What Is Impulsivity?

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Table of Contents

Characteristics

Identifying

Causes

Examples

Treatment

Coping

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Impulsivity, or impulsive behavior, is broadly defined as actions without foresight that are poorly conceived, prematurely expressed, unnecessarily risky, and inappropriate to the situation. Impulsivity is associated with undesirable, rather than desirable, outcomes.

Impulsivity is a characteristic of a number of mental health conditions, includingborderline personality disorder (BPD), bipolar disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

People who experience impulsivity may make hasty decisions, get into arguments, and engage in risky behaviors. In addition toundermining relationshipsand a person’s overall sense of well-being, impulsive behaviors can also lead to financial andlegal harmif left unchecked.

Fortunately, there are treatments that can help bring impulsivity under control, including psychotherapy, mindfulness training, and pharmaceutical drugs.

Characteristics of Impulsivity

According to theDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(DSM-5), impulsive behaviors are a hallmark of BPD and other conditions.How it presents may vary depending on a person’s specific diagnosis and the severity of their condition.

People who are impulsive are commonly described as:

This instability often causes people to struggle with feelings of inadequacy that manifest with unstable emotions, unstable behaviors, and unstable relationships. In BPD, for example, people may be quick to lash out at anything considered a slight and will often fail to recognize how those emotions are unreasonable or excessive.

In psychological terms, impulsive behaviors are inherently inappropriate either in terms of scale or potential risk. In some cases, people are less likely to take into account potential consequences and will often turn to self-harm behaviors (like binge eating or excessive drinking) as a means to cope.

However, impulsive behaviors are not, in and of themselves, a diagnosis. It is only when the behavior is pervasive, detrimental, and interferes with a person’s ability to function normally that mental health diagnoses such as BPD or bipolar disorder may be considered.

Impulsivity should not be confused with acompulsion, in which a person recognizes the behavior is abnormal but cannot stop it. With impulsivity, the person will act out without inherently recognizing that the behavior is abnormal.

Identifying Impulsivity

Impulsivity is not a separate condition, but it is often a symptom of a mental health condition. No single test can confirm whether impulsive behavior is the result of BPD, bipolar disorder, or some other condition. A doctor will perform a psychological exam to determine whether the symptoms are consistent with the criteria outlined in the DSM-5.

During a psychological evaluation, a doctor will ask questions about the symptoms a person is experiencing, including questions about the severity, nature, and duration of the symptoms. In some cases, they may ask other people who have contact with the individual, such as family members, for information about symptoms and behavior.

In addition to a psychological assessment, a doctor may also conduct a physical exam and order blood work. This can help rule out medical conditions that might be contributing to or causing the symptoms.

Risk Factors for Impulsivity

There are a number of different factors that are associated with an increased risk for impulsive behavior. Some of these include:

Diagnostic Criteria for BPD

Causes of Impulsivity

The exact causes of impulsivity are not fully understood, but it is believed that both environmental factors and genetic factors may play a role.

Psychological Factors

Impulsivity may sometimes stem from traumatic experiences, particularly those that occur in early childhood.A child’s upbringing, including their caregiver’s parenting styles, can also impact the development of self-regulation skills. Kids who do not learn to regulate their behavior effectively may experience greater impulsivity as a result.

Environmental factors can also make more people with mental health conditions such as BPD and bipolar disorder effectively manage symptoms of impulsivity.

Genetic Factors

Other conditions linked to impulsivity, including bipolar disorder and ADHD, are believed to share underlying genetic factors.These genetic influences likely impact the shared symptoms such as impulsivity.

It is this combination of environmental, genetic, and physiological factors that likely creates the perfect storm for the development of many mental health conditions that are associated with impulsivity.

Conditions Linked to Impulsivity

Impulsive behaviors can occur in a number of different mental health conditions:

How impulsivity presents varies depending on the condition. With borderline personality disorder, a person will have extreme emotions that they find hard to control. With antisocial personality disorder, there will be a marked lack of emotions.

Examples of Impulsivity

Impulsivity may be experessed in a variety of ways depending on the underlying cause. Every individual and situation is different. Some common examples of impulsivity include:

Treatment for Impulsivity

While impulsive behaviors can be severe and pervasive, they can often be successfully managed with treatment. Many treatments for mental health conditions have components that specifically target impulsivity.

