Impulse control in obsessive-compulsive disorder: a biopsychopathological approach

1. The dichotomy between behaviors (some pathological, some falling into the realm of criminality) characterized by an excessive impulsivity and others, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), in which a high resistance towards inner or outer impulses dominate, can not be sustained any more. 2. Classical descriptions of OCD include behavior patterns of low control of impulses, and individuals showing "low control of impulse disorders" are, more often than not, high controllers in the periods of time when the impulsivity is in the background. 3. Evidence from biological research and from treatment outcome studies also suggest common traits in the "hyponomic" (impulsive) and "hypernomic" (obsessive) individuals, related to serotonin (5-HT) metabolism disturbances.