Do I have IED?

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How can I tell if I have intermittent explosive disorder?

I have an extremely quick, hair trigger fuse with some situations. Often, I can just let it go but when other stuff is bothering me even a little bit, even the smallest thing can spark me off like tripping over something - I'll violently pick up whatever it was I tripped over and heave it across the room possibly damaging something else or it whatever "it" is. Sometimes it might ricochet off the wall or something else and land near someone and I realize I should try to control myself because I could hurt someone.

I looked it up on the DSM-IV but was unclear about the diagnostic characteristics of it. Does having other psychiatric conditions that would cause anger outbursts like ADHD trump IED?

I do have a psych appointment today. I'll ask him. I would like some input here though.

Until you get a diagnosis I wouldn't bet on it.

Have you tried controlling this anger?

I've taken EBT before but that won't help because I can't put into action the coping skills because of the such a short fuse.

I talked to my doc and he said to start taking my vistaril twice a day instead of as needed.

Biofeedback could be an option, with or without equipment

What's EBT?

I'm sorry, I meant CBT, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

Yeah, definitely bring it up with your psych. It sounds like you're having problems with being impulsive, and whether that's got an official name or not, I'm pretty sure it's not entirely uncommon.

It may be, in your case, that the big problem isn't learning to stop yourself from reacting, but to predict it before it happens so you can take steps to prevent it. If you could predict it, or predict when you're most vulnerable to it, you might be able to stop it before it starts.

It could be IED, though it's more likely that it's something that derives from another condition (like ADHD). Bipolar is also another condition that causes that kind of anger/response to it. Talking to your dr. about it is definitely the best thing to do about it.