Do I Have an Impulse Control Disorder?

Are you male? (Impulse-control disorders are more prevalent among males than females.)

Are you age 18 or older? (Most impulse-control disorder symptoms are behaviors that can occur in young people.)

Have you had behavioral outbursts frequently? (e.g., displays of verbal or physical aggression toward people or animals.)

Have you frequently experienced obsessive thoughts?

Have you felt unbearable impulses or urges to engage in problematic behaviors?

Have you felt unable to control your behavior?

Have you engaged in problematic behaviors to release tension (e.g., anxious thoughts) or to feel pleasure?

Have you repeatedly engaged in problematic behaviors despite negative consequences?

Have you intentionally destroyed someone else’s property?

Have you broken any laws or faced any legal consequences (including warnings, fines, arrests or incarceration) because of your symptoms?

Have your symptoms or behaviors been present since childhood or adolescence? (Onset of impulse-control disorders is predominantly during adolescence.)

Have your symptoms or behaviors severely disrupted your daily life?