Impulse Control Disorders: Updated Review of Clinical Characteristics and Pharmacological Management

Impulse control disorders (ICDs) are characterized by urges and behaviors that are excessive and/or harmful to oneself or others and cause significant impairment in social and occupational functioning, as well as legal and financial difficulties. ICDs are relatively common psychiatric conditions, yet are poorly understood by the general public, clinicians, and individuals struggling with the disorder. Although ICD treatment research is limited, studies have shown ICDs may respond well to pharmacological treatment. This article presents a brief overview about the clinical characteristics of ICDs and pharmacological treatment options for individuals with ICDs.

• Publication year

  2011

• Venue

  Frontiers in Psychiatry

• Publication date

  2011-02-21

• Fields of study

  Medicine, Psychology

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.3389/fpsyt.2011.00001PMID 21556272PMCID 3089999
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Nalmefene in the treatment of pathological gambling: multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

  2010cited by this paper
• A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Lamotrigine for Pathological Skin Picking: Treatment Efficacy and Neurocognitive Predictors of Response

  2010cited by this paper
• Trichotillomania (hair pulling disorder), skin picking disorder, and stereotypic movement disorder: toward DSM‐V

  2010cited by this paper
• A family history study of intermittent explosive disorder.

  2010cited by this paper
• Hypersexual Disorder: A Proposed Diagnosis for DSM-V

  2010cited by this paper
• A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of olanzapine in the treatment of trichotillomania.

  2010cited by this paper
• Psychiatry. Behavioral addictions debut in proposed DSM-V.

  2010cited by this paper
• The prevalence of pathologic skin picking in US adults.

  2010cited by this paper
• Impulse-control disorders in a college sample: results from the self-administered Minnesota Impulse Disorders Interview (MIDI).

  2010cited by this paper
• A double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the opiate antagonist, naltrexone, in the treatment of kleptomania.

  2009cited by this paper
• A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of naltrexone in the treatment of concurrent alcohol use disorder and pathological gambling.

  2009cited by this paper
• A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of fluoxetine in patients with intermittent explosive disorder.

  2009cited by this paper
• N-acetylcysteine, a glutamate modulator, in the treatment of trichotillomania: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

  2009cited by this paper
• Skin picking behaviors: An examination of the prevalence and severity in a community sample.

  2009cited by this paper
• Trichotillomania and Pathologic Skin Picking: clinical comparison with an examination of comorbidity.

  2008cited by this paper
• DSM-IV pathological gambling in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication

  2008cited by this paper
• A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of olanzapine for the treatment of video poker pathological gamblers.

  2008cited by this paper
• Pathological Gambling

  2008cited by this paper
• Clinical characteristics and medical complications of pathologic skin picking.

  2008cited by this paper
• Levetiracetam in patients with impulsive aggression: a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

  2008cited by this paper
• Olanzapine in the treatment of pathological gambling: a negative randomized placebo-controlled trial.

  2008cited by this paper
• A double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the opiate antagonist naltrexone in the treatment of pathological gambling urges.

  2008cited by this paper
• EFFICACY OF CITALOPRAM IN TREATMENT OF PATHOLOGICAL SKIN PICKING, A RANDOMIZED DOUBLE BLIND PLACEBO CONTROLLED TRIAL

  2008cited by this paper
• Bupropion in the Treatment of Pathological Gambling: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Flexible-Dose Study

  2007cited by this paper
• Impulse-control disorders in adolescent psychiatric inpatients: co-occurring disorders and sex differences.

  2007cited by this paper
• Compulsive buying.

  2007cited by this paper
• Escitalopram treatment of kleptomania: an open-label trial followed by double-blind discontinuation.

  2007cited by this paper
• The Prevalence and Correlates of DSM-IV Intermittent Explosive Disorder in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication

  2007cited by this paper
• Escitalopram for Compulsive Buying Disorder: A Double-Blind Discontinuation Study

  2007cited by this paper
• A review of compulsive buying disorder.

  2007cited by this paper
• Clinical characteristics and psychiatric comorbidity of pyromania.

  2007cited by this paper
• Systematic Review: Pharmacological and Behavioral Treatment for Trichotillomania

  2007cited by this paper
• N-acetyl cysteine, a glutamate-modulating agent, in the treatment of pathological gambling: a pilot study.

  2007cited by this paper
• Multicenter investigation of the opioid antagonist nalmefene in the treatment of pathological gambling.

