Gratifying Impulses

Impulsive behavior is very basic human and animal action. It may be described as the Id. The idea is that a person acts in order to achieve the gratifying results of that action, regardless of social rules or long term effects. Compulsions are those actions that must be performed based on psychological needs and do not come with any reward or gratification other than that of having done the act. Impulses do come with rewards and so are very difficult to renounce and leave behind regardless of social pressure. Depending on the training a person has received early in life, he or she may be more or less impulsive naturally. Social conditioning is possible in the early years. There are five typically diagnosed psychologically rooted impulse disorders.

1. Intermittent Explosive Disorder
Being angry can feel good. It is a demonstration and expression of control. A person with Intermittent Explosive Disorder occasionally has extremely severe angry outbursts. They are often uncontrolled and many times violent. The person will almost always feel deeply ashamed after the episodes are over, but the outbursts continue regardless. There is no explanation for the anger because it is out of proportion to the offense and is not preceded by substance use or coupled with another psychiatric disorder.

2. Kleptomania
People steal because they want things that they do not have and cannot obtain as easily in any other way. Kleptomaniacs steal to steal. They do not usually need or want the things they take, but cannot help but continue to steal things. They are embarrassed of their crimes, but are compelled to continue anyway. The act of stealing is actually a gratifying release of tension.

3. Pyromania
Many fires are set with the intention to destroy. A pyromaniac is actually interested in fire. He likes to see the way fire works and feels the need to release tension by starting fire after fire. Unfortunately, the fires are often large and cause extensive damage and loss of life. The person, again, feels remorse over his actions, but continues anyway. He is also fascinated with firefighters and their equipment. When he isn’t starting fires, he is paying attention to where fires are happening so that he can go and watch them.

4. Pathological Gambling
Gambling is a pastime that can take control of a person’s life. Just as substances, such as alcohol, are habit forming and hard to stop using once an addiction has formed, gambling holds sway over many, many people. Tolerances increase and withdrawals are real in the world of gambling. Treatments are similar to those of other addictions.

5. Trichotillomania
While this disorder may seem unheard of, it is not really all that uncommon. It describes the condition of impulsively pulling out hair. It often happens in stressful or boring situations, but may happen at other times as well. The person feels similar tension as do the other impulsive people described above. The tension is released with hair pulling. The problem is embarrassing to the person, but he or she is unable to stop for more than short bursts of time.

Frances, Allen MD and First, Michael B. MD. Your Mental Health: A Layman’s Guide to
the Psychiatrist’s Bible. New York: Scribner, 1998.

• A Psychiatrist And Mental Illness
• A Step Toward Substance Abuse Can Lead To A Deep Hole Of Addiction
• A World Full Of Phobias
• All Children Are Different, But What Differences Are Normal? (information About Mental Retardation)
• Antisocial Personality Disorder
• Avoidant Personality Disorder
• Being Anxious Over Everything And Nothing
• Being Well Adjusted To Life May Involve Some Struggles
• Bipolar Disorders Are Difficult To Diagnose
• Borderline Personality Disorder
• Cognitive Loss
• Common Illnesses That Psychiatrist Treat
• Coping With Physical Illness
• Defining The Science Of Psychiatry
• Dependent Personality Disorder
• Depressed Spirits And Major Depressive Disorder
• Fear And The Physical
• Fearing Fear Itself
• First Psychiatric Medications And Treatments
• Food And Thoughts: Does One Control The Other?
• Forensic Psychiatry
• Gratifying Impulses
• Has Psychiatry Gone Too Far? Has It Gone Far Enough?
• Histrionic Personality Disorder
• How Psychiatry Methods Evolved Over Time From Force To Healing
• Important Facts Regarding Psychiatry And Mental Illness
• Money Matters In Psychiatry
• Narcissistic Personality Disorder
• Obsessive-compulsive Personality Disorder
• Paranoid Personality Disorder
• Playing The School Game When It’s Hard
• Preparing A Life For Autism
• Psychiatric Malpractice And Standard Of Care
• Psychiatric Organizations And Their Contributions
• The Onset Of Dementia
• The Psychological Interacting With The Physical
• The Top Schools In Psychiatry
• The Truth About Obsessions And Compulsions
• Top Ten Misconceptions About Psychiatric Disorders
• Treatable Depression
• Treating Bipolar Disorder
• What Is Cognition?
• What Is Psychiatry?
• When Acting Out Is Serious
• When Personality Isn’t Personal
• When Reality Isn’t Real
• When Sleep Goes Wrong
• Who Is “i”?
• Who Was Freud?
• Psychiatric Treatments And Support
• Psychoanalysis And The Need For More Scientific Psychiatry
• Reason Behind The Madness
• Schizoid And Schizotypal Personality Disorders
• Self-diagnosis And Treatment Of Psychiatric Conditions
• The Aftermath Of Trauma
• The Beauty Of Sleeping
• The Beginnings Of Psychiatry
• The Controversy In The Classroom: Adhd Diagnosis
• The Importance Of Recognizing Psychiatric Issues
• The Majors And ‘minors’ Of Depression
• The Need For Psychiatrists In The Military