Research in the area of impulse control disorders has expanded exponentially. The Oxford Handbook of Impulse Control Disorders provides researchers and clinicians with a clear understanding of the developmental, biological, and phenomenological features of a range of impulse control disorders, as well as detailed approaches to their treatment.

Presents an exploration of the causes, symptoms and treatment of impulse control disorders.

Have you ever known that you shouldn't do something, but just couldn't stop yourself? Of course you have! Perhaps you couldn't resist having one more piece of birthday cake. Maybe your brother or sister made you so mad that you couldn't help yelling. Everyone experiences uncontrollable impulses like these sometimes. But what if these impulses happened to you all the time? How would you interact with your family, do your work at school, or make friends if you couldn't control your impulses? Jeremiah, for instance, loved fire. He loved everything about it—the way it looked, the way it smelled, how its heat enveloped everything. Even though he knew it was wrong, Jeremiah lit fires and watched them incinerate, eat, and destroy everything in their paths. Jeremiah also liked the smoke detectors in his house. He loved taking them apart. Sometimes, after school, Jeremiah would sit in his room, dismantle the smoke detector piece by piece, and then put it back together. Once the smoke detector was reassembled, Jeremiah would light a match beneath it and time how many seconds it took before the detector let out its high-pitched squeal. People like Jeremiah cannot control all the impulses they feel. Some people may get uncontrollably angry, steal, light fires, gamble, pull their own hair, or perform other impulsive actions that are harmful to themselves, their families, and their friends. When a person has repetitive impulses like these, he may be suffering from a psychiatric condition known as an impulse-control disorder. The stories and information in this book will tell you more about impulse-control disorders, how they affect people's lives, and how they can be treated.

Most of us have urges to engage in behaviors we know are not good for us, from splurging on gifts we can't afford to gambling. But when these urges become too much to handle, we can suffer intense emotional distress, putting our friendships, relationships, and jobs in jeopardy. Impulse control disorders are often difficult to recognize, even for those who struggle with them, but they are not uncommon. Now, the nation's leading specialists in the field offer a powerful self-help guide for the estimated 35 million sufferers and their loved ones. Stop Me Because I Can't Stop Myself tackles the essential questions on the road to healing. Also included in this hopeful and encouraging book are compelling first-hand stories of the authors' patients and invaluable analyses of groundbreaking new treatments.

Impulse control disorders (ICDs) include pathological gambling, kleptomania, trichotillomania, intermittent explosive disorder, and pyromania, and are characterized by difficulties resisting urges to engage in behaviors that are excessive or ultimately harmful to oneself or others. ICDs are relatively common among adolescents and adults, carry significant morbidity and mortality, and can be effectively treated with behavioral and pharmacological therapies. This guide includes all the information and materials necessary to implement a successful cognitive behavioral therapy program for impulse control disorders (CBT-ICD). This evidence-based intervention was developed for the treatment of pathological gambling, kleptomania, compulsive buying, and pyromania. Originators of interventions for impulse control disorders, the authors review the background and diagnostic information for each ICD as well as available treatment outcome studies; the assessment process for each ICD problem and the individual therapy sessions are also reviewed. This format affords you the flexibility to treat one or more ICD problem, and since they co-occur, this approach is essential. This therapist guide and its corresponding workbook form a complete treatment package. It is a resource that no clinician specializing in these disorders can do without.

Describes the characteristics of impulsive control disorders, their possible genetic, developmental, and chemical causes, related disorders, and treatments.

In the last decade, much needed attention and research has been focused on the group of psychiatric conditions termed 'impulse control disorders' or ICDs. Pathological gambling, compulsive shopping, kleptomania, hypersexuality, Internet 'addiction', among other disorders, are characterized by a recurrent urge to perform a repetitive behavior that is gratifying in the moment but causes significant long-term distress and disability. Despite the high rate of co-morbidity with obsessive compulsive disorder, ICDs are now clearly distinguished from these disorders with a unique clinical approach for diagnosis and treatment. A wide array of psychopharmacologic and psychotherapeutic options is now available for treating these disorders. Drs Elias Aboujaoude and Lorrin M. Koran have collated the world's foremost experts in ICD research and treatment to create a comprehensive book on the frequency, evolution, treatment, and related public policy, public health, forensic, and medical issues of these disorders. This is the first book to bring together medical and social knowledge bases related to impulse control disorders.

Visibility of impulse-control disorders (ICDs) has never been greater than it is today, both in the field of psychiatry and in popular culture. Changes in both society and technology have contributed to the importance of conceptualizing, assessing, and treating impulse-control disorders (ICDs). The ground-breaking Clinical Manual of Impulse-Control Disorders focuses on all of the different ICDs as a group. Here, 25 recognized experts provide cutting-edge, concise, and practical information about ICDs, beginning with the phenomenology, assessment, and classification of impulsivity as a core symptom domain that cuts across and drives the expression of these complex disorders. Subsequent chapters discuss Intermittent explosive disorder, an often overlooked ICD characterized by impulsive aggression. Childhood conduct disorder and the antisocial spectrum. Self-injurious behavior and its relationship to impulsive aggression and childhood trauma. Sexual compulsions and their serious public health implications. Binge eating, a highly familial disorder associated with serious medical complications and psychopathology. Trichotillomania, which may be related to obsessive-compulsive disorder, skin picking, and nail biting. Kleptomania, a heterogeneous disorder that shares features with ICDs as well as with mood, anxiety, and addictive disorders. Compulsive shopping, more common in women, with treatments ranging from self-help and financial counseling to trials with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Pyromania and how it differs from arson. Pathological gambling, a maladaptive behavioral addiction that is increasing in step with legalized and Internet gambling. Internet addiction, ranging from excessive seeking of medical information to dangerous sexual behaviors. The remarkable Clinical Manual of Impulse-Control Disorders sheds light on the complex world of ICDs. As such, it will be welcomed not only by clinicians and researchers but also by individuals and family members coping with these disorders.

If you feel you are no longer in control of your behavior, that your actions may have interfered with your family, social, or working life, this workbook can help you take back control. Impulse control disorders (ICDs) include pathological gambling (PG), kleptomania/compulsive stealing (KM), pyromania/fire setting (PY), and compulsive buying (CB). ICDs are characterized by difficulties resisting urges to engage in behaviors that are excessive and/or ultimately harmful to oneself or others. ICDs are relatively common and can be significantly harmful - even life threatening. They can also be effectively treated with behavioral therapies. Overcoming Impulse Control Problems is written by researchers with years of experience studying the psychology of impulse control disorders. This book represents the treatment they have found to be the most effective at controlling urges to gamble, steal, set fires, and over-spend. It will also help you to better understand the true nature of impulse control problems, and will help to prevent future problems. Intended for use in conjunction with supervised therapy, this workbook includes various self-assessmnets and exercises designed to help you realize the truth behind your actions, and to reach the ultimate goal of changing your impulsive behaviors. This workbook and the corresponding therapist guide form a complete treatment package that will help you overcome your impulsive behaviors and learn skills that are useful for a lifetime.