  2006cited by this paper
• Escitalopram treatment of pathological gambling with co-occurring anxiety: an open-label pilot study with double-blind discontinuation

  2006cited by this paper
• The Trichotillomania Impact Project (TIP): exploring phenomenology, functional impairment, and treatment utilization.

  2006cited by this paper
• A double-blind study of citalopram versus placebo in the treatment of compulsive sexual behaviors in gay and bisexual men.

  2006cited by this paper
• Should addictive disorders include non-substance-related conditions?

  2006cited by this paper
• The prevalence and correlates of DSM-IV intermittent explosive disorder in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication.

  2006cited by this paper
• Estimated prevalence of compulsive buying behavior in the United States.

  2006cited by this paper
• Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication.

  2005cited by this paper
• Pathological Gambling: A Clinical Guide to Treatment

  2005cited by this paper
• Sertraline treatment of pathological gambling: a pilot study.

  2005cited by this paper
• Comorbidity of DSM-IV pathological gambling and other psychiatric disorders: results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions.

  2005cited by this paper
• Trichotillomania: impact on psychosocial functioning and quality of life.

  2005cited by this paper
• Impulse control disorders in adult psychiatric inpatients.

  2005cited by this paper
• Does sustained-release lithium reduce impulsive gambling and affective instability versus placebo in pathological gamblers with bipolar spectrum disorders?

  2005cited by this paper
• Lifetime and 1-month prevalence rates of intermittent explosive disorder in a community sample.

  2004cited by this paper
• Personality Disorders Among Pathological Gamblers

  2004cited by this paper
• Paroxetine treatment of pathological gambling: a multi-centre randomized controlled trial.

  2003cited by this paper
• Citalopram for compulsive shopping disorder: an open-label study followed by double-blind discontinuation.

  2003cited by this paper
• Oxytocin Infusion Reduces Repetitive Behaviors in Adults with Autistic and Asperger's Disorders

  2003cited by this paper
• Treatment of trichotillomania with behavioral therapy or fluoxetine: a randomized, waiting-list controlled study.

  2003cited by this paper
• Divalproex in the Treatment of Impulsive Aggression: Efficacy in Cluster B Personality Disorders*

  2003cited by this paper
• Paroxetine treatment of pathological gambling: a multi‐centre randomized controlled trial

  2003cited by this paper
• SUICIDAL IDEATION AND SUICIDE ATTEMPTS IN TREATMENT-SEEKING PATHOLOGICAL GAMBLERS

  2002cited by this paper
• A double-blind placebo-controlled study of the efficacy and safety of paroxetine in the treatment of pathological gambling.

  2002cited by this paper
• Trichotillomania and skin‐picking: A phenomenological comparison

  2002cited by this paper
• Clinical characteristics and associated psychopathology of 22 patients with kleptomania.

  2002influential reference
• Impulse Control Disorders and Depression

  2002cited by this paper
• A Pilot Placebo-Controlled Study of Fluvoxamine for Pathological Gambling

  2002cited by this paper
• Psychogenic Excoriation

  2001cited by this paper
• Characteristics of Trichotillomania

  2001cited by this paper
• Double-blind naltrexone and placebo comparison study in the treatment of pathological gambling.

  2001cited by this paper
• Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edn, text revision) (DSM-IV-TR)

  2001cited by this paper
• Demographic and clinical features of 131 adult pathological gamblers.

  2001influential reference
• Fluoxetine in Pathologic Skin-Picking Open-Label and Double-Blind Results

  2000cited by this paper
• A Double-Blind Comparison of Fluvoxamine Versus Placebo in the Treatment of Compulsive Buying Disorder

  2000cited by this paper
• Placebo-controlled study of fluvoxamine in the treatment of patients with compulsive buying.

  2000cited by this paper
• A randomized double-blind fluvoxamine/placebo crossover trial in pathologic gambling.

  2000cited by this paper
• A placebo-controlled trial of cognitive-behavioral therapy and clomipramine in trichotillomania.

  2000cited by this paper
• Report of the National Gambling Impact Study Commission

  1999cited by this paper
• DSM-IV intermittent explosive disorder: a report of 27 cases.

  1998cited by this paper
• Characteristics of 34 adults with psychogenic excoriation.

  1998cited by this paper
• Family history and psychiatric comorbidity in persons with compulsive buying: preliminary findings.

  1998cited by this paper
• Stealing lately: a case of late‐onset kleptomania

  1998cited by this paper
• Characteristics of 36 subjects reporting compulsive sexual behavior.

