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Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

Dp has anger problems.

79 replies

BountyIsUnderrated · 05/08/2021 09:04

I am so disappointed.
Dp has stress related anger problems since I met him 6 years ago which improved up until the baby was born.
We both know he has issues and he's been working on it, he's always struggled to verbally communicate his feelings so tends to take his anger out instead (throwing stuff sometimes).
I've been depressed recently so tried to be more positive, he's been saying he needs to work on his mood and was improving. Last night we had friends around and something frustrating happened and he couldn't get it to work again for a good 5 minutes, he was slightly annoyed but it escalated to swearing and raising his voice at the thing.
The room got really uncomfortable, he sat back down when it was working again and texted me to say sorry he's had a bad day (which it was really stressful in fairness). I ignored it which sent him storming upstairs for a good 10 minutes (he does this to calm down) he finally returned visibly upset and apologised profusely to everyone for his anger and also at the end of the night.

I know I should be happy he apologised to our friends he was upset he let it get to him, but I'm so ashamed he's never done this in front of friends before (his family know he has a short fuse). He also never lets the baby get to him but when I'm angry in response it tends to make it 10x worse so I feel like I'm on eggshells half the time.
We both love eachother deeply but I'm feeling down again now, I really thought we turned a corner.
Am I right to still be annoyed even though he was apologetic and just try to forget about it?
I'm just so embarrassed.

OP posts:
AttilaTheMeerkat · 05/08/2021 14:10

I sincerely hope you never enter into any form of joint counselling. It is not recommended where there is abuse of any type within the relationship. No decent therapist would ever want to see the two of you and abuse also is not a relationship problem.

Why do you also think something like CBT would be of use here to him?.

FeatheredHope · 05/08/2021 14:15

If you read my update you would know we are looking into counselling

I say this with kindness OP, but I did read your update and I think you are deliberately misreading my post. It’s all well and good to talk about having counselling, my point was it’s about actions. About actually having counselling.
And frankly, him seeing someone about his issues is well overdue.

I also agree 100% with @AttilaTheMeerkat. You should not be having joint therapy. You both need individual treatment.

pucelleauxblanchesmains · 05/08/2021 14:20

My father has anger problems he has consistently refused to address and my mother for whatever reason feels like she can't leave him after all these years. My childhood was hell and I am now pursuing a PTSD diagnosis. Whether you leave him or he gets actual help for his anger things can't stay as they are for the sake of your child.

Isthisit22 · 05/08/2021 14:35

[quote BountyIsUnderrated]@wewereliars

I'm not I wouldn't be here if it was. Just being factual.

Was hoping someone would be able to give advice on medical help like cbt etc for mental health instead of just stirring the pot and making strong assumptions of my life.[/quote]
But why are you getting all this advice? Why are you trying to organise counselling? HE should be doing all of this. He is the one with the problem.

Really all he is doing is what he's done all along- promise you just enough to keep you there then do nothing else. He needs to actively get counselling etc.
You will be back here in a few months in the same position or worse when your baby is a toddler and your partner loses his temper with him.

FlowerArranger · 05/08/2021 14:45

@AttilaTheMeerkat

We learn about relationships first and foremost from our parents. You seem to have chosen another version of your dad.
This may be tough to hear, but it is very likely true.

@BountyIsUnderrated - why are you wlling to wait till he gets a temper again ? And why do you agree with @LittleRed53 that it's important to give someone you love a chance to improve

You have waited 6 YEARS already!!

This is who he is. He is all talk and no action, empty promises and crying to you and saying he hates this side of himself. He could read self-help books, he could talk to his GP, he could see a therapist.

But he is doing none of these things, and he won't. @BountyIsUnderrated: this will be your life. And your precious child will grow up witnessing all this. It will be your boy''s normal. And when he grows up he will repeat the cycle with his partner.

Unless you act now.

FlowerArranger · 05/08/2021 14:57

@BountyIsUnderrated - there is a book available for free online which you really ought to read:

WHY DOES HE DO THAT?, by Lundy Bancroft.

CMSdividend · 05/08/2021 14:58

Search my name and read my most recent post. I can guarantee it will happen again, and you are being conditioned to accept his behaviour. Mine started with throwing stuff in frustration, then apologising to all and sundry and out come the tears, then busting a door down, tears/apologies/antidepressants. Mine owns his company and is just as tantrummy in work but the other men there laugh it off. Get out now before you're in so deep with the cycle that you're installing cctv so that if he kicks off at you you have evidence.

Mary1Mary · 05/08/2021 15:01

You seem determined to view this as a medical problem. What do you realistically imagine the treatment would be?

Skiptheheartsandflowers · 05/08/2021 15:06

Anger management courses have been mentioned several times. I can see some people don't think they're appropriate for this situation, but has he actually looked for one or been on one?

