Intermittent Explosive Disorder - Roger Heater's Story

This post is from my guest writers, Tammy Moss and Roger Heater:

"From Institutions to Freedom" tells the story of Roger Heater who has lived with Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED) for over three decades

As a child Roger suffered from temper tantrums and rage attacks. What began as tantrums, banging his head on the floor, ended in rage attacks, flipping furniture over, and destroying his bedroom. These attacks lasted thirty minutes to two hours sometimes. At times his parents were forced to sit on him and hold him down so he wouldn’t cause any damage to himself, or them.

By age 12, Roger was made a ward of the court and spent the next four years being shuffled around shelters, group homes, mental institutions, and psychiatric hospitals throughout the State of California, during which time he experienced several different forms of discipline and medications.

In the 70’s, Roger was placed in an institution where they mixed mentally handicap adults with kids. At age 13, he was living with adults as old as 70. Being stripped of his belt, shoes and pockets emptied, he was placed in a 7’ by 4’ room with no outside window or door knob on the inside. He was restrained on beds by being wrapped in sheets from the ankles to his neck. As early as 9 years old he was subjected to several different anti-depressants including Ritalin, Valium and Lithium.

Over the next 15 years Roger self-medicated with marijuana that he began to smoke excessively from as early as age 14. It seemed to control his hyper energy and aggressive behavior. By age 19 his impulsive and addictive personality began to crave the drug cocaine.

Four years later, after almost overdosing one evening, Roger began a self therapy treatment that involved one day at a time of not touching the drug and performing at local amateur comedy clubs throughout the Bay area. Just like marijuana, comedy became an excellent outlet to release his extra aggression. By age 34, with two addictive drug habits and two failed marriages behind him, the comedy stage alone was no longer enough to keep his anger under control. His aggressive and abusive behavior landed him into a psychiatric hospital twice within a 6 month period.

Three decades of Roger's IED incidents:

• Age 4; Temper tantrums began, Roger would lay flat on his stomach and repeatedly bang his head on the floor, his mother had to hold him until he calmed down.
• Age 11; He was running head first into walls, destroying his room so bad that everything was removed except his bed and dresser.
• Age 16; Roger took out 32 car windshields with a baseball bat causing over $5,000.00 worth in damages.
• In his early 20's after receiving a hamburger with mayo at a Jack in the Box drive-thru, he threw it back at the server and sped off in a screaming road rage into heavy expressway traffic, almost causing a three car pileup.
• In his early 20's to mid 30's he mentally and physically attacked 3 separate wives. During a rage attack he was known to lift wives up off the floor by their throats.

After struggling for over three decades, Roger was finally given a diagnosis in 1995. He was told he had a mental disorder called Intermittent Explosive Disorder (I-E-D). This disorder was still unknown to the public and researchers at the time, so proper medications and therapy were still in the testing stage. Over the years while learning what he could about the disease he taught himself how to overcome and survive living with it. After more than 14 years of touring and performing comedy all over the United States, he developed a strong ability to keep any size groups attention and his strong stage presence continues to shine even when delivering material on a much darker subject. His sense of humor, passion and understanding for this disorder stands out in every delivery.

Roger is in the process of writing his book- “From Institutions to Freedom” in the hopes that sharing his story with others will motivate and show others that instead of ‘you can’t’ -you can!

Stimulus Pro-bono opportunity~~
During these tough economic times, we are giving a limited amount of pro-bono talks in Las Vegas, California, Utah and Arizona. Don't wait! Email us to schedule. Contact us @ tmoss1026@yahoo.com

Roger is dedicated to speak wherever there is a need. A man who never took “you can’t” as an excuse, Roger fought through each and every obstacle and came out proving everyone wrong.

Roger is sharing his story all around the country. Please email us with where you are from and names of organizations that may benefit in hearing this powerful, motivating story

To learn more about IED and to book a pro-bono talk, visit our website- http://www.heaterproductions.com/

Anger - Intermittent Explosive Disorder & Domestic Violence

Intermittent Explosive Disorder -
If a person's aggressive outbursts result in any destruction of property, physical assaults on people or animals, or causing a death, then that person has a problem and should seek help immediately. This anger problem will result in legal and financial problems and destroyed relationships. Peace and true happiness are elusive. Friends, family, loved ones and even strangers are in danger.

Loss of control is the key factor. The individual loses control, resulting in aggressive acting out, either by yelling, assaulting others, or destroying property. The degree of behavior is always out of proportion to the stimulus. Typically, these individuals will not take responsibility for their loss of control, often blaming the victim, other circumstances in their life, or some third party as causing their loss of control. The inability to accept responsibility for the one's own actions helps to alleviate guilt. It also prevents the individual from seeing that there is a problem and making any changes. Both men and women can have this terrible problem.

Comedian Roger Heater suffers from IED. He now gives talks and is writing a book. He guest wrote his story for me. Please check out: Roger Heater's Story of IED.

Domestic Violence -
People with Intermittent Explosive Disorder often only lose control within the context of a close interpersonal relationship. Their self-control is better outside their own home and family. The diagnosis of Intermittent Explosive Disorder is almost always present in domestic violence situations, except when the violence occurs only in situations with substance abuse or intoxication. Sometimes, however, intoxication is also a form of not accepting blame and the individual may choose to become intoxicated prior to a confrontation and use their wasted state as an excuse for loss of control.

Individuals who only lose control within relationships often attach strong emotional ultimatums to those relationships. If a person believes that loss of a relationship would be unbearable, then they will stay in the abusive relationship, regardless of what logic says.

Perpetrators of domestic violence rarely receive adequate psychological treatment, because they are viewed as criminals, rather than individuals with psychological problems.

Click HERE for a discussion of treatment.

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