There is not one treatment that works best for everyone with intermittent explosive disorder.
Treatment generally includes a combination of medication and therapy–and can include either individual or group therapy or both
MEDICATIONS
Many different types of medications are used to help control intermittent explosive disorder, including:
- Antidepressants, such as fluoxetine (Prozac) and paroxetine (Paxil)
- Anticonvulsants, such as carbamazepine (Tegretol), phenytoin (Dilantin), gabapentin (Neurontin) and lamotrigine (Lamictal)
- Anti-anxiety agents in the benzodiazepine family, such as diazepam (Valium), lorazepam (Ativan) and alprazolam (Xanax)
- Mood regulators, such as propranolol (Inderal) and lithium
THERAPY:
- Individual or group therapy sessions also can be helpful
- A commonly used type of therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), helps people with intermittent explosive disorder identify which situations or behaviors may trigger an aggressive response.
- CBT teaches people with intermittent explosive disorder how to manage their anger and control their typically inappropriate response using relaxation exercises.