empathic connection Posted October 27, 2005 Report Share Posted October 27, 2005 Intermittent Explosive Disorder Many psychiatric disorders are associated with impulsive aggression, but some individuals demonstrate violent outbursts of rage, which are variously referred to as rage attacks, anger attacks, episodic dyscontrol, or intermittent explosive disorder. Intermittent explosive disorder was first formally conceptualized as a psychiatric disorder. On several occasions the patient has lost control of aggressive impulses, leading to serious assault or property destruction. The aggression is markedly out of proportion to the seriousness of any social or psychological stressors. No other mental disorder or personality disorder better explains the symptoms. These symptoms are not directly caused by a general medical condition or substance use, including medications and drugs of abuse. Associated Features: Head Trauma Psychotic Disorder Differential Diagnosis: Some disorders have similar or even the same symptoms. The clinician, therefore, in his/her diagnostic attempt has to differentiate against the following disorders which need to be ruled out to establish a precise diagnosis. Alzheimer's Disease Antisocial Personality Disorder Borderline Personality Disorder Conduct Disorder Attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder Cause: Although the prevalence of intermittent explosive disorder is unknown and considered to be rare, the disorder is probably more common than realized and may be an important cause of violent behavior. As presently defined, intermittent explosive disorder is more common in men. However, women also have problematic impulsive aggression, and some women have reported an increase in intermittent explosive symptoms when they are premenstrual. Treatment: These patients often need psychological treatment along with medication treatment, and it is often very helpful to base their psychological treatment on addiction-based models. Counseling and Psychotherapy Biofeedback has proven quite effective Pharmacotherapy Studies suggest that patients with intermittent explosive disorders respond to treatment with antidepressants such as tricyclic antidepressants and serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) and mood stabilizers such as lithium, carbamazepine, and divalproex. Psychotropic medications used with Intermittent Explosive Disorder. Carbamazepine (Tegretol and others). Divalproex (Depakote). Fluoxetine (Prozac). Gabapentin (Neurontin). Lamotrigine (Lamictal). P henytoin (Dilantin). Sertraline (Zoloft). Venlafaxine (Effexor).I am so scared right now!I have acted that way!I have had impulsive Rage, I dont know where it comes from and I dont want to know. I know I need help in a big way ! Im just tired of the shit I have to go through to get the help I need ! How messed up is that ! I will though I will go through all the crap so that I can Be wiser and stronger and actually caring about my life ! mybest friend couldnt have said tit better when she said " We are just tired of being fake !"I have alot of explaining to do , lol and phone calls to , i hate the phone !~EC~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pass_the_prozac Posted October 27, 2005 Report Share Posted October 27, 2005 I understand your fear my dear. This disorder can be very socially and occupationally damaging. Nobody would want this but remember there can be help. My recommendation is to research it on your own as much as possible. Is this what you have been diagnosed with? or are the symptoms a residual effect of BPD? I have episodes when I'm working or doing something important and everything gets f'd up. I get so frustrated I can't control myself. I start throwing tools, swearing and kicking/punching cars/garages/houses LOL! Yeah I can laugh now but it's awful when it happens. To be quite honest I thought about shooting my computer with my .45 pistol the other night, not good thoughts when you have a house full of guns. I even had a thought once of burning down my house, garage and all the timber on my property when I was getting divorced. It really scares me for several reasons. Mostly because it is so not normal and I don't want to be like this. Secondly it is often when I have the strongest feelings of self harm/destruction. Lastly because I could conceivably do damage to my life that is irreparable. I'm assuming my rage come from the BPD. My progress is also slow and it makes me all the more pissed off with the MH system. I have come to the conclusion that I have to be active with finding my answers and can't depend exclusively on "the system" to fix me. It's no wonder why I'm a psychology major and honor student, honestly I'm scared. The MH profession is young and still working on finding all the answers. They have a way to go yet but like the medical field, breakthroughs happen all the time. I have no doubt someday there will be solid answers and treating BPD will be as basic as treating a physical disorder. In the meantime there is a lot of help and even solutions although they can be difficult to find. Don't feel so alone, there are many of us out there and we can help each other find his/her own solutions. You are doing the right thing by getting on the phone. It is important to get motivated and start taking action. I think the most difficult obstacle is determining what exactly is wrong. You are pounding the pavement on that front and I am proud of you. You may not realize it but you are already making leaps and bounds by doing that. Good job! To me it's obvious that you care about your life. If you get stuck we are here to lean on and ask questions. I have psychology textbooks, personal access to the field and will help as much as my time will allow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
