Impulse control disorders: symptoms, causes and treatment
An impulse is characterized by being something that all people live or feel at some point throughout their lives , and it is about carrying out an action emotionally or, to put it another way, doing something "without thinking".
Usually, the person is perfectly capable of managing these impulses, letting themselves be carried to a greater or lesser extent. However, in some people this ability is highly altered, and may trigger a mental disorder known as impulse control disorder.
- Related article: "The 16 most common psychological disorders"
What is impulse control disorder?
The impulse control disorder is defined, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), as those disorders in which the person experiences great difficulties or is not able to withstand or resist the urge to commit an action that will end up being harmful for the person or for others.
In almost all these behavioral alterations, the patient experiences a sensation of tension or of great activation prior to the performance of the action, followed by an emotion or pleasant feeling, of gratification or, even, of liberation.
However, Sometimes the patient may feel feelings of guilt and self-reproach . However, it is not a mandatory condition of impulse control disorder.
The symptomatology is usually chronic and in a large number of intrusive times, interfering in different areas of the patient's life. Also, people affected by a pulse control disorder tend to have a deficit in the ability to control their emotions, which together with the symptoms of the disorder can also cause a series of emotional disturbances.
In most cases, the condition begins in childhood or adolescence and the symptoms tend to get worse over time.
Classification
Although there are numerous psychological alterations characterized by a deficit in the control of impulses, Some of the most well-known impulse control disorders are as follows s.
1. Intermittent explosive disorder
In intermittent explosive disorder the person experiences recurrent episodes of impulsive behavior , characterized by being aggressive and virulent. Likewise, it can also undertake outbursts of angry verbal manifestations and disproportionate reactions to any situation.
Some of its symptoms include tantrums, domestic violence or throwing and breaking any object that the patient has on hand.
2. Kleptomania
Despite being one of the most famous disorders within impulse control disorders, kleptomania is a complex alteration that is defined as the inability to restrain or dominate the impulse to steal r.
A kleptomaniac person experiences an irresistible impulse to steal, in many occasions, in order to appease their emotions. Also, a little-known kleptomania peculiarity is that the patient usually feels guilty after committing the theft.
3. Trichotillomania
Trichotillomania is characterized because the person is unable to suppress the impulse to pull the hair, getting to start it and provoking decalvations . It is alteration is very associated with the trichophagia, in which the person besides tearing the hair ingests compulsively.
4. Pyromania
Another highly known psychiatric disorder is pyromania, in which the patient feels the impulse to start fires, experiencing a pleasant sensation of relief and calmness.
5. Gambling
Pathological gambling is also known as compulsive gambling, and in it the person feels an uncontrollable urgency or need to perform or persist in behaviors related to the game , although this implies a serious deterioration in your life or large losses at the economic level.
6. Dermatilomania
This is a little-known condition in which the person feels the compulsive need to scratch , rubbing, pinching or scratching the skin.
7. Onychophagy
Characterized by the habit, sometimes compulsive, of biting the nails. Onychophagy is possibly the impulse control disorder more widespread and surely the most socially accepted .
8. Compulsive shopping
Unstoppable impulse to buy spontaneously, without any kind of premeditation. It is usually known as oniomania.
9. Compulsive hoarding syndrome
In this syndrome the person tends or has the obsession to collect and store objects in an excessive way ; regardless of whether they lack any value, or are harmful or harmful to health.
In these cases people can live crowded in their homes, surrounded by hundreds of objects stacked by the home. In addition, they can also collect animals, supporting a large number of animals, often under conditions of poor health.
Symptoms of these disorders
Due to the large number and diversity of behavioral disorders that encompass impulse control disorders, there are an infinity of symptoms and signs typical of these. And these will vary depending on the type of affectation suffered by the person .
This symptomatology can be divided into physical, behavioral, cognitive and psychosocial symptoms.
- Physical symptoms
- Marks such as bruises, contusions or bruises
- Scars of burns as a result of experimenting with fire
- Behavioral symptoms
- Chapters of explosive fury
- Angry behavior in front of any person, animal or object
- Theft behaviors
- Lies
- Experiment constantly with fire or generate fires
- Cognitive symptoms
- Lack of impulse control
- Lack of concentration
- Intrusive ideas
- Obsessive thinking schemes
- Compulsive thinking schemes
- Psychosocial symptoms
- Restlessness
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Irritable or aggressive temperament
- Low self-esteem
- Isolation and loneliness
- Emotional detachment
Causes
The origin and evolution of impulse control disorders can be found in different causes, which can be genetic, physical and environmental.
1. Genetic causes
In the same way that other psychiatric disorders are susceptible to originate from genetic causes, Several studies have affirmed the existence of a genetic influence on the initiation and development of impulse control disorders .
2. Physical causes
Through the use of neuroimaging techniques, it has been possible to confirm that patients who manifest symptoms characteristic of impulse control disorder reveal structural differences in the brain.
This differentiation could interfere with the normal functioning of the brain , including the correct activity of the neurotransmitters responsible for impulse control.
3. Environmental causes
The context or environment in which the person lives is an element susceptible to exert a great influence in this , becoming an important agent when it comes to shaping the behavior of patients.
Treatment
As with the great diversity of symptoms, the treatment for impulse control disorder will depend on the way in which it is externalized .
Also, on rare occasions the person ends up requesting assistance or professional help, giving only in those cases in which the disorder has come to interfere too much in the life of the patient or in those in which it has come to skip the law.
Even so, it has been shown that the most effective interventions are those that combine a psychological approach with a pharmacological treatment that reduces the patient's compulsions.