PidgeInAPud · 05/08/2021 15:09

So you have lived with his anger and violence for 6 years. He gets angry and violent when 'unfair' things happen - like a piece of equipment not working (how is that unfair?) or losing an xbox game (how is that unfair?). If he's had a bad day at work he may kick off (oh well that's OK then is it?)

The reason you've posted is not because he's angry and violent in front of you and your baby, you've accepted that about him for 6 years, but because he did it in front of your friends and now the secret you keep for him is out. You're embarrassed people have seen what your life is really like.

You want to get him help, well sorry but he needs to be seeking help for himself. If you have to drive this it isn't going to work. The effort he puts in is just enough to stop you leaving - that's all he cares about, his happiness. If he cared about you and the baby he wouldn't behave as he does and have you walking on eggshells. He is, abusive and your child is growing up in an abusive home.

"I love him" - love isn't enough. Think of your child.
"I don't drop those I love the second I discover their flaws" - you've had 6 years of this. Think of your child.
"If anger issues were so uncommon then anger management courses wouldn't exist" - nobody said anger issues are uncommon, there are lots of abusive bastards out there. Think of your child.
"If he ever harmed me or our baby I'd kick him to the kerb" - that may be too late. You and/or your child could be seriously harmed.

As said previously, the only acceptable level of abuse in a relationship is zero. What is he going to do to address this?

gardeninggirl68 · 05/08/2021 15:27

my advice would be to ditch the xbox for a start.....throwing controllers?? how bloody ridiculous

thelegohooverer · 05/08/2021 15:31

As others have said, he needs to address this with professionals.

There are various reasons why he may have poor impulse control, and high levels of anger (off the top of my head there’s a subset of adhd with that profile). Getting on the right medications and combining that with some hard work on CBT to learn new responses to anger, could make a difference. But it takes commitment and work and there’s a huge chasm between that and “being sorry”.

We often gravitate to our normal, without even recognising the similarities. Or we can be a driven by a deep need to fix our dp’s flaws through a surrogate. The fact that you flared up at the poster who made the link between your dp and your df is very telling. You’ve said you’re considering couples counselling but I think you might really benefit from counselling by yourself more.

OverTheRubicon · 05/08/2021 15:44

I could have written your post, many years and 2 further DCs ago. Wish I'd left then.

My ex never hit me, he truly does have an anger management problem that isn't just in the home, and he doesn't fit the characteristics of the sadistic or intentional abusers you read about on here. Trouble is, abuse is abuse whether it comes from someone trying to manipulate or control you, or someone who was damaged as a child and never learned the right anger management techniques. And I've damaged my own DCs, especially my eldest son who worships his dad, by living for so long in a family environment when we knew that the wrong step or an annoying driver on the road or bad day at work could result in a big and sometimes scary adult temper tantrum.

By the time he moved out, my ex had taken some big steps to change but it was too late, I'd lost all feeling for him. Maybe your dp can, but only if he personally acknowledges the problem. If not, don't be me! Leave now.

MinesAPintOfTea · 05/08/2021 16:17

OP - I’ve been where you are. And after DS started copying his behaviour we ended up with child mental health support and a social services referral.

If he wants to learn how to control it, that has to come from him. Best way you have to force that is by moving out. You can always go back if he really puts the effort in to change.

billy1966 · 05/08/2021 16:58

If a control was thrown in my house it would be removed, but thankfully my sons aren't angry thugs.

You have been given sound advice from many posters including @AttilaTheMeerkat but I suspect you are not mature enough yet to understand.

You will get there eventually no doubt, but it will be at great cost to yourself and your child.

You have one child being raised amongst domestic abuse and violence.

When your child goes to school they will no doubt pick up on it.

Don't have anymore children with him.
Raising children can be stressful at the best of times.
He really isn't father material.

category12 · 05/08/2021 17:32

I really don't understand why you're saying if there's another incident and in future we'll look at counselling - why wait for something new to happen? Confused It doesn't make sense.

If you genuinely believe his behaviour is caused by stress or depression, then follow through now on him getting help now while he is sorry. He clearly does not have a handle on it, therefore should engage with external support now. The longer he struggles with MH issues the harder it is to dig himself out of it.

You should not have joint counselling, as I'm sure people will have pointed out already.

Have individual counselling. This is not a relationship problem, and where there is abusive behaviour, any counsellor worth their salt would kick you out of joint counselling. Unfortunately quite a few are not worth their salt and will make things worse.

Nicolastuffedone · 05/08/2021 17:46

Well isn’t it good that he’s MOSTLY stopped throwing things…🙈

EarthSight · 05/08/2021 19:25

I can see why you took that so personally because it wasn't worded politely, but @AttilaTheMeerkat was just honestly blunt. Sometimes people do choose another version of their parent, because their parent's behaviour was so normalised growing up that it gives them a very skewed view of relationship.

