As we know, our emotions are directly related to our actions, This is why our emotions play an important role in our psychological life. When we have a good management of our emotions, we can come to understand ourselves better. and to others, as well as we can consciously direct our actions towards something positive. However, there are times when emotions can get out of our control, especially when the person does not have good management of them.
People with intermittent explosive disorder are unable to adequately control their emotions, especially anger and rage. This leads them to exploit easily and to be able to carry out aggressive and violent behaviors, as well as to do it verbally and be extremely hurtful. In this Psychology-Online article, we will talk about the intermittent explosive disorder: what it is, causes and treatment.
Index
- What is Intermittent Explosive Disorder according to DSM-V
- Intermittent explosive disorder: causes
- Intermittent Explosive Disorder: Treatment
What is intermittent explosive disorder according to DSM-V.
One of the basic emotions that we all have is the wrath, which is a natural response to pain that you experience emotionally and / or physically. Everyone at some point in our lives has experienced anger at some point, especially when we have felt threatened, betrayed, rejected or simply when we have experienced some extremely unpleasant event for us.
According to the diagnostic manual of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) in the most recent edition of the DSM-V, it reveals a new disorder, it is intermittent explosive disorder.
Definition and symptoms of intermittent explosive disorder
Intermittent explosive disorder is a condition characterized by the fact that the person who suffers from it suffers from certain alterations in their development and the functioning of their cognitive processes. People who suffer from this type of disorder react aggressively and disproportionately without having any specific reason, so they usually cause consequences or serious alterations in the environment in which they operate and also directly or indirectly harm themselves.
These are people who it seems that they are dominated by hatred, so they are unable to see beyond it and recognize new and better feelings. This type of impulsive and aggressive behavior usually begins in late childhood or adolescence. The aggressive behaviors that they generally carry out are domestic abuse, throwing and throwing objects, hitting the wall, doors and other objects, yelling, tantrums, among other behaviors that denote their irrational anger and uncontrolled. They also tend to physically and verbally attack others, whether they are people or animals. If you think you may suffer from this psychological problem, you can do the following intermittent explosive disorder test.
Intermittent explosive disorder: causes.
The exact cause that causes a person to suffer from intermittent explosive disorder is unknown as in most of the mental or psychological disorders. However, it has been found that there are a set of factors such as biological, genetic and psychosocial that are related to the appearance of this type of disorder.
- Environmental factors. Many people with this disorder have grown up in families where physical and verbal abuse was frequent. So the children who have seen all their lives that there is no respect at home, that they attack each other and that he himself never have given a good deal, it is more likely that over time they will adopt the same attitudes and this leads them to develop this disorder.
- Genetic factors. Some evidence has been found that this type of condition can be inherited from parents to children.
- Biological factors. People who have suffered birth trauma, encephalitis, head trauma, or head trauma.
It is necessary to mention that there are other diseases that can lead to the person acting impulsively and aggressively such as Parkinson's disease, without However, they cannot be diagnosed with an intermittent explosive disorder since the cause is found in another type of factors.
Intermittent Explosive Disorder: Treatment.
The treatment that is used most frequently to cure this type of condition is a combination of psychological and pharmacological therapy. The most frequently used therapy is cognitive behavioral therapy. The objective of psychological therapy is to help the person to better manage her emotions and to learn to control her impulses, such as anger and rage in this case.
To do this, the first thing that has to be done is to explain in detail to the person everything related to the disorder that suffers, as well as teaching him how this type of behavior is triggered from his thoughts and emotions. Techniques for relaxation and stress reduction such as diaphragmatic breathing and Jacobson's progressive muscle relaxation that will help you prevent aggressive behaviors from being triggered. Generally, in this type of therapy, much emphasis is placed on this type of relaxation strategies since they are essential so that the person can begin to manage their emotions.
Other types of strategies are also used, such as cognitive restructuring, training in attention and inhibitory control, among others. Treatment can always vary more or less depending on the individual situation of each person.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Intermittent explosive disorder: what it is, causes and treatment, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.
References
- Bustamante, G. B. (2013, September 13). Bolivian Magazines- Scientific Electronic Library Online. Retrieved November 17, 2018, from http://www.revistasbolivianas.org.bo/scielo.php? pid = S2304-37682013000800008
- Ortega, S. OR. (2015). Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED). Retrieved November 17, 2018, from https://www.fundacioncadah.org/web/articulo/trastorno-explosivo-intermitente-tei.html
