Impulse Control Disorder Flashcards
Griffiths(2005)
Griffiths defined components that form a definition of addictive behaviors as salience, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal, conflict and relapse. Types of impulse control disorder and non-substance addictive disorder include kleptomania, pyromania and gambling.
Kleptomania Symptom Assessment Scale(K-SAS)
A self-report measure and diagnose of kleptomania. This is an 11-item self-rated scale which measures impulses, thoughts, feelings and behaviors related to stealing. The individuals taking the assessment is asked to consider this in relation to the past seven days. Each item is rated on a point-based scale, typically 0-4 or 0-5(0=no symptoms, 4or5=severe, frequent or enduring symptoms) with the highest scores reflecting the greatest severity and duration of symptoms.
Miller(2010)
Feeling-State Theory. Miller uses cognitive approach to explain how intense, positive feelings can become linked with specific behaviors such as gambling. Intense desire+Intense positive experience=Feeling-state.
Glover(2011)
Covert sensitization-conditioning, in which an unpleasant stimulus such as nausea or an anxiety-producing image is paired with an undesirable behavior in order to change that behavior. In the case of a 56-year-old woman with Kleptomania, the image of nausea and vomiting was used in order to create unpleasant association with stealing. She underwent four sessions at two-weekly intervals. During the last session she imagined the sickness going away as she replaced the item and walked away without shoplifting. At a 19 month check-up she had decreased desire and avoidance of the stealing, with a single relapse.
Grant(2008)
Biochemical treatment. 284participants participated in a double-blind experiment in which participants took either a 16 week course of the opiate nalmefene or 18 week course of naltrxone, or a placebo. Y-BOCS was used to assess the severity of gambling behavior. The opiates groups produced a significant reduction in symptoms. There were also individual differences. Those pps with a family history of alcoholism and those who received the highest does of the opiates showed the greatest reduction in gambling disorder symptoms.
Miller(2010)
Impulse control therapy. The aspect of behavior which produces the most intense feelings and the intense positive feeling associated with the act will be identified. They are measured on a standardized scale known as the ‘Positive Feelings Scale’ to allow for later comparisons. The client is asked to combine the image of performing the compulsive behavior, and the positive feelings and the physical sensations. During the time, they are directed to perform eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EDMR) exercises. Usually around 3 to 5 sessions. In the case study of John’s gambling disorder, John identified the feeling-state of a particular gambling memory, which involved ‘winning’, and a powerful feeling connected to his compulsive behavior. After visualizing this feeing state along with EMDR, John began noting a reduction in the urge to gamble and less excitable feelings towards gambling. At a follow-up interview three months post-therapy, John reported he enjoyed twice-weekly poker nights and could leave the table after a set period whether he was winning or losing.
Blaszczynski&Nower(2003)
Imaginal desensitization. Firstly, the therapist teaches a progressive muscle relaxation procedure. Clients then visualize themselves being exposed to a situation that triggers the drive to carry out their compulsive behavior. A gambler might be instructed to imagine they are coming back from a long, stressful day at work. They are then asked to think about acting on the impulse to gamble, then to mentally leave the situation. This should all be done in a state of continued relaxation. Imaginal desensitization has been shown to reduce the strength of a compulsive drive by reducing levels of psychological and physiological arousal associated with these disorders.
