Irritability

"Irritable" redirects here. For the state of inflammation, see Irritation.
For broader coverage of irritability in humans, see Frustration.
Irritability
SpecialtyPsychiatry

Irritability is the excitatory ability that living organisms have to respond to changes in their environment. The term is used for both the physiological reaction to stimuli and for the pathological, abnormal or excessive sensitivity to stimuli.[1]

When reflecting human emotion and behavior, it is commonly defined as the tendency to react to stimuli with negative affective states (especially anger) and temper outbursts, which can be aggressive. Distressing or impairing irritability is important from a mental health perspective as a common symptom of concern and predictor of clinical outcomes.[2]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Vidal-Ribas, Pablo; Brotman, Melissa A.; Valdivieso, Isabel; Leibenluft, Ellen; Stringaris, Argyris (2016). "The Status of Irritability in Psychiatry: A Conceptual and Quantitative Review". Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 55 (7): 556–570. doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2016.04.014. ISSN 0890-8567. PMC 4927461. PMID 27343883.