AGGRESSION A general term that covers a range of hostile behaviour, some beyond normal social behaviour. Some physical diseases cause aggressive outbursts, e.g. temporal lobe epilepsy and hypoglycaemia (see diabetes). Certain mental disorders, such as antisocial personality disorders, alcohol or drug abuse and schizophrenia, may be associated with aggression.
Male sex hormones (androgens) appear to be linked to aggressive behaviour and aggression is commoner among adolescents and young adults than other sections of the population.