empathic connection Posted October 27, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2005 pass_the_prozac,To be completely hoest with you I have had so many diagnosis , Who the hell knows what label to put on me.BPD has been the most common. LOL and recent. I was diagnosed with Explosive Rage disorder about four years ago, though There was alot of things happening then that would have given me reason to be so angry.I a Human behavior Major myself. Although have put a hault to my education. KI am so proud of you to be able to keep going. I on the other hand have alot to do before I can head down that road again. I continue to study because I have this thirst for knowledge. I agree with what you said about the mh system being young. Especially concerning BPD. Im so bullheaded Im almost afraid to go to a counseler , I get so frustrated sometimes because I know what im thinking I just have a hard time puting it into words I can speak. Especially involving my feelings ! Its so much easier to write what im feeling I dont get so nervous and uptight !i also can relate to the throwing tools around the shop. I use to work on a farm , I was a farm hand. Man could I throw a fit I have this impulse reaction sometimes. Where I just need to feel some pain in order to validate my feelings of rage. F***D UP ! I hit myself too , scream call my bf names ! all the while im thinking to myself what are you doing? You are PSycho ! Yet I cant stop right away i still keep going Get all upset to the point where I am physically sick. So i dont know is that just BPD or is there something else. I could go to another doctor tell them my story and they will come up with something else. All I know is Im comfortable with the BPD diagnosis it fits in alot of ways. The Intermittent Explosive Disorder fits in all ways !Thanks for the offer of psychology books, I have tons too ! LOL~EC~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swan Posted October 27, 2005 Report Share Posted October 27, 2005 ((((((((((((((empathic))))))))))))How horrible. I've had dreadful attacks of rage since a few years after my marriage. I've written off two cars, but both when I've been triggered by other people's bad behaviour, so I'm staying away from any other diagnosis than ths one I've got.It is the most terrible feeling to be so angry that you feel you can't control your actions any more. I really hope that you can find a way through.I've felt better since I started simply allowing myself to feel the anger, not trying to do anything to distract myself or keep on with whatever else I'm doing. I try to imagine that I'm a little boat on a huge ocean in a storm and the boat is flowing with the current rather than trying to fight it. It does seem to have helped. :mellow: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betsy Posted October 27, 2005 Report Share Posted October 27, 2005 It is probably more valuable to identify your symptoms and find out what can be done about them that it is to get a DX. As someone said if you go to different docs you get a new DX each time!bets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pass_the_prozac Posted October 28, 2005 Report Share Posted October 28, 2005 The mh professional I work under told me dx's are nothing more than describing what symptoms you are having and that misdiagnosis is rampant. Essentially what that says is that if you happen to be a bipolar on a depression mode it would be very possible for them to just say you have depression and completely miss the dx. It's almost as if they just don't f'n care to take the time to find out. It is a stroke of luck almost to get a correct dx. :angry: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
empathic connection Posted October 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2005 The mh professional I work under told me dx's are nothing more than describing what symptoms you are having and that misdiagnosis is rampant. Essentially what that says is that if you happen to be a bipolar on a depression mode it would be very possible for them to just say you have depression and completely miss the dx. It's almost as if they just don't f'n care to take the time to find out. It is a stroke of luck almost to get a correct dx.  <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I feel the same way ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candace Posted November 5, 2005 Report Share Posted November 5, 2005 (Warning, some of what I discuss in this reply may possibly trigger)I can relate to your frustration and commend you for taking action towards trying to help yourself, as you stated.I was told, the first step is recognizing you have a problem and the second is your willingness to try to find the questions and answers for the uncontrolled behaviour. It is a hard journey as I am learning myself. One I am sure we would prefer not have to deal with, however not dealing with it doesn't make it go away, so we suffer through the pain within ourselves to overcome the reasons behind our actions. Are you aware of any of your triggers? Or does the anger associated with Intermittent Explosive Disorder just appear out of the blue??My ex has had many episodes of uncontrolled anger and anxiety through out much of his life. Before I found out that I had disorders myself, I often thought his actions were off the wall...his anger was so intense. Everyone including friends, family and the police, which unfortunately got involved due to me running away in fear of him and taking our arguments out in public view, told me that he was very dangerous, he will never change, he had a long history of abuse, he does not know how to love, he will end up killing me and possibly my children and that he is criminally insane. Our relationship continued regardless because I also saw the other side to him. The one who would bring me breakfast in bed, be there for me during tough times with family or work, help out around the house, helped financially and our sex life did not lack anything...and was what most people would class normal intimacy compared to what I was used to. He was the one who taught me that love is not measured by how good someone is in bed. And I also feel it is important to note that I managed to get a copy of his CPIC...and he only had one prior assault before me, not a history of violence. Our fights surrounded issues to do with financial things...because I like to spend and don't care too much about tomorrow...also the disciplining of my children. He does not agree with physical discipline, so we had similar opinions that way....however, he felt that I was not being tough enough with my youngest son, who has ADHD...which I believe to be BS. I am more than positive that he has ODD...and I am terrified of pushing my son over the edge...put I do punish in ways that I feel are usualy effective and other days I just tune him out because of the mood I may be in during the time, which is not effective. My ex would become soooo angry if I did not agree or go along with what he felt was the proper punishment and the fighting would begin....his uncontrolled explosive anger together with my uncontrollable aggression, due to what I have recently found to be one of my triggers..(my step father being mentally and psychologically abusive toward my mother and I)....would end up in extreme situations...like dropping a match in gasoline. I have a difficult time trusting that he loves me, however his actions usually show that he does...these fights we engage in when brought on become dangerous due to our personality disorders. That is how I view it anyways!I have always questioned what type of disorder he may have...and did infact look into the one you are referring to. He has stated to me on severel occassions that he is not able to control his temper. He paces back and forth, becomes mentally and emotionally abusive, threatens me and on four or five occassions has been physically abusive as well.He seems to be remorseful afterward, coming to me with tears saying he is sorry and does not understand how he can hurt someone he loves so much. The only reason why I believe he is remorseful while in tears, is because he has had a very difficult time expressing any emotion except for anger. His own children have never seen him cry...not even at funerals...so I do at times feel he is being sincere...but still question it!I wish you luck and strength as you continue to seek help to overcome this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zach112331 Posted November 6, 2005 Report Share Posted November 6, 2005 The thing that worked for me is Neurontin (gabapentin). When I start to go nuts a whole bunch I still initially have the urge but the drug gets me to stop and think what the hell am I doing in about 30 seconds and I back off. If it was not for the med the behavior would last for five minutes to hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
empathic connection Posted November 6, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2005 Well thank You Zach !I am not a big fan of meds for long term use, but this sounds like I would have to use it on a temp basis as it does have alot of serious side effects if used for long term. Also isnt that addictive? Just asking I am very curious about drug therapy , have been on a load of them and never stuck to it. I dont even like antibiotics.~EC~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barebones Posted November 6, 2005 Report Share Posted November 6, 2005 im on meds for my rage also and for impulsivness. seems to work for me i have had less rages since being on them.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candace Posted November 6, 2005 Report Share Posted November 6, 2005 Hey Bare Bones, I don't suppose you could share with me the medication that has helped you....could you??My ex boyfriend...who is still kind of in my life...is having a very difficult time finding anything that works for his rage! Maybe If he asked his doc to try him on it...it could change our lives for the better!!If not, I understand....and am glad that you found something that has helped you !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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