Irritability, an agitation that may result from provocation, illness, or seemingly no reason at all, may be simply an expression of normal annoyance, but it may also indicate a mental health or medical condition. When experiencing consistent irritability that causes stress and interferes with the ability to sleep, work, eat, or maintain good relationships with others, or irritation that may be inappropriate for or out of proportion to a particular situation, it may be helpful to speak to a therapist.

Causes of Chronic Irritability
In itself, irritability is not a mental health condition. Most people feel irritable from time to time, and some people may become frustrated more easily than others as a result of irritability. Even if there appears to be no source behind the irritability, there generally is a cause, such as dissatisfaction with one's life or relationship difficulties. Irritability can also be a symptom of withdrawal from drugs or alcohol. Irritability is a symptom of many mental health conditions, and chronic irritability may be indicative of an underlying health condition, poor coping skills, or negligent self-care. Common causes of chronic irritability include:
-- Physical conditions such as flu, Menopause, polycystic ovary syndrome, Hyperthyroidism, toothaches, and ear infection.
-- Mental health conditions such as stress, Anxiety, Depression, bipolar (both during the manic cycle or a depressive episode), schizophrenia, and autism. Irritability occurs as a symptom of depression most often in teenagers and adolescents. In children, an irritable mood may be linked to oppositional and defiant behavior.
-- Inadequate self-care, such as not sleeping enough, not eating well, or not taking time to enjoy hobbies and spend time with loved ones.
-- Chronic stress or poor stress-management skills.
-- Attention deficit hyperactivity, which can make mundane tasks frustrating.

Therapy for Irritability
Therapy for irritability focuses on discovering the underlying cause, which may be an outside factor or a mental health condition, addressing the issue, and establishing coping skills. Any number of types of therapy are likely to be effective in treating irritability and its underlying causes.

Cognitive behavioral techniques, for example, which can help reframe thoughts to improve behavior, appear to be popular among people affected by irritability. In addition, learning effective stress management skills and techniques such as meditation and mindfulness as well as exploring helpful outlets for stress, anxiety, and frustration might all be aspects of therapy to treat irritability. Sometimes irritability can be the result of deep feelings of grief or anger: These feelings may be unconsciously felt, and therapy can help uncover and treat the effects of these emotions, thus reducing or relieving irritability.