Learn About Serious Impulsive Behaviors in PTSD

Learn About Serious Impulsive Behaviors in PTSD PTSD Related Conditions Print Common Serious Impulsive Behaviors in PTSD How Impulsive Behaviors and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Are Related By Matthew Tull, PhD twitter Matthew Tull, PhD is a professor of psychology at the University of Toledo, specializing in post-traumatic stress disorder. Learn about our editorial policy Matthew Tull, PhD Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on August 05, 2016 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Steven Gans, MD Updated on January 16, 2020 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Overview Symptoms & Diagnosis Causes & Risk Factors Treatment Living With In Children Hinterhaus Productions/Getty Images Information presented in this article may be triggering to some people. If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911 immediately. How often do you suddenly do something without (a) thinking about it first, (b) being able to control it once it starts, or (c) considering what may happen as a result of it? Thats impulsive behavior. If you have posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), youre probably aware of the strong connection between your condition and impulsive behaviors. Most of the time, you do something impulsively as a way of finding relief from a stressful feeling--for example, a painful emotion. And you may even feel better short-term. But long-term, if some of your impulsive actions have serious consequences and you keep on doing them, you may become more upset or even do yourself harm that cant be undone. Serious impulsive behaviors include: Eating disordersAlcohol and/or drug abuseDeliberate self-harmSuicide All these behaviors are more common in people with PTSD. PTSD and Eating Disorders Eating disorders are common among people whove lived through trauma. If you struggle with an eating disorder, you may be among them.  Childhood sexual abuse, in particular, is a risk factor for developing an eating disorder. People with PTSD are three times as likely as others to develop bulimia nervosa, often called simply bulimia.  Bulimia involves impulsive bouts of uncontrolled binge eating followed by vomiting (commonly called binging and purging) or by excessive exercise to burn off extra calories. Another common eating disorder, anorexia nervosa (commonly shortened to anorexia), also features impulsive behavior.  Anorexia is a kind of deliberate day-to-day starvation resulting in abnormally low body weight and featuring an intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted body image. People with bulimia are more likely than people with anorexia to have PTSD. PTSD and Substance Abuse People with PTSD are more likely than others to have problems with serious impulsive behaviors related to alcohol abuse and/or drug abuse. For example, one study found that approximately 31% of people with PTSD had also experienced problems with drug abuse, and around 40% of people with PTSD had had problems with alcohol abuse. There are a number of reasons why PTSD may be connected with substance abuse. A common theory is that the substances are used to self-medicate the intense and distressing symptoms of PTSD. For example, the more severe a persons hyperarousal symptoms are, the more likely it is that he or she will abuse alcohol as a way of reducing those symptoms. PTSD and Deliberate Self-Harm People who deliberately self-harm (self-injure) impulsively cause immediate physical damage to themselves, but they arent trying to end their lives.Typical self-harm behaviors include cutting and burning. Many self-harming people with PTSD and others who self-harm have been through severely traumatic events such as sexual or physical abuse. They may harm themselves to temporarily escape upsetting thoughts or memories related to their trauma. Others may self-harm as a way of actually feeling something, or creating feelings, in the face of ongoing emotional numbness. PTSD and Suicide People with PTSD and those whove been through physical or sexual assault have a higher risk of impulsively committing suicide. Reasons why include: The symptoms of PTSD can make a person feel constantly fearful and isolated with no hope of escaping them.Depression is common among people with PTSD. Getting Help for Serious Impulsive Behaviors If youre looking for this type of help, you can choose to explore a number of different coping skills. They include: DistractionReplacing impulsive behaviors with healthy ones that serve the same functionsIdentifying the long-term negative consequences of behaviorsChanging the consequences of a behavior There are also different ways of coping with suicidal thoughts. In addition, getting treatment for your PTSD may include help to reduce your risk of serious impulsive behaviors. You can find more information about treatment providers in your area who may offer these treatments at UCompare HealthCare. The 9 Best Online Therapy Programs