Intermittent Explosive Disorder, also popularized as the "Hulk Syndrome," is a psychological condition consisting of angry outbursts and aggressive behavior.

Understanding Intermittent Explosive Disorder

People with this condition cannot control their violent impulses and take out their frustration on people or objects. They are individuals who are unable to control their aggressive impulses or fits of rage and are totally disproportionate. In a normal fit of anger the person feels the urge to end the situation that led to that feeling, but this impulse is quickly stopped.

In Intermittent Explosive Disorder, the situation that led to the feeling is totally disproportionate to the outburst of anger, with aggression and breaking of objects. The difference is in the intensity of the anger and frequency of outbursts. Anger is a normal feeling, an emotional response to situations in which a person feels frustrated, threatened, wronged, or hurt. Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED), on the other hand, is a condition in which the person has angry outbursts frequently, about 2 to 3 times a week, for about 3 months, and with an exaggerated or disproportionate reaction to the angry outburst.

Usually in these crises the person cannot control his or her impulses, and may break objects, throw things on the floor, or lose control over the other person's verbal or physical aggressiveness. People with TEI are "short tempered" people, who seem to like a fight because of the amount of conflict they cause wherever they go.

Intermittent Explosive Disorder and emotional lack of control

A very irritable demeanor is indicative of extreme emotional lack of control, especially in relation to anger. These are people who also make misinterpretations of events because of anger. They are seen as difficult people in the environments they frequent.

The most common symptoms are bodily or moral harm without just cause, fits of rage, accelerated breathing and heartbeat, uncontrolled attitude, body sweating and trembling, impatience, easy irritability, and sudden outbursts of anger. Usually after a crisis the person regrets what happened.

She realizes that the event was totally blown out of proportion, and feels uncomfortable with the accomplishments, and may be afraid of the problem happening again. Anger attacks can be linked to stress, depression, Bipolar personality disorder, and other problems. The cause of Intermittent Explosive Disorder is believed to be a genetic component. It is passed from parent to child, especially in families with other disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Generalized Anxiety.

When Intermittent Explosive Disorder Appears

This disorder tends to appear with the changes of adolescence, usually after the age of 16, and consolidates in adulthood. In some cases, the first symptoms can appear later, between the ages of 25 and 35, and are more recurrent in men. IBS often appears concomitantly with other mental disorders, such as depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety. Prolonged substance use also leads to this condition. Children can also trigger the symptoms of ITE or other disorders that cause irritability and impulsive behaviors.

It is normal for children to solve conflicts with violent attitudes because they do not have good emotional control. It is up to the parents to teach them more efficient ways of solving problems. The child who is shown to be angry all the time and seems unable to learn to resolve conflicts in other ways should be taken to a psychologist.

The professional will evaluate the child's emotional state, identifying the presence of pathological elements. Since IET is more common in adolescents, it is likely that the child's behavioral maladjustments are linked to other psychological conditions, such as ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) or conduct disorder. It has been identified that most people who have this disorder grew up in families or attended environments where aggressive behavior was seen as normal.

Conclusion

Recurring contact causes some individuals to internalize these attitudes as commonplace For a person to be diagnosed with IBS, his behaviors and feelings need to match a number of criteria. Anger attacks are factors observed by health professionals. This assessment is necessary to determine whether the behavior of the rabid person is, in fact, pathological. Some people get angry more easily than others, but that doesn't mean they have intermittent explosive disorder.

The Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders classifies anger into 2 categories. Those considered mild are threats, swearing, insults, obscene gestures, and verbal aggression. Those considered serious include destruction of property, and physical attacks with bodily injury. These outbursts of anger can happen at least 3 times during the year.

In both cases, a large part of the anger outbursts are likely to be motivated by superficial issues and everyday occurrences. The individual must follow up with a psychologist to learn to control his emotions and express anger in a healthy way. The treatment can also occur with the help of psychiatric drugs, prescribed by the psychiatrist, to soften the intensity of the symptoms. The need for the intake of drugs is defined throughout the treatment.

This article was written by Thaís de Souza ( [email protected] ), Carioca, 32 years old, Psychoanalysis student at IBPC.