A person with an Impulse Control Disorder often feels powerless over actions that many would consider normal or only occasional. There are five main types recognized as their own disorder. If you or someone you care about struggles with impulsive behaviors, know that help is available. At Hooked on Hope Mental Health, we provide outpatient services designed to offer guidance and treatment for Impulse Control Disorders.
Below, we’ll break down what Impulse Control Disorder is, the five distinct types under that umbrella, and who might be at risk. We’ll also cover common symptoms, the factors behind these conditions, and how professionals diagnose them. Finally, we’ll explore treatment approaches in Atlanta, GA. Whether you’re searching for clarity or seeking help, this overview can point you in the right direction.
What Is Impulse Control Disorder?
We’ve all done impulsive things. Maybe you ate a second slice of cake while on a diet or bought shoes you didn’t need. Every once in a while, that’s normal. However, for someone with an Impulse Control Disorder, these actions feel impossible to resist. What might be harmless or infrequent for others becomes an overwhelming urge they can’t turn off.
An Impulse Control Disorder has a few key signs:
- Repeating a behavior even though it leads to negative outcomes.
- Struggling to control the behavior, despite wanting to.
- Feeling intense urges or cravings to engage in the problematic behavior.
- Acting on the behavior to release tension or gain pleasure.
These hallmarks separate mild impulsiveness from a genuine disorder. The behavior isn’t just a spur-of-the-moment choice; it feels like a compulsion. Over time, the negative fallout can be huge, affecting relationships, daily life, and overall well-being.
Types of Impulse Control Disorders
Experts have identified five impulse control disorders recognized as standalone conditions: kleptomania, pyromania, intermittent explosive disorder, pathological gambling, and trichotillomania. While impulsive behaviors also appear in other mental health conditions—like bulimia, substance abuse, or certain paraphilias—those are classified under different mental health categories. Still, they share some overlap with Impulse Control Disorders.
Kleptomania
Kleptomania is the uncontrollable urge to steal items you don’t need. It’s not about necessities, like taking food when you’re starving. Instead, someone with kleptomania steals worthless objects or things they already have in abundance. The act of stealing comes from an inner tension they can only relieve by taking something, even if that object has zero practical use.
People with kleptomania often feel guilt or shame after the act. However, those emotions don’t always stop them from doing it again. They might rationalize their behavior or fear legal trouble, but the pull can be so strong that they continue.
Pyromania
Pyromania involves the strong impulse to set fires. A person with pyromania often experiences anxiety or emotional pressure beforehand, which only goes away once they ignite a flame. Some report feeling intense pleasure or relief at the sight of a fire. It’s different from arson, which might be done for financial gain or revenge. In pyromania, the motivation is an internal drive to spark a blaze, not an external profit.
Fire setting is obviously dangerous, posing massive risks to the person involved and the community around them. People struggling with pyromania often need professional intervention to avoid harming themselves or others.
Intermittent Explosive Disorder
People with intermittent explosive disorder (IED) can’t control outbursts of anger or aggression. They might lash out at small triggers or perceived annoyances in a way that’s totally out of proportion. Sometimes, this rage escalates into physical violence. These explosive episodes usually last a short time, but the harm—whether emotional, physical, or both—can have lasting effects.
Unlike other conditions that might involve anger (for example, borderline personality disorder), IED is specifically about repeated impulsive outbursts. The person often regrets their behavior afterward, but in the moment, the fury feels impossible to contain.
Pathological Gambling
Pathological gambling was once categorized as an Impulse Control Disorder, but it’s now recognized as a process addiction. Still, it shares many features with impulse issues. A person with pathological gambling can’t stop the urge to wager, even when it threatens relationships, jobs, or financial stability. Thoughts of placing bets become overwhelming, and they only find relief by actually gambling.
When the urge takes over, it can lead to secretive behavior, lying about money, or chasing losses in hopes of a big win. This cycle can result in substantial debt or strained family life. Though pathological gambling is now classified differently, the impulsive component remains central.
Trichotillomania
Trichotillomania involves a compulsion to pull out one’s hair—often from the scalp, eyebrows, or eyelashes. Some people with this disorder don’t experience physical pain, but others do find it hurts. Yet the urge can be so overwhelming that they continue anyway. Trichotillomania was reclassified under obsessive-compulsive disorders, but it’s still known for its impulsive aspect. Once the urge to pull starts, those with the condition struggle to control it, even if they worry about bald patches or social embarrassment.
Unspecified Impulse-Control Disorder
Not everyone with strong urges fits neatly into these categories. Unspecified Impulse-Control Disorder is for individuals who show the general signs—like repeated, impulsive behaviors and difficulty controlling them—but their behavior doesn’t match the existing types. They might have harmful actions or fixations that are impulsive in nature, but not recognized as their own distinct disorder.
How Common Are Impulse Control Disorders?
Impulse Control Disorders vary in how often they appear among different groups:
- Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD): About 3.3% of children and teens
- Conduct disorder: About 4% of children and teens
- Intermittent explosive disorder: Around 2.7%
- Kleptomania: About 0.6%
- Pyromania: Very rare, with some studies showing only 3% of imprisoned arsonists meet the full criteria for pyromania
These conditions have a lot of overlap. Some individuals may deal with multiple forms of impulsive behaviors, or they might have substance use disorders that intensify their impulse struggles. If you’re noticing signs of destructive or unusual impulsivity in yourself or your child, an evaluation from a mental health professional can help.
Root Causes of Impulse Control Disorders
There’s no single reason why Impulse Control Disorders happen.
