This from Lancaster Online.com:

t was a hoagie that caused the woman to "flip out" last week at a Manheim Township pizza place.

"She said that the meat and the cheese were touching," says an employee of J&R Pizza, 852 Plaza Blvd.

The shop tried to fix the problem, but then the woman's friend said she had no money to pay for the hoagie.

"The economy ain't the greatest," says the employee, who declined to give his name.

The woman began screaming and cursing, says the employee. Police ended up charging her with disorderly conduct.

People are feeling more angry these days, according to two recent polls. And they are acting out in their homes, on local roads and in other places, local officials say.

An American Psychological Association poll last year showed that 60 percent of people reported feeling angry or irritable, which was up from 50 percent in 2007.

Of those feeling stressed, eight out of 10 said the economy was a significant factor, according to the APA poll.

A USA Today/Gallup poll found 53 percent of Americans describing themselves as angry about the country's financial problems.

Dean Clemmer sees the anger coming through his door at the Samaritan Counseling Center, where he is a therapist.

"There is just a real frustration at people losing their jobs. People are feeling a lack of control over a larger economic situation. With a loss of control, one response is anger," he says.

Police are noticing the phenomenon, too.

The failing economy is behind some domestic problems erupting in New Holland, says Chief John Yost.

"You would read in a report where an officer says, 'What's going on?' and they would say, 'I just lost my job and am having a hard time paying the bills. I just lost it.'

"The disturbances, there is screaming and hollering — they're angry."

Magisterial District Judge Cheryl Hartman has noticed it in her city office as well.

"I just signed three more complaints for simple assaults, a guy beating up a woman," she says. "Those cases are coming. I think we're going to have more of that. When you can't pay the bills and people are knocking on your door, that leads to violence.

"I see anger brought on by what's going on today."

Ken Ruffner, a therapist with Life Management Associates in Lancaster, says the economy is a major cause of our recent anger, but so are other modern-day stresses.

"I think with the advances in technology, the way things have sped up so much, there is increased frustration," he says.

We are supposed to feel more in control, but we feel less in control.

When people lose their jobs, it makes them fearful about how they are going to pay for housing, food, clothing and other essentials. It's a threat, and anger is a "hardwired," biological response to a threat, Clemmer says.

Feeling pushed into problems they did not create, some people simply lash out.

"Road rage is a good example of this," he says.

In East Hempfield Township, Sgt. Mark Earhart says he's noticed that road rage has escalated in the past six months.

"Rather than just passing someone, getting upset and driving away, people are pursuing it" to the point where they have face-to-face confrontations, he said. "In the last six months, it's gone further than normal."

Other people repress their anger or turn it inward, becoming depressed or withdrawn, Clemmer says.

People can't control the fact that they feel angry, but they can control how they express it, Clemmer says.

Here are some tips on how to control your anger from Clemmer and Ruffner:

• When you feel yourself growing angry, take a timeout. Remove yourself from the situation.

• Work it out. Take a vigorous walk, jog or go to the health club.