What Is Intermittent Explosive Disorder?
Intermittent Explosive Disorder (sometimes abbreviated to IED) is an impulse-control disorder characterized by sudden and repeated episodes of unwanted anger. This can often be to the point of rage that are disproportionate to the situation at hand.
What Are The Symptoms Of IED?
There are a variety of symptoms that people who have intermittent explosive disorder will display based upon individual genetic makeup, development of social skills, coping strategies, presence of co-occurring disorders, and use or addiction to drugs or alcohol.
Explosive eruptions occur suddenly, with little or no warning, and usually last less than 30 minutes. These episodes may occur frequently or be separated by weeks or months of nonaggression. Less severe verbal outbursts may occur in between episodes of physical aggression. You may be irritable, impulsive, aggressive or chronically angry most of the time.
What Are The Behavioral Symptoms?
Behavioral symptoms may include:
- Physical aggressiveness
- Verbal aggressiveness
- Angry outbursts
- Physically attacking people and/or objects
- Damaging property
- Road rage
What are the physical symptoms?
Physical symptoms may include:
- Headaches
- Muscle tension
- Chest tightness
- Palpitations
- Tingling
- Feelings of pressure in the head
- Tremors
What are the cognitive symptoms?
Cognitive symptoms may include:
- Low frustration tolerance
- Feeling a loss of control over one's thoughts
- Racing thoughts
What are the psychosocial symptoms?
Psychosocial symptoms may include:
- Feelings of rage
- Uncontrollable irritability
- Brief periods of emotional detachment
What are the symptoms with aggressive episode?
Aggressive episodes may be accompanied by:
- Rage
- Irritability
- Increased energy
- Racing thoughts
- Tingling
- Tremors
- Palpitations
- Chest tightness
What are the symptoms with explosive outbursts (verbally and physically)?
The explosive verbal and behavioral outbursts are out of proportion to the situation, with no thought to consequences, and may include:
- Temper tantrums
- Tirades
- Heated arguments
- Shouting
- Slapping, shoving or pushing
- Physical fights
- Property damage
- Threatening or assaulting people or animals
You may feel a sense of relief and tiredness after the episode. Later, you may feel remorse, regret or embarrassment.
What are the causes?
The cause of intermittent explosive disorder is said to be a combination of multiple components, including genetic factors, physical factors, and environmental factors. However, the exact cause is unknown. The cause of intermittent explosive disorder is said to be a combination of multiple components, including genetic factors, physical factors, and environmental factors.
- Genetics. It has been hypothesized that the traits that this disorder is composed of are passed down from parents to children; however, there is presently not any specific gene identified as having a prominent impact in the development of IED.
- Brain Chemistry. Research has suggested that intermittent explosive disorder may occur as the result of abnormalities in the areas of the brain that regulate arousal and inhibition. Impulsive aggression may be related to abnormal mechanisms in the part of the brain that inhibits or prohibits muscular activity through the neurotransmitter serotonin. Serotonin, which works to send chemical messages throughout the brain, may be composed differently in people with intermittent explosive disorder.
- Enviromental. The environment in which a person grows up can have a large impact on whether or not he or she develops symptoms of IED. It has been hypothesized that people who grow up in homes in which they were subjected to harsh punishments are more likely to develop IED. The belief is that these children will follow the example set by their parents and will act out aggressively – their initial reaction to something negative that they encounter. Another theory is that if children endured harsh physical punishments, they may find a sense of redemption in putting others through the same form of physical pain.
What are the risk factors?
These factors increase your risk of developing intermittent explosive disorder:
- History of Physical Abuse. People who were abused as children or experienced multiple traumatic events have an increased risk of intermittent explosive disorder.
- History of Other Mental Health Disorders. People who have antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder or other disorders that include disruptive behaviors, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), have an increased risk of also having intermittent explosive disorder.
Other risk factors may include:
- Being male
- Exposure to explosive outbursts at home (i.e: angry outbursts from parents or siblings)
- History of substance abuse
