El impulse control it is a way of implementing self-control of emotions and feelings in order to keep them in balance. Extend this information by reading the following article.
impulse control
Also called lack of self-control, they are manifestations to keep decision-making at bay when there is some kind of impulsive way to avoid falling into states of depression or regret. For most people it is difficult to control this type of psychological situation. So it is important to learn to know them.
Impulse control is a strategy that helps many people to limit violent and sad actions, which generate concern, resentment and differences in people. However, there are individuals who have a hard time controlling impulses, if you are one of these people it is likely that you suffer from some type of disorder related to self-control.
These types of people have difficulty managing impulsive processes that generate some adversity or problem. We recommend that you do not detach yourself from this reading so that you can learn how to develop strategies to implement impulse control.
Definition
For many people it is necessary to react to certain situations they face, however it may happen that there is an excess and they cannot balance these actions. For this reason, impulsiveness generates problems of various kinds and even more so when we fail to minimize them. Then we say that we are facing a case of lack of impulse control.
The situation of can arise when we face problems and respond without thinking or considering the subsequent consequences. This is because the emotional part of the brain takes control of actions by reacting in the way that seems best to the person.
It is not a negative reaction to the mental condition but externally it generates some discomfort. The response is immediate in impulse control since defense mechanisms are activated in the mind and they respond automatically.
When facing a problem we are observing how our brain is going to respond. We said that most react negatively to certain behaviors that other people do. In other words, there is a problem in impulse control that promotes disagreements in the environment.
In this case, it is considered that there is a psychological problem that generates effects of movements and irrational actions. This is characterized by the tendency to do things very quickly and with little thought, for this reason irrational behaviors are assumed in the case of behaviors that people cannot slow down for any reason, generating the inability to limit them
These generate chain processes which are difficult to control. The subsequent result is regret, guilt, and depression. In the following link you will be able to know how to overcome depression. However, people who suffer from this type of reaction or lack of impulse control, are not able to control them and maintain an irrational desire to carry it out.
Psychologically, a search for momentary, immediate gratification is generated in order to achieve a quick goal. That is, the person does not take into account the consequences of her actions beyond the present moment. Mastering these acts is what must be corrected and although it seems routine for specialists, it is a challenge to try to control them.
The related disorders
In Psychology there are many terms and concepts where some disorders related to impulse control are specified, they are in different categories but they have a certain relationship with the main problem, let's see:
- Kleptomania. It consists of an irreversible impulse where the person is dedicated to subtracting objects and things like that that do not have any type of value, they do not plan the action and the person, when observing something that they like, takes it and that's it. These types of disorders are treated with group therapies or pharmacological alternatives.
- Trichotillomania. It is the irreversible impulse to pull the hair until it is completely detached, these cases are rare but very dangerous and are even associated with a type of trichophagic dysfunction, which means trying to eat the hair.
- Pyromania. Well known to all since the individual seeks to somehow create fires using any type of element, these patients are complicated and impulse control in them can be stabilized with certain therapies.
- Compulsive buying. It is believed that a large number of citizens in the world suffer from this anomaly, in some people with a greater presence than in others, however the disorder presents a lack of control, when people have no limits and daily they must be buying some item or thing . SE generates anxiety in them when they do not have money to purchase a product.
- Explosive disorder, It is a psychological anomaly where the patient presents episodes of lack of self-control manifested through uncontrolled attacks of anger. Yelling and tantrums are then observed in children and heated and prolonged discussions in adults. The subsequent consequences of these behaviors are regret and guilt.
- Gambling. Behavior related to compulsive gambling is the one that attracts the most attention. People can not control themselves and play frequently, they enter into crisis when they do not get a place or some way to carry out their action of playing or betting. They have a hard time avoiding it despite knowing the damage they are causing themselves.
- Tourette syndrome. It is a nervous type disorder where there is the presence of involuntary movements in the person. The patient lacks the faculties to control this impulse, which in other cases is generated through sounds and the pronunciation of strange words.
- Onychophagia. This habit consists of constantly biting the nails, especially the hands. For many it is uncontrollable and even injures the skin around the fingers.
- Nervous tics. They are compulsive movements that occur frequently, it is believed that they are part of a neurological problem. There are different forms, slow fast and very frequent. Specialists have not yet found the solution but with some sleep therapies they manage to minimize their actions.
- Dermatillomania. It is noticed in those people who constantly scratch their skin and pinch themselves, creating lesions that must be treated by dermatologists.
Other addictions related to impulse control are, for example, drug addiction, alcoholism, smoking, gluttony. Although in these cases some specialists consider that the disorders are pathological and should be treated with other strategies and alternatives.
