Tantrum (pronounced tan-truhm)
(1) A violent demonstration of rage or frustration; a
sudden burst of ill temper, most associated with children but widely applied to
the childish outbursts of adults.
(2) To have a tantrum.
1714: One of English’s etymological mysteries, other than
being derived from the earlier tanterum,
the origin is so obscure there’s no evidence on which to base speculation and
while the first known reference in writing is from 1714, it’s likely it had
been in (presumably colloquial) oral use for some time. There are conventions of use such as “temper
tantrum” & the common intransitive “throw a tantrum”; synonymous words and
phrases include angry outburst, flare-up, fit of rage, conniptions, dander, huff,
hysterics, storm, wax, hissy fit & dummy spit. The noun plural is tantrums and the rarely
used present participle is tantruming (or tantrumming), the past participle
tantrumed (or tantrummed).
Social media, SMS or email posts in ALL CAPS or with an extravagant
use of question marks (?????) or exclamation marks (!!!!!) convey shouting and
are the textual version of a tantrum although this understanding was learned behaviour;
many early systems (Telix etc) available only with upper case characters so there
was a greater dependency on (?????) & (!!!!!) to denote anger, the asterisk
(*****) & hash (#####) symbols inserted to permit vulgarities (f**k, sh##
et al) to be understood without being spelled out. That was a work-around of some significance
because the telecommunication legislation in many nations actually prohibited swearing
(even on telephone voice calls) over what was then called a “carriage service”,
typical wording in the acts being something like:
It shall be unlawful for any
person in the operation of any telephone installed within the city, to make use
of any vulgar vituperation or profane language into and over such telephone. (Profanity over
telephone: (Code of ordinances, Colombus Georgia, USA, (§ 663 (1914)), Section 14-49)
Such laws probably still exist in many places but
instances of enforcement are doubtless rare.
Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
Remarkably, as a definable condition, the temper tantrum
wasn’t medicalized (as a distinct diagnosis) until 2013 when the fifth edition
of the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) was published. Named Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder
(DMDD), it was classified as a mood disorder noted as affecting children aged 6-18,
an unusual concession by the industry that tantrums in very young children are
a normal and healthy (if annoying) aspect of human development.
DMDD was thus a new diagnosis but it really was a shift
in classification, reflecting the early twenty-first century view that both the
autism spectrum and bipolar disorder (BD, the old manic-depression) were being
over-diagnosed. Also a condition that
can cause extreme changes in mood, it was noted that misdiagnosing BD can
result in unnecessary medications being prescribed, the long-term use of which were
associated with side effects including weight gain, lipid & glucose
abnormalities and reduced brain volume (and
a diminished number of neurons in the brain).
Thus it being undesirable that BD be over-diagnosed in the young, DMDD
exists as an alternative and, although many of the mood-related symptoms overlap
with BD, there are as yet no FDA (the US Food and Drug Administration) approved
medications for children or adolescents with DMDD and in the recent history of
the DSM, that’s unusual. There have been
instances of updates to the DSM removing diagnoses while the specified drug
remains on the FDA schedule but it’s rare for one to appear without an approved
medication, the symbiosis between the industries usually well-synchronized. Advice to clinicians continue to include the
note that stimulants, antidepressants, and atypical antipsychotics can be used to
help relieve a child’s DMDD symptoms but that side effects would need to be monitored,
individual and family therapy to address emotion-regulation skills a desirable
alternative to be pursued where possible.
The behavioral distinction between DMDD and BD is that subjects don’t
experience the episodic mania of a child with BD and they’re at no greater risk
of later developing BD although there is a higher anxiety as an adult. Because of the potentially stigmatizing
effects (possibly for life) of a diagnosis of BD, that’s something which should
be applied only with a strict application of the criteria.
It’s further noted that DMDD is a diagnosis that should
apply to a specific type of mood (the tantrum) distinguished by being extreme
and/or frequent; it should thus (as parents have doubtless always regarded tantrums)
be thought a spectrum condition. The
markers include (1) severe, chronic irritability, (2) severe verbal or
behavioral tantrums, several times weekly for at least a year, (3) reactions
out of proportion to the situation, (4) difficulty functioning because of
outbursts and tantrums, (5) aggressive behavior & (6) a frequent
transgression of rules. Observationally,
DMDD may be indicated by (7) trouble in socializing and forming friendships,
(8) physically aggression towards peers and family and even (9) difficulties in
the cooperative aspects of playing team sports (although not merely a
preference for individual disciplines).