  1997cited by this paper
• Criminal and psychiatric histories of Finnish arsonists

  1997cited by this paper
• A double-blind trial of fluoxetine in pathologic skin picking.

  1997cited by this paper
• Couple recovery from sexual addiction / co addiction: Results of a survey of 88 marriages

  1996cited by this paper
• Childhood abuse and multiple addictions: Research findings in a sample of self-identified sexual addicts

  1996cited by this paper
• A long-term, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial of the efficacy of fluoxetine for trichotillomania.

  1995cited by this paper
• Clinical profile, comorbidity, and treatment history in 123 hair pullers: a survey study.

  1995cited by this paper
• Compulsive buying: a report of 20 cases.

  1994cited by this paper
• Compulsive buying. Demography, phenomenology, and comorbidity in 46 subjects.

  1994influential reference
• Is Your Patient Suffering from Compulsive Sexual Behavior

  1992cited by this paper
• A comparative study of nonparaphilic sexual addictions and paraphilias in men.

  1992cited by this paper
• Estimated lifetime prevalence of trichotillomania in college students.

  1991cited by this paper
• A placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover study of fluoxetine in trichotillomania.

  1991cited by this paper
• Kleptomania: a report of 20 cases.

  1991cited by this paper
• Trichotillomania (hair pulling)

  1990cited by this paper
• Rational vs. Nonrational Shoplifting Types; The Implications for Loss Prevention Strategies

  1989cited by this paper
• A double-blind comparison of clomipramine and desipramine in the treatment of trichotillomania (hair pulling)

  1989cited by this paper
• Psychiatric aspects of shoplifting.

  1984cited by this paper

• Redefining Non-Motor Symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease

  2025cites this paper
• The RECAPACITA PROJECT: comparative study of the clinical, neuropsychological, and functional profile of people with severe mental disorder and partial and total capacity modification

  2025cites this paper
• Driving under the influence of alcohol and cannabis: Associations with substance use and behavioral health characteristics.

  2025cites this paper
• The Role of Maladaptive Behaviors and Adjustment Disorders in Linking Separation Anxiety to Depression in Primary School Students.

  2025cites this paper
• Rats Lacking the Dopamine Transporter Display Inflexibility in Innate and Learned Behavior

  2024cites this paper
• Impulse Control Disorders in Southern Iraqi Patients Medicated With Cabergoline for Prolactinoma

  2024cites this paper
• Congenital Anomalies in Ancient Japan as Deciphered in the Nihon shoki (Chronicles of Japan)

  2024cites this paper
• Nonmotor Symptoms and Impulse Control Disorders in Parkinson’s Disease Patients in India: A Cross-sectional Study

  2024cites this paper
• Neural correlates of impulsivity in amphetamine use disorder.

  2024cites this paper
• Frequency of Impulsive-Compulsive Behavior and Associated Psychological Factors in Parkinson’s Disease: Lack of Control or Too Much of It?

  2023cites this paper
• Impulse Control Disorders in the Polish Population of Patients with Parkinson’s Disease

  2023cites this paper
• Acupuncture for Attenuating Frontal Lobe α Band Asymmetry Induced by Anger: a pilot study

  2023cites this paper
• Disorders of impulsivity in trichotillomania and skin picking disorder.

  2023cites this paper
• Das „impulsive Irresein“ nach Emil Kraepelin

  2022cites this paper
• Mycotherapy: Potential of Fungal Bioactives for the Treatment of Mental Health Disorders and Morbidities of Chronic Pain

  2022cites this paper
• The Prevalence of Impulse Control Disorders and Behavioral Addictions in Eating Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

  2022cites this paper
• Development and Initial Validation of the Body-focused Self-damaging Behavior Expectancies Questionnaire

  2022cites this paper
• Impulse control disorders, dopamine dysregulation syndrome and sex dysfunction in Parkinson's disease.

  2022cites this paper
• Impulse control disorders associated with dopaminergic drugs: A disproportionality analysis using vigibase.

  2022cites this paper
• Integrated mental health treatment guidelines for prescribers in intellectual and developmental disabilities

  2022cites this paper
• Development and Initial Validation of the Body-focused Self-damaging Behavior Expectancies Questionnaire

  2022cites this paper
• Body-focused repetitive behaviors

  2022cites this paper
• An Unusual Presentation of Impulse Control Disorder: A case report

  2022cites this paper
• Behavioral Addictions Questionnaire (BAQ): Validation of a New Tool for the Screening of Multiple Addictive Behaviors in the Italian Population

  2022cites this paper
• Excitatory SST neurons in the medial paralemniscal nucleus control repetitive self-grooming and encode reward.