For example, a woman grows up with a violent father who maybe cheated on his wife multiple times, multiples affairs. The daughter grows up and meets a man who raises his voice, gets red in the face at the smallest upset, goes off sulking when he doesn't get his own way......but at least he's not violent......right? So what if he flirts with other women, at least he's never out late at night shagging around......right? The poor woman thinks she's found a catch, thinks she's found a good partner, just because he's not as terrible as her Dad, but 'not as bad as' doesn't mean healthy or good.

Most women think they have raised the bar, much, much higher than their mothers. They think they've learnt good lessons growing up, but sometimes they don't realise how much their upbringing affected them until they actually experience problems.

I would urge you to think not only about your marriage, but what kind of atmosphere the kids are experiencing. How a man handles stress is extremely important, because unless he does, how on earth will a man cope with work plus screaming children and poor sleep???

Some people are neurotic OP. People associate neuroticism with crying women, but actually, all it means is someone who regularly experiences negative emotions and loses their shit - be it anger, anxiety, depression. Men can be very neurotic, and some of it is not only influenced by upbringing, but is inherent to some people's personalities. I don't believe that it's all nurture that creates us, and unfortunately, your husband might be very much like his father in a way you might have previously imagined.

What you will eventually learn, is that although well-meant apologies are appreciated, it kind of means nothing if it happens again and again. Some people are very ashamed or apologetic.....but the shame and regrets lasts a few days, maybe a few weeks at most, before they settle back into their normal and you're on the same track all over again.

I'm sorry that you are going through this with a small baby, but the biggest baby it seems is not your actual baby, it's your husband. When he behaves like that, he behaves like a two year old having a tantrum. He behaves like a man-toddler, smashing up his toys. I don't know how you manage to respect someone like that or find them attractive.

RantyAunty · 05/08/2021 19:37

If he truly wants to change he can ring and make an appointment with his GP today.

saraclara · 05/08/2021 19:54

I have experience with both types of anger issues. My mum and my best friend.

My mum could absolutely control herself when she needed to. None of her friends or colleagues would ever have had the slightest inkling of what she could be like. Only my dad, my brother and myself ever saw it.

My best (male) friend is a different kettle of fish, and sounds like your DH. Yes, I see more of it than most people, but I've seen him react exactly like your example in the OP, in front of his other friends. They're semi used to it, shrug, and know to just walk away until he recovers himself.

A friend who works at the same company says she's seen a version of his anger that raises itself at work. But it's a very small company, he's incredibly good at what he does, and most of the time is a lovely guy. So again, people manage him. His managers do address it, but as it's a kind of anger at himself rather than others, they accommodate it somehow.

I think my friend could desperately use counselling and help to manage this. But he tried once, didn't get on at all with the person assigned to him, and refuses to try again.

I identify with you saying that you love your DH and this isn't who he is generally. My friend can really bring me down when he's like this, but he's genuinely a lovely guy otherwise. It's like a switch...A kind of self hate that is uncontrollable when he fails at something. If only he could get help for that, he'd be 100% great.

user1471442488 · 05/08/2021 20:32

Another mother who’s going to let her child grow up in a shitty abusive home because her poor husband is just frustrated and stressed and she loves him sooo much.

How anyone can have an ounce of respect for a man who shouts and throws things in a childish tantrum is beyond me. Absolutely pathetic.

youvegottenminuteslynn · 05/08/2021 20:54

A man who really wants to sort out his anger problem because he genuinely understands how unacceptable it is doesn't wait until a big incident (or throwing xbox controllers... a grown man) to seek help. Yours hasn't even looked for help. It's like you're both waiting for something really bad to happen before you address this seriously. Can you see the flaw in that plan? It'll be too late to fix then.

You are looking for help. You are aware it's unacceptable. You're doubling down because people are pointing out that his temper is unacceptable, risky and dangerous. You're angry people are pointing out there's a pattern / legacy you might be repeating when that's actually really a solid and helpful theory to think about.

This man's anger is so near the surface he's throwing shit around in front of people.

It's you and your child who will suffer. I couldn't take that chance myself.

Throwing controllers around like an mardy teenager? How unbelievably unattractive and immature. You and your child both deserve better than that. A decent bloke would have looked into help much earlier than now.

gardeninggirl68 · 05/08/2021 20:56

@user1471442488

Another mother who’s going to let her child grow up in a shitty abusive home because her poor husband is just frustrated and stressed and she loves him sooo much.

How anyone can have an ounce of respect for a man who shouts and throws things in a childish tantrum is beyond me. Absolutely pathetic.

this.....but sadly the op is not listening
Taliskerskye · 05/08/2021 22:06

He basically needs to book several appointments tomorrow morning or you know it’s pointless.

CMSdividend · 05/08/2021 22:30

How have things been since this afternoon @BountyIsUnderrated ?

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