The diagnosis of intermittent explosive disorder in violent men

In a study of violent men, 443 symptomatic adult male volunteers were evaluated for presence of intermittent explosive disorder (IED). Investigators first established presence of severe and frequent violent outbursts not readily explainable by another disorder. Seventy-nine violent men were so selected. Of these, 26 had excessive impulsivity, an exclusionary criterion for IED. Twenty-one were excluded because of other, exclusionary mental disorders. Violent behavior of five subjects was deemed proportionate to the provocation. Insufficient data were obtained for an accurate diagnoses of IED in 12 subjects. Fifteen subjects satisfied all criteria for IED, i.e., 18.9 percent of sufficiently violent men without other major psychopathology or 1.49 percent of all 443 men who complained of violence. Epidemiologic and validity aspects of IED are discussed.