  2022cites this paper
• Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder and Obsessive–Compulsive Related Disorders

  2021cites this paper
• Good Sleep as an Important Pillar for a Healthy Life

  2021cites this paper
• Identification of risk factors for impulse-control disorder symptoms in patients with Parkinson’s disease

  2021cites this paper
• The transdiagnostic nature of disgust propensity: An examination of its associations with anxiety and obsessive compulsive-related disorder symptoms

  2021cites this paper
• The Classification of Hallucination: The Identification of Significant Time-Domain EEG Signals

  2021cites this paper
• Does an acute bout of moderate exercise reduce alcohol craving in university students?

  2021cites this paper
• Prolactinomas.

  2021cites this paper
• What drugs modify the risk of iatrogenic impulse-control disorders in Parkinson’s disease? A preliminary pharmacoepidemiologic study

  2020cites this paper
• The Novel Potential Therapeutic Utility of Montelukast in Alleviating Autistic Behavior Induced by Early Postnatal Administration of Thimerosal in Mice

  2020cites this paper
• Tools of Neuroscience

  2020cites this paper
• Neurobiologische Folgen früher Stresserfahrungen

  2020cites this paper
• Effects of singing bowl exposure on Karolinska sleepiness scale and pupillographic sleepiness test: A randomised crossover study

  2020cites this paper
• Neuropsychiatric Aspects of Impulse Control Disorders.

  2020cites this paper
• Impulsivity, Emotional Dysregulation and Executive Function Deficits Could Be Associated with Alcohol and Drug Abuse in Eating Disorders

  2020cites this paper
• Increased prevalence of impulse control disorder symptoms in endocrine diseases treated with dopamine agonists: a cross-sectional study

  2020cites this paper
• Hypomania, Depression, Euthymia: New Evidence in Parkinson's Disease

  2020cites this paper
• Mechanisms linking childhood trauma exposure and psychopathology: a transdiagnostic model of risk and resilience

  2020cites this paper
• Zebrafish models of impulsivity and impulse control disorders

  2020cites this paper
• Impulse Control Disorders associated with Pramipexole/Ropinirole Use in Non-Parkinson’s Disease: A Scoping Review

  2020cites this paper
• Perinatal exposure to fluoxetine and maternal adversity affect myelin-related gene expression and epigenetic regulation in the corticolimbic circuit of juvenile rats

  2020cites this paper
• Epigenetic Consequences of Adversity and Intervention Throughout the Lifespan: Implications for Public Policy and Healthcare

  2020cites this paper
• Short-Term and Long-Term Resilience Among At-Risk Adolescents: The Role of Family and Community Settings

  2020cites this paper
• Review of Orbitofrontal Cortex in Alcohol Dependence: A Disrupted Cognitive Map?

  2020cites this paper
• Impulse control disorders in Parkinson's disease versus in healthy controls: A different predictive model.

  2019cites this paper
• The effect of social norms on impulsive buying

  2019cites this paper
• Neuropsychological Aspects: Impulse-Control Disorders and Other Neuropsychiatric Features in RBD

  2019cites this paper
• Early-life stress impairs postnatal oligodendrogenesis and adult emotional behaviour through activity-dependent mechanisms

  2019cites this paper
• Effects of voluntary exercise and sex on multiply-triggered heroin reinstatement in male and female rats

  2019cites this paper
• Impulse Control Disorders in REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

  2019cites this paper
• Thermal sensors improve wrist-worn position tracking

  2019cites this paper
• Patterns of Cerebellar Connectivity with Intrinsic Connectivity Networks in Autism Spectrum Disorders

  2019cites this paper
• Enhancing activation in the right temporoparietal junction using theta-burst stimulation: Disambiguating between two hypotheses of top-down control of behavioral mimicry

  2019cites this paper
• The Phenomenology of Lying in Young Adults and Relationships with Personality and Cognition

  2019cites this paper
• Integrated treatment program for alcohol related problems in community hospitals, Songkhla province of Thailand: A social return on investment analysis

  2019cites this paper
• Compulsive eating behaviors in Parkinson’s disease

  2019cites this paper
• A Psycho-Behavioral Perspective on Modelling Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in Animals: The Role of Context.