The causes
As we have just seen, there are different types of impulse control, each one is related to some kind of biological, social or personal problem. These behaviors reflect anomalies that limit, in most cases, the performance of activities in people and lead a normal life.
One of the discoveries carried out by specialists in neurology indicates that the majority of people who suffer from impulse control have a deficit in the basic conformation of the prefrontal lobes and subcortical connections, which explains in part the reason why which these behaviors appear.
The relationship between lack of impulse control and personality disorders is very small. This indicates that situations of a personal nature and those linked to the environment play an important role in the manifestation of these problems. Situations that generate a lot of anxiety can even be the cause for the appearance of some of these disorders.
However, studies indicate that some cases may have been caused during childhood or adolescence. In other cases, they link it with the type of education of a primitive type, where repression processes are implemented in order to teach some tasks and actions.
Another cause related to impulse control is abuse during childhood or in the growth period. However, the mechanism of action allows self-feeding behavior that is expressed through irrational action and without reflection.
Impulse control leads people to feel a tension that increases little by little and subsequently generates a feeling of discomfort. Some believe that a sense of liberation is experienced and therefore seek to somehow continue the reaction. At the end of the process, the sense of guilt is very great and most tend to blame their own actions.
At that moment, stress and anxiety appear, which allows establishing a vicious circle that is repeated later and continues to be part of the individual's life. The rupture of this circular is what can determine the conclusion of the problem, the specialists assure that it is a process in which a lot of patience must be had.
Consequences
Each disorder has a different consequence. It largely depends on the type of anomaly presented, for this reason patients must be treated differently and treatments cannot be generalized. But they always generate some type of consequences, which we detail below.
- Excessive consumption of alcohol.
- Family type problems.
- Chronic depression and feelings of guilt.
- Stress and anxiety.
- traditional behaviors
- problems at work
- Creation of debts and enmity.
- Low self-esteem.
- Legal problems, imprisonment for theft or criminal acts,
- Low self-esteem and poor self-worth.
Some patients after going to the specialist try for a while to comply with the treatments. However, it is rare that they meet the diagnostic criteria for another mental health condition. As impulse control becomes a problem and symptoms related to mental disorders appear, let's see:
- Posttraumatic Stress
- Defiant negativism, which is generated in violence.
- Bipolar disorder
- Chronic depressive disorders
- Severe anxiety and withdrawal syndrome
- antisocial personality disorder
- Social adjustment problems
Treatment
Many specialists today are looking for solutions of various kinds. Using state-of-the-art tools, they are promoting relevant information to the population that allows them to identify patients with impulse control problems. We recommend you read the article How to Overcome Emotional Dependence? to know some contents related to this topic.
Let us remember that it is an anomaly that directly affects a person, but that it has alternate consequences where it links friends and family. Hence the importance of reporting and suggesting alternative therapies in specialized institutes. Some neurologists are confronting examinations in the resolution of images where they investigate in depth the origin of abnormal behaviors.
These supporting tests seek to somehow establish a diagnosis different from traditional procedures. With them, precise diagnosis can be offered, so that treatments can be directed to specific areas of the brain.
On the other hand, there are psychotherapies where very effective procedures are applied. Based on factors of an emotional nature and related to the activity of the mental conscience. Likewise, self-control therapies are used, where the patient himself, through certain elements that he learns through the therapies, tries to control impulses and minimize them.
In this case, therapies based on hypnosis and relaxation are used, the patient himself is trained to do his own activities. This represents an advantage because he directly begins to really know his anxiety levels, managing the reaction through self-control.
Cognitive behavioral techniques allow teaching to detect from the first moment which are the signals that generate tension and anxiety. The patient manages to stop them in time. Likewise, procedures are encouraged to distance the patient from thoughts that lead him to approach certain factors that promote a lack of impulse control.
These elements are related to their beliefs, social relationships and recurrent dysfunctional attitudes. However, the most critical cases are referred to a specialist in the area of psychiatry, who applies protocol procedures totally different from therapies performed by psychologists. The behaviors of psychiatrists are aimed at promoting mental physiological situations and typical disorders in a pathological way.
Conclusions
El impulse control it is a way of establishing a mechanism to avoid irregular and unusual behavior. These patients are easy to identify, since the behaviors are normal, you know when there is a patient with a lack of impulse control when you appreciate that you cannot handle a situation of stress or anxiety.
We hope that the comments made in this article have been helpful, do not fail to appreciate the value of keeping your mind healthy and avoiding depressive and anxiety states, which, as we saw, can be some of the causes to become a number more in impulse control disorders.