The diagnostic criteria for DMDD require a child to have experienced
tantrums (which are severe and/or of long duration) at least three times weekly
for at least a year’ especially if between episodes they’re also chronically
irritable. However, if the tantrums are
geographically or situationally specific (ie happen only at school or only at
church etc) then DMDD may not be the appropriate diagnosis and other disorders
(childhood bipolar disorder (CBD), autism, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD)
or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)) may need to be considered. A particular difficulty in the diagnostic
process is that not only is there a significant overlap of symptoms in these
disorders but instances of conditions themselves can co-exist. With children, it’s recommended that when
possible, DMDD treatment begins with therapy (psychotherapy and parent
training), medications prescribed only later in treatment or at least starting in
conjunction with therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) thought helpful.
Noted temper tantrums
Details of President Trump’s (Donald Trump, b 1946, US
president 2017-2021) tantrum which included his ketchup laden lunch ending up oozing
down an Oval Office wall were recounted during the congressional hearings into
matters relating to the attempted insurrection on 6 January 2021. Although apparently not the first time plates
were smashed in the Trump White House during episodic presidential petulance,
such outbursts by heads of government are not rare. Indeed, given the stress and public scrutiny
to which such folk are subject, it’s surprising there aren’t more although it’s
usually only years later, as memoirs emerge, that the tales are told.
Warren Harding (1865–1923; US president 1921-1923) was once
observed strangling a government official with his bare hands although that
might have been understandable, his administration notoriously riddled with
corruption. When Harding dropped dead
during his term, it was probably a good career move.
Adolf Hitler’s (1889-1945; head of state (1934-1945) and
government (1933-1945) in Nazi Germany) ranting meltdown in the Führerbunker on
21 April 1945 as the Red Army closed on Berlin became a tantrum of legend and
was the great set piece of the film Downfall (2004) about the last days of the
Third Reich, a scene which has since generated hundreds of memes.
Even before the Watergate scandal began to consume his
presidency, Richard Nixon (1913-1994; US president 1969-1974) was known for his
temper tantrums, often under the influence of alcohol. His aides would later recount his
expletive-laden tirades during which, apparently seriously, he would order
bombings, missile launches and assassinations (all of which were ignored). His predecessor’s, (Lyndon Baines Johnson
(LBJ), 1908-1973, US president 1963-1969) moods were said to be just as volatile
and during episodes he would sometimes wish for whole countries to be destroyed
although he stopped short actually of ordering it.
Reports of Bill Clinton’s (b 1946; US president 1993-2001) tantrums
tend to emphasize their frequency and intensity but note also how quickly they
subsided. In the memoir of George
Stephanopoulos ((b 1961; White House Communications Director 1993 &
presidential advisor 1993-1996)) focusing on his time as communications
director, it’s recounted that Clinton regularly lost his temper and would yell
at the staff, the in-house code for the outbursts being “purple fits”, so named
because of how red Clinton’s face became during the SMOs “Standard Morning
Outbursts”. Secret Service staff later interviewed
were kinder in their recollections of the president but seemed still traumatized
when describing his wife’s volcanic temper and Bill Clinton’s outbursts do need
to be viewed in the context of him being married to crooked Hillary Clinton (b
1947).
Anthony Eden (1897–1977; UK prime-minister 1955-1957) was
elegant, stylish and highly strung; one of his colleagues, in a reference to
his parentage, described Eden as “half
mad baronet, half beautiful woman” and his great misfortune was to become prime-minister,
the role for which he’d so long been groomed. Ill-suited to the role and in some ways unlucky, his tantrums became the stuff of Westminster
and Whitehall folklore, reflected in the diary entry of Winston Churchill’s
(1875-1965; UK prime-minister 1940-1965 & 1951-1955) physician (Lord Moran, 1885-1975) on 21 July 1956: “The
political world is full of Eden's moods at No 10 (Downing Street, the PM’s
London residence)”. The tales of his
ranting and raging appeared in much that was published after his fall from office
but in the years since, research suggests there was both exaggeration and some outright
invention, one contemporary acknowledging that while Eden certainly was highly
strung, “…he seldom became angry when
really important matters were involved, but instead did so over irritating
trivialities, usually in his own home, and very seldom did he lose his temper
in public”. Unfortunately, the best-known "tantrum" story of the 1956 Suez Crisis in which Eden is alleged to have thrown an full inkwell
at someone with whom he disagreed (a rubbish bin said to have been jammed on his head in
response), is almost certainly apocryphal.
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