Impulse Lack Of Control: Signs To Identify It And Possible Causes
Surely more than once you have tried not to do something that you really wanted at a certain moment, like eating that chocolate cookie while skipping your diet or going to that concert instead of staying at home studying.
All of these are normal and perfectly acceptable temptations, the consequences of which do not cause any notable problems; However, there are people who develop problems containing some impulses in situations where this can lead to more significant problems. In the most extreme cases, this tendency becomes a true psychopathology, since it harms one’s own quality of life and/or that of others.
When the person cannot control certain negative or antisocial behaviors, we can talk about a case of impulse control disorder, a psychological alteration that can cause great wear and tear on the person’s mental health and, in many cases, their social relationships. .
In today’s article we will see in summary the main signs that allow us to identify lack of impulse control, as well as the possible causes that explain this phenomenon. This will allow you to quickly detect these cases and do everything possible to seek psychotherapeutic help as soon as possible.
Impulse control disorder is a type of psychological disorder that affects people of all ages and is characterized by the inability to control the impulse to perform certain behaviors that are harmful to oneself and/or others.
It is important to highlight that any of these behaviors that are perceived as impossible for the affected person to inhibit They usually provide temporary pleasure or relief, although the medium and long-term consequences are always negative.
This impulse control disorder usually appears in childhood or adolescence, and is characterized by a lack of control in spontaneous and low-complexity behaviors, which directly affect their classmates, their group of friends, their teachers or their peers. family members, violating the most basic rights and freedoms of the people around them.
These negative consequences, derived from the person’s uncontrollable impulses, are usually well known by the individual who suffers from said disorder, and yet they continue to carry them out completely normally.
Impulse control disorder is also characterized by an emotional disturbance in the person who feels that they are losing control over their body and their most intense emotional experiences, so they either stop resisting these tendencies, or end up seeking professional help.
Types of disorders derived from lack of impulse control
Impulse control disorders are varied and have diverse, well-defined characteristics. Below we highlight the main types that exist and their signs, traits and nature.
1. Intermittent explosive disorder
Intermittent explosive disorder is characterized by short episodes of aggression or violence towards people, objects of all kinds and also other people’s property.
These impulses are triggered by elevated states of anger in which the person completely loses control of their actions, also ignoring, during the episode, all the negative consequences that their behavior may have.
After these outbursts of violence, the person usually has feelings of sincere regret and self-reproach that generate great emotional discomfort.
2. Kleptomania
Kleptomania is an impulse control disorder characterized by the urge to steal objects with or without any specific value in an unpremeditated way.
The person who has this disorder is unable to resist the impulse to steal and every time he does so he feels great temporary and momentary satisfaction, which pushes him to continue committing this type of crime.
Pyromania consists of a need to start fires in different places, a fact that generates great fascination and satisfaction in the person every time they do it.
This uncontrollable behavior endangers both the life of the person suffering from the disorder and that of those who are immersed in the arson.
4. Trichotillomania
Trichotillomania consists of a deficit in controlling the impulse to pull hair and tear it from the scalp causing great pain in the person and even injuries of all kinds.
This disorder can occur in people who do not have any social or emotional problems and who function completely normally in social environments.
5. Dermatillomania
Dermatillomania is based on an overwhelming urge to scratch, tear, or pick one’s own skin of the body in a compulsive and obsessive way.
It is a disorder that in the long run also causes all types of serious effects or injuries to the person’s skin, as it progresses over time.
6. Onychophagia
Onychophagia is based on the need and obsession for compulsive biting, cutting or biting your nails at any time of the day.
This disorder is not simply the habit that some people have of biting their fingernails, but this activity must be done daily and following certain clinical assumptions.
7. Dermatophagy
Dermatophagia is the disorder suffered by those people who compulsively bite the skin around their nails.
Again, it is a disorder that causes great psychological discomfort in the person and also causes all types of lesions on the skin that can be more or less serious.
8. Trichophagy
Trichophagia is similar to trichotillomania, but in this case it consists of the need to pulling out hair and eating it systematically and uncontrollably.
It is a disorder that can cause physical or organic problems in the person and that can be related to other mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression or stress.
9. Impulse Buy
People who have impulse buying disorder cannot avoid the uncontrollable urge to buy all types of products at any time of the day.
These purchases are made spontaneously and not premeditated, and again generate great well-being in people who suffer from the disorder.
10. Compulsive Hoarder Syndrome
Compulsive hoarder syndrome It is characterized by the need to compulsively accumulate all types of objects whether they have value in themselves or not.
The accumulation of all types of objects indiscriminately can lead a person to live in unhealthy or unhygienic situations depending on the nature of the accumulated objects.
Causes
The causes of impulse control disorders can be varied, and these are the most common.
1. Biological and genetic causes
Scientific research at a neurological level and neuroimaging techniques have shown that many people who suffer from an impulse control disorder present notable differences in their brain structure or in the functioning of their neuronal activity.
Some impulse control disorders can be facilitated by genetic predispositions, as happens with other disorders or alterations in mental health. Of course, the simple fact of having certain gene variants is not sufficient cause to develop these psychopathologies, and must be combined with other factors.
2. Environmental and psychosocial causes
According to psychology professionals, the context and physical environment of the person They can also exert enough influence for a person to develop these types of disorders.
Certain traumatic experiences, a certain parenting model on the part of the parents, or certain types of relationships with family or friends can end up developing all types of impulse control disorders.
