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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staffThe exact cause of intermittent explosive disorder is unknown, but the disorder is probably caused by a number of environmental and biological factors.
Most people with this disorder grew up in families where explosive behavior and verbal and physical abuse were common. Being exposed to this type of violence at an early age makes it more likely for these children to exhibit these same traits as they mature.
There may also be a genetic component, causing the disorder to be passed down from parents to children.
Additionally, there may be differences in the way serotonin, an important chemical messenger in the brain, works in people with intermittent explosive disorder. Higher levels of the hormone testosterone have been associated with intermittent explosive disorder.
- Thompson JW Jr, et al. Impulse-control disorders. In: Ebert MH, et al. Current Diagnosis and Treatment: Psychiatry. 2nd ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=3289149. Accessed March 6, 2010.
- Intermittent explosive disorder. In: Sadock BJ, et al. Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry. Philadelphia, Pa.: Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins; 2005. http://ovidsp.tx.ovid.com/sp-2.3/ovidweb.cgi?&S=LIGLFPOGPNDDKGHDNCELCBCKMEKJAA00&Link+Set=S.sh.16%7c5%7csl_10. Accessed March 8, 2010.
- Kessler RC. The prevalence and correlates of DSM-IV intermittent explosive disorder in the national comorbidity survey replication. Archives of General Psychiatry. 2006:63;669.
- Intermittent explosive disorder. In: Stern TA, et al. Massachusetts General Hospital Comprehensive Clinical Psychiatry. 1st ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/187865115-2/0/1657/221.html?tocnode=57542767&fromURL=221.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-04743-2..50025-1--cesec2_542. Accessed March 6, 2010.
- Kessler RC, et al. Intermittent explosive disorder is common, has an early age of onset and is associated with the development of other mental disorders in the US population. Evidence Based Mental Health. 2007;10:32.
- McCloskey MS, et al. Prevalence of suicidal and self-injurious behavior among subjects with intermittent explosive disorder. Psychiatry Research. 2008;158:248.
- Koelsch S, et al. EEG correlates of moderate intermittent explosive disorder. Clinical Neurophysiology. 2008;119:151.
- Hall-Flavin DK (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. March 9, 2010.
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