Dr. Arnold Nurenberg, a California psychologist, is trying to get "road rage" recognized as a psychiatric disorder through inclusion in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the sourcebook of the American Psychiatric Association. Dr. Nurenberg claims that more than half of all Americans suffer from the disorder, which is characterized by displays of loud, rude, and aggressive behavior towards other drivers. Presumably, once road rage is recognized as a psychological disorder, pharmaceutical companies can market drugs to reduce its symptoms, sufferers will be eligible for special consideration by their employers under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Dr. Nurenberg will be reimbursed by insurance companies for treating its victims.

The DSM already catalogues such maladies as "disorder of written expression," "childhood conduct disorder," "pathological gambling," "self-defeating personality disorder," "adjustment disorder with anxiety," "avoidant personality disorder," along with nicotine dependence, nicotine withdrawal, jet lag, snoring, and inability to sleep after drinking coffee. Boston University psychology professor Margaret Hagen notes several areas that the APA has targeted for "'further study" in future versions of the manual: caffeine withdrawal, binge eating, and PMS.

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