A family history study of intermittent explosive disorder

• Published in: Journal of psychiatric research Vol. 44; no. 15; pp. 1101 - 1105
• Main Author: Coccaro, Emil F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2010; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Aggression; Aggression - psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Comorbidity; Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders - epidemiology; Explosives; Familial Studies; Family Health; Female; Humans; Impulsivity; Indexing in process; Intermittent; Intermittent Explosive Disorder; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Relatives; Risk Factors; Severity of Illness Index; United States; North America; America; Intermittent Explosive Disorder; Impulsivity; Aggression; Familial Studies; Social environment; Human; Family story; Impulse control disorder; Family study; Risk factor; Mental health; Intermittent explosive disorder; Public health
• ISSN: 0022-3956; 1879-1379; 1879-1379
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2010.04.006

Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED) is newly appreciated as a commonly occurring disorder of impulsive aggression. Since aggression and impulsivity are under genetic influence, IED may be familial. Blinded and controlled family history study of IED and co-morbid conditions in an outpatient clinical research center for impulsive aggression. The subjects were first-degree relatives of individuals who did and did not meet criteria for IED by DSM-IV and Research Criteria. Elevated Morbid Risk of IED was observed in relatives of IED Probands compared with relatives of Non-IED Probands. This familial signal of IED was not affected by comorbidity in the IED Probands of comorbidity in the relatives of the IED Probands. IED, as defined by research criteria, appears to be familial and may not be an artifact of other co-morbid conditions.