Preparing for My MBA…Yet All I Feel is Rage and Anger

Reader’s Question

I am writing this to you as I feel I am in a dire need for psychiatric consultancy. I am a 24 year old male, currently working for an Automotive major in Sales and Marketing. By July, I will be going to a Business School to pursue an MBA degree. My problem is this: Of late I have stopped feeling anything. I do not laugh, cry, or even cringe with pain. All I have is rage and anger. During all this time I shout and scream like a madman at everybody, including the near and dear ones. After that, I realize that I shouldn’t have done so, but still I can’t feel any remorse. Earlier also I used to go through phases during which I would stay alone, not talking to anybody. But this time, I am not able to come out of it.

I do not know whether explaining this was any help, but I do feel I need to see someone. Any help in this regard will be great.

Our Consulting Clinical Psychologist’s Reply

When you describe that you don’t feel anything — that’s not true. You are feeling too much anger and rage — and no soft, warm, joyful emotions. What you are describing is a depressive disorder. It’s often found following a high level of stress over a prolonged period of time. Prolonged high stress levels deplete Serotonin (a neurotransmitter) in the brain, creating your symptoms. Low levels of Serotonin are associated with aggressiveness for example. You’ll also be experiencing rapid thoughts, preoccupations, poor concentration, inability to sleep, 4:00 am awakening, social withdrawal, emotional numbness, explosive episodes, and loss of humor. You’ll find that your symptoms increase as you approach your graduate program. We sometimes forget that positive things can be highly stressful and involve a tremendous number of responsibilities and expectations.

First stop might be educating yourself about depression. You can review articles about depression on this website and take a few depression screening tests. You can also review handouts on my website on depression and chemical imbalance at www.drjoecarver.com.

Next, I’d meet with your family physician. He/She can provide an antidepressant medication that works to make more Serotonin available. These are very safe medications and won’t interfere with your schooling.

Lastly, I’d consider talking with a therapist/counselor. The fact that you’re having difficulty coming out of this depression tells me you need a more aggressive treatment approach — combining education, medication, and therapy support. This is very treatable and more importantly, can be brought under control in a short period of time.