Intermittent Explosive Disorder
Intermittent explosive disorder (IED) is a behavioral disorder characterized by extreme expressions of anger, often to the point of uncontrollable rage, that are disproportionate to the situation at hand. IED is marked by several discrete episodes of failure to resist aggressive impulses that result in serious assaultive acts or destruction of property. IED occurs most often in young men.
IED should be distinguished from Personality Change Due to a General Medical Condition, Aggressive Type, which is diagnosed when the pattern of aggressive episodes is judged to be due to the direct physiological effects of a diagnosable general medical condition.
IED attacks are out of proportion to the social stressors triggering them and are not due to another
...their actions. Clearly, the general public can't be expected to understand as much as the professionals, but there is a level that they can reach. In light of the increasing incidents of violence, schools are now working hard to figure ...
IED is more common than once thought, according to study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health in a June 2006, but is relatively rare in people aged 60 and older. Intermittent explosive disorder is very widely distributed in the population rather than being concentrated in any one segment of society, one researcher writes.
People with intermittent explosive disorder may have an imbalance in the amount of serotonin and testosterone in their brains. Individuals with Intermittent Explosive Disorder sometimes describe intense impulses to be aggressive prior to their aggressive acts.
Signs and symptoms–
...couple has for one another is equally diminished. This leads to various workplace affairs and other social issues that are in direct response to marriage breakdowns. Marriage licenses are still actively being rejected to otherwise loving people that just happen ...
Aggressive episodes may be preceded or accompanied by:
Chest tightness
Head pressure
Hearing an echo
Palpitations
Tingling
Tremor
Causes–
Most people with this disorder grew up in families where explosive behavior and verbal and physical abuse were common. Being exposed to this type of violence at an early age makes it more likely for these children to exhibit these same traits as they mature.
There may also be a genetic component, causing the disorder to be
...Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Ed.). This may also entail having conversations with the child and actual observation in different settings. Parents, teachers and other adults who know of the child extensively may likewise be interviewed to ...
Many psychiatrists do not place intermittent explosive disorder into a separate clinical category, but consider it a symptom of other psychiatric and mental disorders. Many psychiatric disorders are associated with impulsive aggression, but some individuals demonstrate violent outbursts of rage, which are variously referred to as rage attacks, anger attacks, episodic dyscontrol, or intermittent explosive disorder.
Explosive episodes may be
...able to login. For example all caps generally are not allowed because it indicates an angry tone and shouting. It is also very hard for the eyes to read accurately. Bipolar chat rooms aren t a place to pick a ...
Some disorders have similar or even the same symptoms. However, women also have problematic impulsive aggression, and some women have reported an increase in intermittent explosive symptoms when they are premenstrual. The aggressive episodes may take the form of “spells” or “attacks,” with symptoms beginning minutes to hours before the actual acting-out. If a patient appears
...800-311-3435 (toll-free) Safe and Drug-Free Schools ProgramU.S. Department of Education (DoE)Phone: 800-872-5327 (toll-free) Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)Phone: 202-307-1000 Knowledge Exchange Network, SAMHSA, DHHSPhone: 800-789-2647 (toll-free) National Clearinghouse for Alcohol andDrug Information (NCADI), SAMHSA, DHHSPhone: 800-729-6686 (toll-free) ...
Age, race and socioeconomic status don’t seem to be factors in predicting who suffers from IED but gender does: Studies find nearly twice as many men display symptoms than women. Clinicians may be at fault for concentrating on secondary symptoms, such as anxiety or depression, and not asking about outbursts of anger. Sometimes what appears as discipline problems are symptoms of a pathology.
Risk factors–
People with other mental health problems such as mood disorders, anxiety disorders and eating disorders
...children with bipolar disorder. Many in the medical community consider it inappropriate to use adult medication on youngsters who have very different growing needs. Also, there has not been enough research to determine the medications' safety and their long term ...
IED, an imbalance in brain chemicals, affects up to one in 20 people — more men than women. IED-related injuries occur 180 times per 100 lifetime cases and is significantly comorbid with most DSM-IV mood, anxiety, and substance disorders.
