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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffTo be diagnosed with intermittent explosive disorder you must meet criteria spelled out in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DMS), published by the American Psychiatric Association.
Criteria for intermittent explosive disorder to be diagnosed include:
- Multiple incidents in which the person failed to resist aggressive impulses that resulted in deliberate destruction of property or assault of another person.
- The degree of aggressiveness expressed during the incidents is completely out of proportion with the precipitating event.
- The aggressive episodes aren't accounted for by another mental disorder and are not due to the effects of a drug or a general medical condition.
Other conditions that must be ruled out before making a diagnosis of intermittent explosive disorder include delirium, dementia, oppositional defiant disorder, antisocial personality disorder, schizophrenia, panic attacks, substance withdrawal or intoxication.
People with intermittent explosive disorder may have an imbalance in the amount of serotonin and testosterone in their brains. They may also show some minor irregularities in neurological signs and electroencephalograms (EEGs).
