit from depression management strategies; however, it is essential to get a correct diagnosis. A doctor diagnoses depression using standard psychiatric criteria. Diagnosing persistent depressive disorder requires a physical examination to rule out other illnesses, as there are health conditions that can cause you to feel depressed. For example, if your thyroid is underactive (hypothyroidism), you may feel depression symptoms. The doctor will assess your family health history, discuss your symptoms, and order blood tests. Treating the symptoms may resolve the issue if there is a physical cause.

Your doctor can perform a psychological evaluation if there is no physical reason for your symptoms. They will ask you how long you have felt depressed. During the psychological evaluation, you can also expect to discuss whether others in your family have experienced similar issues. They may inquire about post-traumatic stress, appetite changes, alcohol or drug use, energy level, and whether you have had suicidal thoughts. The doctor will review the information gathered during the evaluation. If they determine that you are chronically depressed, they can work with you to get the treatment you need for managing persistent depression.

Practical Strategies for Coping

While learning strategies that are proven effective in managing irritability is highly recommended, what makes the advice palatable are emotional health tips that are practical and easy to follow.

Tips for Coping With Constant Irritability

What everyday techniques can be used in coping with constant irritability? Some are commonsense techniques, while others may be novel in their approach.

1. Practice being on time. If you’re often late, arriving at the last minute will increase frustration, aggravation, apprehension, and irritability. Give yourself an extra half hour to get where you must be — or longer if a traffic check indicates delays on your regular route. Similarly, if someone expects you to help with an assignment or you’ve promised assistance to a family member, friend, or loved one, allow more time than usual to accomplish the task.
2. Take deep breaths. It’s well-known that holding your breath and shallow breathing results from the body being under stress and muscles tensing up. Anxious thoughts and not breathing sufficiently deprive the body of much-needed oxygen. As a consequence, irritability, anxiety, fear, and panic can increase.
   • Taking deep breaths calms agitation and irritability. At the same time, it slows heart rate and reduces cortisol levels.
   • Try apps for breathing and meditation to help you develop effective breath-calming techniques.
   • Learning to control and practice deep breathing is an effective technique for managing irritability. This is one of the more accessible emotional health tips for coping with chronic irritability causes.
3. Learn to reframe thoughts. What is it about certain things that make you feel so irritated? Instead of automatically going to that negative emotion, reframing how you think about it may be helpful.
   • You may dread Monday mornings because of the pile of incomplete assignments, or the boss will drop off a hot project that will increase your workload. Mental health experts recommend considering the positives your job brings, such as the opportunities you can offer your family, how you can travel to exciting places, and being counted on as a trusted, valued employee.
   • Dealing with a messy home environment may be galling and exacerbate irritability. Instead of quashing the irritability and telling yourself it doesn’t matter, insist the children help clean their clutter. Enlist your spouse to tidy the area you spend the most time in. Be grateful for all the good in your life and dwell less on the irritating things.
4. Take good care of yourself. Many times, it’s too easy to devote yourself to what others want and need and neglect to take care of you. It’s essential to prioritize taking good care of yourself. This is how you recharge and rejuvenate. Remember that it is not selfish to make time for you. It’s a necessity to help you enjoy life fully.
   • As for what self-care involves, it may be anything that you find uplifting, exciting, restful, or engaging. Gardening, reading, cooking, hobbies, travel, a soothing bath, walking in nature, and spending time with loved ones and friends are some examples of good self-care.
5. Exercise regularly. Exercise releases endorphins, the body’s feel-good chemicals that help reduce stress, lower irritation, and help boost overall well-being. It’s a built-in way to lower stress.
6. Set manageable goals. Instead of going after challenging, hard-to-achieve goals, create a list of desired ones you can achieve. Break each goal into small, manageable steps. Celebrate the successful completion of interim steps.
7. Talk with trusted others. Avoid the trap of keeping things bottled up. Talk with those in your support system about what’s bothering you. Besides gaining encouragement, you may learn something useful.

