The diagnosis of intermittent explosive disorder in violent men.
A. R. Felthous, S. G. Bryant, C. B. Wingerter and E. Barratt,
Bull. Amer. Acad. Psychiatry & the Law
19(1): 71-9, 1991.
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.