impulse-control disorders

n. Any of a group of disorders that involve inability to control an impulse to act in a way that is harmful to the person or to others. The impulse to act is experienced as a pressure to act accompanied by anxiety and then a sense of pleasure and relief when acting on the impulse. This group includes intermittent explosive disorder, kleptomania, pyromania, pathological gambling, trichotillomania, and the symptoms of other disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder; any addictive disorder, such as alcoholism or nicotine addiction; paraphilias; antisocial personality disorder, conduct disorder, some forms of schizophrenia, and some mood disorders.