Healthy Strategies for Managing Anger

How does someone actually begin coping with anger issues? As with many mental health, emotional, and behavioral problems, the answer depends on the individual. We all feel anger differently and our rage all comes from different sources.

Recognize Anger

One method is to consciously realize that you’re angry when the feelings flare up. People often don’t realize the signs of anger until after the triggering incident has passed. Learning to notice the signs that you are becoming irritated or angry is a big step in learning to address persistent anger.

Think Before Acting

Once you consciously address that you’re angry, take time to formulate your thoughts, words, and actions. The stress response and anger directly inhibit the ability to see things analytically and actively increase risky or dangerous behaviors. This includes saying or doing something you might regret. Take a few moments to collect yourself and allow others the same courtesy.

Stick With Personal Statements

Anger and blame are delicately intertwined and often create loops of negative emotion. To avoid this, stick to personal statements and thoughts when describing the problem. Rather than “You never do the dishes,” consider something like “I am upset that I had to do the dishes today after work.” This will start to break that loop by avoiding blame and focusing on the truth of the anger.

Get Better Sleep

Did you know that sleep is one of the pillars of a treatment strategy for dealing with chronic anxiety causes? This pertains to high-quality sleep or sleep that is uninterrupted. How does sleep affect the ability of coping with long-term anxiety? Quality sleep affects memory, focus, problem-solving, energy, mood, and eating habits, to name a few.

Need help getting better sleep? Try these suggestions:

• Try some white, pink, brown, or green noise. Soothing sounds can help you drift off to sleep and stay asleep.
• Create a welcoming sleep environment. This means a cool temperature in the room, sufficient darkness, no blue light from electronics, comfortable bedding and bedclothes, and silence.
• Resist the temptation to keep your smartphone beside the bed — or in the bedroom (unless it is powered down).
• Go to sleep at the same time nightly, if possible. Maintaining a consistent sleep routine helps with managing persistent anxiety. It will also be beneficial for your emotional health and constant worry.

When to Seek Professional Help

While each person reacts differently to life’s stressors, there comes a time when an inability to cope with the turmoil chronic irritability causes may indicate it’s time to get professional help. By working with a counselor or therapist you can learn what may be causing your irritability and develop practical ways for managing irritability.

Some people with persistent depression fail to seek professional help because they don’t know what’s available. Those aware of treatment options are sometimes hesitant to seek treatment because of the discrimination and stigma associated with a mental health diagnosis.

If you’re coping with long-term depression, there is no need to feel ashamed and struggle in silence. There are programs and resources to support you in your efforts to become mentally healthy. It’s normal to feel sad sometimes, but if at least two of the following situations describe you, it’s time to seek help:

• Have felt sad for two or more years.
• Feel lonely even when you are around people you care about.
• Low energy
• No longer enjoy things that made you happy in the past.
• Grieving a loss that happened several years ago.
• Thoughts of suicide or suicidal attempts.
• Using alcohol or drugs to help you deal with your feelings.

Treatment Options Even Without a Clear Trigger

Many forms of depression can be treated, even if the underlying cause or trigger isn’t clear. For those with relatively mild depression, guided self-help tactics are often the first choice, with exercise and talk therapy as additional options. These measures can not only lessen the feelings of depression but also provide tools an individual can use to manage symptoms should they return at some point in the future.

In cases of moderate or severe depression, treatment may combine antidepressant medication and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Other treatment options may include interpersonal therapy, behavioral activation and psychotherapy.

Because each person’s symptoms are unique and individuals respond to treatment in different ways, you may need to try several types of therapy before you find one that works for you. If you have an underlying health condition or a history of substance use, this should be taken into account as part of your treatment.

Get Help at Restore Mental Health

If you’re experiencing difficulty with chronic irritability, anger, anxiety or depression, our experts at Restore Mental Health in Deerfield Beach can help. Call (877) 810-2074 or contact us anytime to discuss our programs and treatment options.