Individuals with narcissistic, obsessive, paranoid or schizoid traits may be especially prone to intermittent explosive disorder. As children, they may have exhibited severe temper tantrums and other behavioral problems, such as stealing and fire setting.
IED can fuel road rage, spousal abuse, etc., and may also predispose people to
...of ADD being genetic, prenatal, or physical in nature. Active research into the causes is being undertaken. Medication is often considered as a solution to the problems connected with ADD. But no one medicine has been found to be successful ...
Individuals with intermittent explosive disorder may attack others and their possessions, causing bodily injury and property damage. Later, they may feel remorse, regret or embarrassment about the aggression.
Screening and diagnosis–
The diagnosis is based on these criteria:
Multiple incidents in which the person failed to resist aggressive impulses that resulted in deliberate destruction of property or assault of another person.
The aggressive episodes aren’t accounted for by another mental disorder, and are not due to the effects of a drug or a general medical
...all kinds of simple and complicated ailments. Solutions for anxiety disorder in children may be a specially formulated medication or a simple dietary adjustment. Some natural remedies include giving your children a balanced diet or some sort of exercise program. ...
The degree of aggressiveness expressed during the incidents is completely out of proportion with the precipitating event.
Other conditions that must be ruled out before making a diagnosis of intermittent explosive disorder include delirium, dementia, oppositional defiant disorder, antisocial personality disorder, schizophrenia, panic attacks, and substance withdrawal or intoxication.
People with intermittent explosive disorder may have an imbalance in the amount of serotonin and testosterone in their brains. They may also show some minor irregularities in neurological signs and electroencephalograms (EEGs).
Treatment–
Many different types of drugs are used to help control intermittent explosive disorder, including:
Anti-anxiety agents in the benzodiazepine family, such as diazepam (Valium), lorazepam (Ativan) and alprazolam (Xanax).
Anticonvulsants, such
...you ll begin to vary your sequencers to increase the flexibility of this component of training. After you have used pennies, raisins and a treasure hunt, for example, you might change to printing out a picture of a desired toy ...
Antidepressants, such as fluoxetine (Prozac) and paroxetine (Paxil).
Mood regulators like lithium and propranolol (Inderal).
Group counseling sessions, focused on rage management, also have proved helpful. Some people have found relaxation techniques useful in neutralizing anger.
Treatment could involve medication or therapy including behavioral modification, with the best prognosis utilizing a combination of the two. Treatment with antidepressants, including those that target serotonin receptors in the brain, is often helpful, along with behavior therapy akin to anger management.
If the patient appears to be a danger to himself or others, he may be committed against his will for further treatment. Researchers found that although 88%
...that it shuts down the ability to use verbal processing easily. To learn to speak, read, write or listen effectively, you need to have ready access to your auditory zoom lens. We teach the visual to help repair the verbal ...
Since the cause(s) of IED are not fully understood as of the early 2000s, preventive strategies should focus on treatment of young children (particularly boys) who may be at risk for IED before they enter adolescence. These patients often need psychological treatment along with medication treatment, and it is often very helpful to base their psychological treatment on addiction-based models.
Some patients with IED, often adult males who have assaulted their wives and are trying to save their marriages, are aware that their outbursts are not normal and seek treatment to control them.
...tend to start a lot of things, but struggle to finish even a single of those activities. They may find it hard to practice mental and emotional discipline. Emotional aspect On the emotional aspect, adults with attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder ...
The success of treatment with lithium and other mood-stabilizing medications is consistent with findings that patients with IED have a high lifetime rate of bipolar disorder. Given its earlier age-of-onset, identifying IED early perhaps in school-based violence prevention programs and providing early treatment might prevent some of the associated psychopathology.
While 60 percent of people with IED seek professional treatment for a mood or substance problem, only about 29 percent receive treatment for their anger.
Mark Huttenlocker, M.A., is a family therapist who works
...to recognize and treat depression in the medically ill, the findings call attention to the need to create similar programs to recognize and treat anxiety disorders in the medically ill. We, the modern age human understand the importance of a ...