Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED)

Even though they are generally not violent, people with Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED) experience sudden outbursts of aggression, lashing out at others or damaging objects. The events that set them off are usually small and do not come close to warranting such a reaction. However, these people find that they cannot stop themselves from acting this way and often regret their actions afterwards.

Experts estimate that the disorder affects between four and 7.3 percent of the population and may be behind some cases of domestic violence and "road rage." To qualify as IED, an individual must have experienced at least three of these incidents. Drug/alcohol intake and other mental illnesses such as Borderline Personality Disorder must be also ruled out as the cause of these outbursts.