Disorders Due to Addictive Behaviours and Impulse Control Disorders

Abstract

This chapter focuses on two groupings of disorders in the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11): disorders due to addictive behaviors—namely, gambling disorder and gaming disorder—and impulse control disorders, which include pyromania, kleptomania, compulsive sexual behavior disorder, and intermittent explosive disorder. As described in the Clinical Descriptions and Diagnostic Requirements for ICD-11 Mental, Behavioural and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, disorders due to addictive behaviors and impulse control disorders are disabling conditions sharing impulsivity and loss of control as core features. A common characteristic of these disorders is that they lie at the extreme pole of an impulsivity continuum linking normal behavior to dysregulated, pathological behavior. The chapter provides the elements of a psychological approach, including psychological models and recommendations for psychological assessment. It discusses presentations and symptom patterns, specifiers and subtypes, boundaries with normality, differential diagnoses, co-occurring disorders, developmental course, cultural and contextual considerations, and gender-related features. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)