Does anger management really work? My 21 yr. old son needs it!?

He seems to always have had anger problems. There is mental illness in our family on both sides, not sure if that matters. (manic depresstion and OCD) He smokes pot, drinks now and then but since he has no insurance and can't get his teeth fixed has been taking pain pills and now I'm afraid he likes them. He had a baby when he was 15 and is with the girl still(she is a few years older then him) they just had another child a couple months ago. The Mom has always worked and he has taken care of thier child. He doesn't do anything when in charge of the children like pot etc.He can work hard and is very loving but has anger out of the blue is seems. Doesn't like people "looking" at him..just weird stuff like that. With no insurance it is hard to get help even if he wanted it! Could he be manic depressive??? He has ADD, never medicated for it for longer then a couple days. He didn't like the feeling of ritalin at age 12 or so.
Has an older brother that he has been compare to by his Dad.

yes it does really help, as long as he stays on it.For over a period of time, you can tell the difference.Good luck.

I know several people that have taken anger management and in my opinion, it only works as much as the person wants it to.

Goodluck!

Couldn't hurt and it might help

No, he doesn't. Unfortunately, the person himself has to realize that what he's doing is not only hurting himself, but others as well. He should realize the need to change, meaning, check his level of anger and his reason for being angry. This is what we call emotional intelligence. In addition, the situation he's in, the kind of life he's leading, will also bring about this unnecessary anger. If it's possible, these negative things should be reduced over time. Then maybe, he'll be able to control his anger.....this topic requires a lot of discussions and is not as simple as it seems, unfortunately.

Yes you may want to take him to a Psychiatrist that might be able to help and Hypnosis may help also. But over all therapy and support might be the best.

It sound like your some has a chemical abuse problem and that brings out alot of anger maybe try to get him to go to a 12 step program like A/A and yes anger management does work if he really wants it to if he is in a state of denial it may not work but try to get him some help asap before it gets to bad!

wow that's alot to handle for a 21 year old person.

Sounds like he might have some symptoms of bipolar disorder (manic depression). It can run in the family, and anger outbursts are definitely a major symptom. So is self-medicaiton (i.e. the use of drugs and alcohol to numb himself). He needs to see a doctor. There are usually free/ cheap mental health providers in an area, just start calling places from the phone book and see if they can give you the number to somewhere that can help. Free mental health help is a pretty big demand, so I'd bet there is somewhere he can go in your area. If he is bipolar, it is probably unlikely that he would benefit a whole lot from anger management.

A lot of times the issue behind the anger is something much deeper and or psychological. You should consult a dr and talk about what the possible options are. He might be depressed... even more so with the types of recreational depressants he seems to enjoy (pot, alcohol and so on).

I have several friends who were diagnosed with ADD long before the current trend and they are both long into their 20's and have anger management problems. I'm no expert but I see the relationship between the frustration with ADD and the problems with the rest of their functioning.

Seek help for both you, him and his family.