Having been identified with a susceptibility to impulsive responses in my reactions during mandatory Psych evaluations during school, I found this article inviting when I ran across it yesterday, so, just for kicks, I thought I would share a few paragraphs from the nine page article. (These are some of the more "readable" ones. Makes me wonder how I ever stuck it out for six years!)
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There is no standardized treatment for complex disorders involving impulsivity, although a range of different medication classes have been investigated.13 Pharmacological treatments may reduce impulsivity and normalize arousal by decreasing dopaminergic activity, enhancing serotonergic activity, shifting the balance of amino acid neurotransmitter from excitatory (glutamatergic) toward inhibitory (GABAergic) transmission, lowering glutamatergic conduction, and/or reducing or stabilizing nonadrenergic effects. Medications used to treat disorders involving impulsivity, including impulse control disorders and cluster B personality disorders, which have been shown to be effective in some clinical trials, include SSRIs, lithium, and anticonvulsants.14,24-31 Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and psychodynamically informed psychotherapy have a useful role in the management of a number of impulse control disorders. More specific details of the pharmacotherapeutic and psychotherapeutic approaches to each of the individual impulse control disorders can be found elsewhere.32
With regard to compulsive behavior, the most common treatment approaches for OCD are pharmacological and psychological. CBT was the first psychological treatment for which empirical support was obtained. A recent review compared psychological treatments with treatment as usual and found that psychological treatments derived from cognitive-behavioral models are effective for adults with OCD.33
On the basis of the hypothesized underlying neurobiology of OCD and observed treatment effects, SSRIs are considered first-line treatment for OCD. However, SSRIs are often associated with delayed onset of therapeutic effect (8 to 12 weeks), only partial symptom reduction, and response failure or intolerability in 40% to 60% of patients. Pharmacological options for SSRI-refractory cases include increasing drug dosage, changing to another SSRI or clomipramine, combining SSRIs, or changing the mode of drug delivery. Augmentation with second-generation antipsychotics appears promising, as well as augmentation or monotherapy with some of the anticonvulsants.34-36
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There is no standardized treatment for complex disorders involving impulsivity, although a range of different medication classes have been investigated.13 Pharmacological treatments may reduce impulsivity and normalize arousal by decreasing dopaminergic activity, enhancing serotonergic activity, shifting the balance of amino acid neurotransmitter from excitatory (glutamatergic) toward inhibitory (GABAergic) transmission, lowering glutamatergic conduction, and/or reducing or stabilizing nonadrenergic effects. Medications used to treat disorders involving impulsivity, including impulse control disorders and cluster B personality disorders, which have been shown to be effective in some clinical trials, include SSRIs, lithium, and anticonvulsants.14,24-31 Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and psychodynamically informed psychotherapy have a useful role in the management of a number of impulse control disorders. More specific details of the pharmacotherapeutic and psychotherapeutic approaches to each of the individual impulse control disorders can be found elsewhere.32
With regard to compulsive behavior, the most common treatment approaches for OCD are pharmacological and psychological. CBT was the first psychological treatment for which empirical support was obtained. A recent review compared psychological treatments with treatment as usual and found that psychological treatments derived from cognitive-behavioral models are effective for adults with OCD.33
On the basis of the hypothesized underlying neurobiology of OCD and observed treatment effects, SSRIs are considered first-line treatment for OCD. However, SSRIs are often associated with delayed onset of therapeutic effect (8 to 12 weeks), only partial symptom reduction, and response failure or intolerability in 40% to 60% of patients. Pharmacological options for SSRI-refractory cases include increasing drug dosage, changing to another SSRI or clomipramine, combining SSRIs, or changing the mode of drug delivery. Augmentation with second-generation antipsychotics appears promising, as well as augmentation or monotherapy with some of the anticonvulsants.34-36