Which disorder is described as an impulse-control disorder involving an inability to hold back urges to express strong angry feelings and associated violent behaviors?

Which disorder is described as an impulse-control disorder involving an inability to hold back urges to express strong angry feelings and associated violent behaviors?

• A. Intermittent Explosive Disorder
• B. Kleptomania
• C. Pyromania
• D. Trichotillomania

Answer: (A)

Intermittent explosive disorder is an impulse-control disorder distinguished by recurrent, impulsive aggressive outbursts. A person experiences a buildup of tension and cannot resist the urge to express strong angry feelings, resulting in verbal or physical aggression and often property damage or injury. The outbursts are impulsive, not premeditated, and are out of proportion to the triggering provocation, with distress or impairment afterward. The other disorders described involve different urges and motivations—stealing in kleptomania, setting fires in pyromania, or hair pulling in trichotillomania—and do not center on aggressive, angry outbursts toward others, so they don’t fit this description.

Intermittent explosive disorder is an impulse-control disorder distinguished by recurrent, impulsive aggressive outbursts. A person experiences a buildup of tension and cannot resist the urge to express strong angry feelings, resulting in verbal or physical aggression and often property damage or injury. The outbursts are impulsive, not premeditated, and are out of proportion to the triggering provocation, with distress or impairment afterward. The other disorders described involve different urges and motivations—stealing in kleptomania, setting fires in pyromania, or hair pulling in trichotillomania—and do not center on aggressive, angry outbursts toward others, so they don’t fit this description.