Impulse Control Disorders
IMPULSE CONTROL DISORDERS
Many of the self-control disorders involve disturbances in the ability to regulate an impulse - an urge to act. People with impulse control disorders act on certain impulses involving some potentially harmful behavior that they cannot resist. Impulsive behavior in and of itself is not necessarily harmful; in fact, we all act impulsively upon occasion. Usually our impulsive acts have no ill effects, but in some instances they may involve risk. Consider the following two examples. While walking through a clothing store, a young woman decides on the spur of the moment to charge an expensive sweater which is over her budget; she may regret her decision later, but few serious consequences will result. Were she to use all her financial resources to buy an expensive sports car, the consequences would be considerably more serious. Neither of these situations is as threatening as that of another woman, who invites a man she has just met at a singles bar to her apartment where they have unprotected sex--a behavior that puts her at serious risk. People with impulse control disorders repeatedly engage in behaviors that are potentially harmful, feeling unable to stop themselves, and experience mg a sense of desperation if they are thwarted from carrying out their impulsive behavior.
Impulse control disorders have three essential features. First, people with these disorders are unable to stop from acting on impulses that are harmful to themselves or others. Some people attempt to fight their impulses and others give in when they feel the urge to act. The act can be spontaneous or planned. Second, before they act on their impulse, people with these disorders feel pressured to act, experiencing tension and anxiety that can only be relieved by following through on their impulse. Some people with these disorders experience a feeling of arousal that they liken to sexual excitement. Third, upon acting on their impulse, they experience a sense
Many of the self-control disorders involve disturbances in the ability to regulate an impulse - an urge to act. People with impulse control disorders act on certain impulses involving some potentially harmful behavior that they cannot resist. Impulsive behavior in and of itself is not necessarily harmful; in fact, we all act impulsively upon occasion. Usually our impulsive acts have no ill effects, but in some instances they may involve risk. Consider the following two examples. While walking through a clothing store, a young woman decides on the spur of the moment to charge an expensive sweater which is over her budget; she may regret her decision later, but few serious consequences will result. Were she to use all her financial resources to buy an expensive sports car, the consequences would be considerably more serious. Neither of these situations is as threatening as that of another woman, who invites a man she has just met at a singles bar to her apartment where they have unprotected sex--a behavior that puts her at serious risk. People with impulse control disorders repeatedly engage in behaviors that are potentially harmful, feeling unable to stop themselves, and experience mg a sense of desperation if they are thwarted from carrying out their impulsive behavior.
Impulse control disorders have three essential features. First, people with these disorders are unable to stop from acting on impulses that are harmful to themselves or others. Some people attempt to fight their impulses and others give in when they feel the urge to act. The act can be spontaneous or planned. Second, before they act on their impulse, people with these disorders feel pressured to act, experiencing tension and anxiety that can only be relieved by following through on their impulse. Some people with these disorders experience a feeling of arousal that they liken to sexual excitement. Third, upon acting on their impulse, they experience a sense