Instead, a mix of factors—emotional, environmental, genetic, and physiological—come into play:
- Intermittent explosive disorder (IED): Potentially linked to physical or emotional trauma, a family history of IED, or serotonin abnormalities in parts of the brain like the limbic system or orbitofrontal cortex.
- Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD): Possible triggers include poor emotional regulation, harsh or inconsistent parenting, low basal cortisol reactivity, and differences in the prefrontal cortex or amygdala.
- Conduct disorder: Might stem from difficult temperament as an infant, below-average intelligence, exposure to abuse or violence, or a family history of mental health disorders (e.g., depression, alcohol addiction, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, ADHD). Also, structural or functional changes in the ventral prefrontal cortex or amygdala may matter.
- Kleptomania: May be linked to having relatives with obsessive-compulsive disorder or substance use disorders.
While each condition has its own triggers, a person’s upbringing, biology, and emotional environment can all shape whether they develop impulsive behaviors.
Symptoms of Impulse Control Disorder
Symptoms differ by the specific disorder, but many share core features.
Individuals may have:
- Obsessive thoughts about an action they feel compelled to take
- Struggles with patience or waiting
- Trouble delaying gratification
- High anxiety or tension before performing the act
- Repetitive urges that continue despite negative outcomes
They might also have short tempers, or they jump into actions without considering consequences. The intensity of these impulses can cause significant distress, both for the person themselves and for those around them.
Impulse Control Disorder in Children
Kids naturally can be impulsive—that’s part of growing up. But when a child has an Impulse Control Disorder, the impulsive behaviors go beyond typical childhood spontaneity. They may consistently break rules, pick fights, or show defiance that’s extreme for their age. Because kids aren’t always skilled at describing their emotions, a parent or teacher might only see outward signs like aggression, stealing, or lying. If these behaviors disrupt school or home life, a professional assessment might be needed.
Impulse Control Disorder in Adults
By adulthood, people with Impulse Control Disorders can often verbalize their thoughts better. They might say they feel a huge surge of tension or anxiety before acting on an impulse, which gives them relief or satisfaction once they do it. For example, an adult with kleptomania might admit they don’t need what they steal but can’t stand the emotional pressure until they do it. Or someone with intermittent explosive disorder might express regret about their angry outbursts but believe they couldn’t hold back at the time.
Impulse Control Disorder and Parkinson’s Disease
Over recent years, researchers have noticed a link between impulse disorders and Parkinson’s disease, especially because some Parkinson’s treatments affect dopamine. Dopamine agonists, commonly used to help with motor symptoms, might spark or worsen impulsive behaviors in certain patients. This connection hints at how brain chemicals can play a big part in these disorders.
More studies are needed, but it seems that adjusting dopamine-related medications might help reduce new or growing impulsive behaviors in some people with Parkinson’s. This finding also helps us see that the brain’s chemistry can be key to understanding these conditions.
How Is Impulse Control Disorder Diagnosed?
Impulse Control Disorders can be tricky to diagnose since many behaviors might appear motivated by some external goal or desire. Professionals look for a pattern of uncontrollable impulses that cause distress or issues in daily life. For instance, if someone repeatedly steals but says they do it to survive, that might not align with kleptomania. But if they say they feel compelled to steal random items even though they have no use for them, that points more toward an impulse problem.
Who determines all of this? Usually, a psychologist, psychiatrist, or other mental health specialist. They might do structured interviews, psychological evaluations, and gather input from family or friends. For kids, teachers often share valuable insights about behavior at school. Ultimately, mental health experts rely on the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) to confirm if the person’s symptoms fit any of the recognized impulse disorders.
Who Is at Risk for Impulse Control Disorder?
Certain traits or backgrounds show up more often in people who get diagnosed with these disorders.
Often, they:
- Are male
- Are adolescents or young adults
- Have a history of drug abuse
- Have witnessed or experienced violence
- Have family members with mental health or substance use disorders
Having one or two risk factors doesn’t guarantee an Impulse Control Disorder. But if you notice multiple red flags—like frequent aggression, a strong family history, or early signs of substance misuse—it may be time to check in with a professional.
How Are Impulse Control Disorders Diagnosed?
Mental health experts use the DSM-5’s criteria to pinpoint whether someone meets the threshold for a given impulse disorder. The signs must appear for at least six or twelve months, based on the specific disorder. They also must create significant struggles in everyday life, from relationships to job performance.
If you or your child shows patterns of extreme impulsivity—like sudden anger, stealing, or destructive behavior—a psychiatrist or psychologist can conduct interviews and tests. They might talk with relatives, teachers, or close friends to form a complete picture. Once they have enough info, they’ll decide on the best diagnosis and treatment plan.
Impulse Control Disorder Treatment in Atlanta, GA
Treatment for Impulse Control Disorders usually involves a mix of approaches, often starting with therapy to help change patterns of thinking and behavior. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), for example, can be powerful for teaching coping strategies and controlling urges. Sometimes medication, such as mood stabilizers or antidepressants, can help too—especially if there’s an underlying mental health condition like depression or anxiety.
At Hooked on Hope Mental Health, our outpatient mental health rehab in Atlanta, GA, offers a safe place to explore these challenges. Our clinicians understand impulsive behaviors and can tailor treatment to your individual experiences. Support groups and family therapy might also be part of your treatment so that everyone can learn how to manage triggers or stressors that fuel impulsive acts.
Whether you’re worried about a yourself or a loved dealing with impulse struggles, there’s hope for building healthier patterns. Contact Hooked on Hope Mental Health at 470-287-1927 or via our online contact form today to learn more about our outpatient treatment for Impulse Control Disorders and how we can support your journey toward better mental well-being.