Psychotherapy

Dialectical behavior therapy(DBT) focuses on building skills that reduce your impulsive behaviors and increase your ability to think and reflect before acting. By using coping mechanisms to handle intense emotions, a person with BPD is better equipped to face situations without confrontation.

Mindfulness, a skill taught in DBT, encourages you to stay in the moment, which can help you to remain more aware of your actions so you take the time to consider consequences. Practicing this technique can help you to take the time needed to reflect on your options, empowering you to make more rational decisions about how to respond to events around you.Mindfulness meditationis a modality often used to support the training.

Medication

Medications likeselective serotonin reuptake inhibitors(SSRIs) sometimes combined with a low dose of anantipsychoticmay also help. This is especially true if your behavior is extreme and poses a risk to your safety or those around you.

There are a number of drugs that specifically treat impulsivity, including:

Medications are most effective when used in conjunction with psychotherapy with a therapist who specializes in treating impulsive behavior.

Medications Used to Treat BPD

Coping With Instability

In addition to complying with your treatment plan and seeing a therapist, there are steps you can take to better cope with impulsivity. Often, the first step is to identify the impulsive behaviors that you’d like to change. Next, you can try one of these strategies when you notice an urge to engage in one of those behaviors:

If you or a loved one are struggling with impulsivity, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

If you or a loved one are struggling with impulsivity, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.

For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

10 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychiatric Association.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.5th ed. Washington D.C.: 2013.Bakhshani NM.Impulsivity: a predisposition toward risky behaviors.Int J High Risk Behav Addict. 2014;3(2):e20428. doi:10.5812/ijhrba.20428Kulkarni J.Complex PTSD: A better description for borderline personality disorder?.Australas Psychiatry. 2017;25(4):333-335. doi:10.1007/s00213-008-1173-0Bornovalova MA, Hicks BM, Iacono WG, Mcgue M.Longitudinal twin study of borderline personality disorder traits and substance use in adolescence: Developmental change, reciprocal effects, and genetic and environmental influences.Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment.2013;4(1):23-32. doi:10.1037/a0027178Pettersson E, Lichtenstein P, Larsson H, et al.Genetic influences on eight psychiatric disorders based on family data of 4 408 646 full and half-siblings, and genetic data of 333 748 cases and controls[published correction appears in Psychol Med. 2019 Jan;49(2):351].Psychol Med. 2019;49(7):1166-1173. doi:10.1017/S0033291718002039Zimmerman M, Morgan TA.The relationship between borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder.Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2013;15(2):155-69.Miller DJ, Derefinko KJ, Lynam DR, Milich R, Fillmore MT.Impulsivity and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder: Subtype classification using the UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale.J Psychopathol Behav Assess. 2010;32(3):323-332. doi:10.1007/s10862-009-9155-zPerry JL, Carroll ME.The role of impulsive behavior in drug abuse.Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2008;200(1):1-26. doi:10.1007/s00213-008-1173-0May JM, Richardi TM, Barth KS.Dialectical behavior therapy as treatment for borderline personality disorder.Ment Health Clin. 2016;6(2):62-67. doi:10.9740/mhc.2016.03.62Ripoll LH.Psychopharmacologic treatment of borderline personality disorder.Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2013;15(2):213-24.

10 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychiatric Association.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.5th ed. Washington D.C.: 2013.Bakhshani NM.Impulsivity: a predisposition toward risky behaviors.Int J High Risk Behav Addict. 2014;3(2):e20428. doi:10.5812/ijhrba.20428Kulkarni J.Complex PTSD: A better description for borderline personality disorder?.Australas Psychiatry. 2017;25(4):333-335. doi:10.1007/s00213-008-1173-0Bornovalova MA, Hicks BM, Iacono WG, Mcgue M.Longitudinal twin study of borderline personality disorder traits and substance use in adolescence: Developmental change, reciprocal effects, and genetic and environmental influences.Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment.2013;4(1):23-32. doi:10.1037/a0027178Pettersson E, Lichtenstein P, Larsson H, et al.Genetic influences on eight psychiatric disorders based on family data of 4 408 646 full and half-siblings, and genetic data of 333 748 cases and controls[published correction appears in Psychol Med. 2019 Jan;49(2):351].Psychol Med. 2019;49(7):1166-1173. doi:10.1017/S0033291718002039Zimmerman M, Morgan TA.The relationship between borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder.Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2013;15(2):155-69.Miller DJ, Derefinko KJ, Lynam DR, Milich R, Fillmore MT.Impulsivity and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder: Subtype classification using the UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale.J Psychopathol Behav Assess. 2010;32(3):323-332. doi:10.1007/s10862-009-9155-zPerry JL, Carroll ME.The role of impulsive behavior in drug abuse.Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2008;200(1):1-26. doi:10.1007/s00213-008-1173-0May JM, Richardi TM, Barth KS.Dialectical behavior therapy as treatment for borderline personality disorder.Ment Health Clin. 2016;6(2):62-67. doi:10.9740/mhc.2016.03.62Ripoll LH.Psychopharmacologic treatment of borderline personality disorder.Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2013;15(2):213-24.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