  2019cites this paper
• The role of dopamine in the brain - lessons learned from Parkinson's disease

  2019cites this paper
• Naltrexone Acutely Enhances Connectivity Between the Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex and a Left Frontoparietal Network

  2019cites this paper
• Der „kraftvolle Mensch“

  2019cites this paper
• Oxytocin receptor DNA methylation and alterations of brain volumes in maltreated children

  2019cites this paper
• Current treatment of behavioral and cognitive symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

  2019cites this paper
• Neurobiology of Substance of Abuse (Drugs) and Behavioural Addiction in Africa

  2019cites this paper
• ADHD Research in Arab Countries: A Systematic Review of Literature

  2019cites this paper
• Commentary: Changing the Social Norm about Corporal Punishment

  2019cites this paper
• The effect of NMDA-R antagonist, MK-801, on neuronal mismatch along the rat auditory thalamocortical pathway

  2019cites this paper
• The impact of length of stay on recovery measures in faith‐based addiction treatment

  2018cites this paper
• CPS-Referred Mothers’ Psychophysiological Responses to Own Versus Other Child Predict Sensitivity to Child Distress

  2018cites this paper
• Impulse control disorder in a 4-year-old child: A Case Report

  2018cites this paper
• The acute effects of dopaminergic medication and deep brain stimulation of subthalamic nucleus on basic executive functions including shifting, updating and inhibition in Parkinson’s disease patients

  2018cites this paper
• Prevention and Treatment of Problem Gambling Among Older Adults: A Scoping Review

  2018cites this paper
• Associations of serotonin transporter gene promoter polymorphisms and monoamine oxidase A gene polymorphisms with oppositional defiant disorder in a Chinese Han population

  2018cites this paper
• Interaction Between Neuropsychiatric Symptoms and Cognitive Performance in Parkinson’s Disease: What Do Clinical and Neuroimaging Studies Tell Us?

  2018cites this paper
• Effect of exercise versus cognitive behavioural therapy or no intervention on anxiety, depression, fitness and quality of life in adults with previous methamphetamine dependency: a systematic review

  2018cites this paper
• Sleep in Parkinson’s Disease with Impulse Control Disorder

  2018cites this paper
• Psychological functioning in Parkinson's disease post-deep brain stimulation: Self-regulation and executive functioning.

  2018cites this paper
• Behavioral Assays in the Study of Olfaction: A Practical Guide.

  2018cites this paper
• Functional connectivity of hippocampal subregions in PTSD: relations with symptoms

  2018cites this paper
• Child maltreatment risk as a function of poverty and race/ethnicity in the USA.

  2018cites this paper
• Component Model of Addiction Treatment: A Pragmatic Transdiagnostic Treatment Model of Behavioral and Substance Addictions

  2018cites this paper
• Impulse control and related disorders in Parkinson’s disease

  2018cites this paper
• Investigating the Correspondence of Clinical Diagnostic Grouping With Underlying Neurobiological and Phenotypic Clusters Using Unsupervised Machine Learning

  2018cites this paper
• Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders

  2018cites this paper
• Neurofeedback as a psychophysiological treatment for disinhibited eating – An analysis of efficacy and mechanisms

  2018cites this paper
• Flawed mothering or infant signaling? The effects of deficient acoustic cues on ovine maternal response

  2018cites this paper
• Neural Foundations of Cognition and Language

  2018cites this paper
• Leisure-time physical activity and prevalence of non-communicable pathologies and prescription medication in Spain

  2018cites this paper
• Effect of yoga and working memory training on cognitive communicative abilities among middle aged adults.

  2017cites this paper
• Intrinsic Connectivity Network-Based Classification and Detection of Psychotic Symptoms in Youth With 22q11.2 Deletions

  2017cites this paper
• Distress vocalization delay in the neonate lamb as a neurobehavioral assessment tool

  2017cites this paper
• Intersections of individual and neighborhood disadvantage: Implications for child maltreatment

  2017cites this paper
• Difficulties with emotion regulation moderate the association between childhood history of maltreatment and cortisol reactivity to psychosocial challenge in postpartum women

  2017cites this paper
• Attitudes, beliefs, and perceived norms about corporal punishment and related training needs among members of the "American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children".

  2017cites this paper
• Nutritional status, brain network organization, and general intelligence

  2017cites this paper
• Psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the Yale Food Addiction Scale

  2017cites this paper
• Behavioural Phenotypes and Neural Circuit Dysfunctions in Mouse Models of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

  2017cites this paper