Impulse Control Disorders
Impulse control disorders are conditions in which the afflicted cannot control his or her actions. Examples of Impulse control disorders include Pyromania and Kleptomania, the uncontrollable urge to set fire to something and the urge to steal something usually invaluable for the sheer rush of stealing, respectively. Both these disorders sound like excuses to illegal activities but studies show that only 5% of shoplifters can be diagnosed with Kleptomania and less that 2% of people accused of arson are Pyromaniacs (Williams 34,50). This Paper will examine Impulse Control Disorders (ICDs) with special regard to Pyromania and Kleptomania.
Impulse Control Disorders are the repeated inability to resist doing something harmful to oneself or others. People of both sexes and all races can have ICDs. However, women are more likely to suffer Kleptomania. Men experience pyromania more that women do. All these disorders appear in Children and Adolescents. Behavioral and cognitive therapy is usually the first approach. Some medications are tried but results to pharmaceutical therapies are not guaranteed. However, most of the time the illegal behaiviors result in Jail Time (Williams 4,5). Here's a case stude of an impulse control disorder,
"Nine-year-old Jessica liked to make a wish every time one of her eyelashes fell out. It was a family custom. She started pulling her eyelashes out on purpose, so she could make more wishes. When all her eyelashes were gone, she started on eyebrows. Her mother became worried about her hair loss and took her to a doctor, the doctor suggested therapy which Jessica refused she stopped hair pulling a few month later. Two years later, she started pulling hair from her head. When she returned from summer camp, her mother was shocked to see that she ws completely bald. Therapy and medication did not help. Finally, Jessica refused any more treatment a wore a wig. After repeated harassment she stopped the habit once again. When
Impulse Control Disorders are the repeated inability to resist doing something harmful to oneself or others. People of both sexes and all races can have ICDs. However, women are more likely to suffer Kleptomania. Men experience pyromania more that women do. All these disorders appear in Children and Adolescents. Behavioral and cognitive therapy is usually the first approach. Some medications are tried but results to pharmaceutical therapies are not guaranteed. However, most of the time the illegal behaiviors result in Jail Time (Williams 4,5). Here's a case stude of an impulse control disorder,
"Nine-year-old Jessica liked to make a wish every time one of her eyelashes fell out. It was a family custom. She started pulling her eyelashes out on purpose, so she could make more wishes. When all her eyelashes were gone, she started on eyebrows. Her mother became worried about her hair loss and took her to a doctor, the doctor suggested therapy which Jessica refused she stopped hair pulling a few month later. Two years later, she started pulling hair from her head. When she returned from summer camp, her mother was shocked to see that she ws completely bald. Therapy and medication did not help. Finally, Jessica refused any more treatment a wore a wig. After repeated harassment she stopped the habit once again. When