Defining and measuring irritability: Construct clarification and differentiation.

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Psychology
• Clinical Research

Background:

• Irritability is a common symptom across 15 DSM-5 disorders, including mood, addictive, and personality disorders.
• Current scholarly literature lacks consistent definitions and measurement of irritability.
• This inconsistency raises questions about the validity of existing research on irritability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review scholarly definitions and measures of irritability.
• To categorize components of irritability definitions and measures (causes, experience, consequences).
• To propose a precise definition and measurement items for irritability.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of scholarly definitions of irritability.
• Analysis of item content within irritability measures.
• Categorization of definition components and measure items into causes, experience, and consequences.
• Review of potential causes and biomarkers of irritability.

Main Results:

• Significant overlap exists between definitions/measures of irritability and related constructs like anger and aggression.
• Inconsistent definitions and measures challenge the validity of current irritability research.
• The role of irritability in psychopathology and its presence as a disorder symptom require re-evaluation.

Conclusions:

• The validity of research on irritability is questionable due to inconsistent definitions and measures.
• Further research on irritability in behavioral disorders requires the development of more precise measurement tools.
• A refined definition and specific measurement items are proposed to differentiate irritability from anger and aggression.