American Psychiatric Association.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.5th ed. Washington D.C.: 2013.Bakhshani NM.Impulsivity: a predisposition toward risky behaviors.Int J High Risk Behav Addict. 2014;3(2):e20428. doi:10.5812/ijhrba.20428Kulkarni J.Complex PTSD: A better description for borderline personality disorder?.Australas Psychiatry. 2017;25(4):333-335. doi:10.1007/s00213-008-1173-0Bornovalova MA, Hicks BM, Iacono WG, Mcgue M.Longitudinal twin study of borderline personality disorder traits and substance use in adolescence: Developmental change, reciprocal effects, and genetic and environmental influences.Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment.2013;4(1):23-32. doi:10.1037/a0027178Pettersson E, Lichtenstein P, Larsson H, et al.Genetic influences on eight psychiatric disorders based on family data of 4 408 646 full and half-siblings, and genetic data of 333 748 cases and controls[published correction appears in Psychol Med. 2019 Jan;49(2):351].Psychol Med. 2019;49(7):1166-1173. doi:10.1017/S0033291718002039Zimmerman M, Morgan TA.The relationship between borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder.Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2013;15(2):155-69.Miller DJ, Derefinko KJ, Lynam DR, Milich R, Fillmore MT.Impulsivity and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder: Subtype classification using the UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale.J Psychopathol Behav Assess. 2010;32(3):323-332. doi:10.1007/s10862-009-9155-zPerry JL, Carroll ME.The role of impulsive behavior in drug abuse.Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2008;200(1):1-26. doi:10.1007/s00213-008-1173-0May JM, Richardi TM, Barth KS.Dialectical behavior therapy as treatment for borderline personality disorder.Ment Health Clin. 2016;6(2):62-67. doi:10.9740/mhc.2016.03.62Ripoll LH.Psychopharmacologic treatment of borderline personality disorder.Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2013;15(2):213-24.

American Psychiatric Association.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.5th ed. Washington D.C.: 2013.

Bakhshani NM.Impulsivity: a predisposition toward risky behaviors.Int J High Risk Behav Addict. 2014;3(2):e20428. doi:10.5812/ijhrba.20428

Kulkarni J.Complex PTSD: A better description for borderline personality disorder?.Australas Psychiatry. 2017;25(4):333-335. doi:10.1007/s00213-008-1173-0

Bornovalova MA, Hicks BM, Iacono WG, Mcgue M.Longitudinal twin study of borderline personality disorder traits and substance use in adolescence: Developmental change, reciprocal effects, and genetic and environmental influences.Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment.2013;4(1):23-32. doi:10.1037/a0027178

Pettersson E, Lichtenstein P, Larsson H, et al.Genetic influences on eight psychiatric disorders based on family data of 4 408 646 full and half-siblings, and genetic data of 333 748 cases and controls[published correction appears in Psychol Med. 2019 Jan;49(2):351].Psychol Med. 2019;49(7):1166-1173. doi:10.1017/S0033291718002039

Zimmerman M, Morgan TA.The relationship between borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder.Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2013;15(2):155-69.

Miller DJ, Derefinko KJ, Lynam DR, Milich R, Fillmore MT.Impulsivity and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder: Subtype classification using the UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale.J Psychopathol Behav Assess. 2010;32(3):323-332. doi:10.1007/s10862-009-9155-z

Perry JL, Carroll ME.The role of impulsive behavior in drug abuse.Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2008;200(1):1-26. doi:10.1007/s00213-008-1173-0

May JM, Richardi TM, Barth KS.Dialectical behavior therapy as treatment for borderline personality disorder.Ment Health Clin. 2016;6(2):62-67. doi:10.9740/mhc.2016.03.62

Ripoll LH.Psychopharmacologic treatment of borderline personality disorder.Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2013;15(2):213-24.

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