1. Repetitive/compulsive participation in behaviors with negative consequences
2. Lack of control over the problem behavior
3. An urge or craving state before engaging in the behavior
4. A pleasant or unpleasant feeling when performing the behavior

Grand Valley State University

Impulse control disorders have a strong negative effect in individual's lives. These disorders stem from intense positive feelings being attributed to certain behaviors. When this connection is established, people will choose to participate in those same behaviors that are linked to the original positive event even if those behaviors are damaging. 

Impulse Control Disorders

Schreiber, L., Odlaug, B. L., & Grant, J. E. (2011). Impulse control disorders: updated review of clinical characteristics and pharmacological management. Frontiers in psychiatry, 2, 1. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2011.00001

Impulse Control Disorders: Updated Clinical Characteristics and Pharmacological Management

1. Sexual addiction
2. Gambling
3. Compulsive shopping
4. Alcohol and substance addiction

Examples of Impulse Control Disorders

An individual's psychological history can show risk for the development of an ICD. An underlying negative belief is needed to create the ICD even though they are created by positive events/feelings. The more an person desires a particular feeling, the more at risk they are to develop an ICD. In this sense, psychological background can create a feeling state that results in the creation of an ICD. 

Risk Factors for Impulse Control Disorders

Impulse control disorders are treated by ICDP which is a modified form of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. The essential component in this protocol is to identify the exact behavior and feeling state that caused the ICD. The feeling state that creates the ICD is then processed using eye movements. 

Impulse control disorder protocol (ICDP)

The positive feeling scale is used in the treatment of ICD instead of the subjective units of disturbance scale because ICD's are related to positive feelings states as opposed to disturbing feelings. This is a scale from 0 to 10 where 10 is the most an intense positive feeling. This is the used to guide impulse control therapy. 

Positive Feeling Scale (PFS) for ICD treatment

Characteristics of Impulse Control Disorders

Impulse control disorders are relatively common psychiatric problems. They are common with adults and adolescents. In a study of 791 college students, 10.4% of them met criteria for ICD's, this shows how common these are in the general population. 

Commonality of ICD's

1. Antidepressants
2. Mood stabilizers
3. Opioid antagonists
4. Atypical Neuroleptics
5. Glutamatergic agents

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