충동조절장애군과 광범위 양극성 정동장애 스펙트럼간의 관계에 대한 고찰

A Review of the Relationship between Impulse Control Disorders and Soft Bipolar Spectrum

This article reviews the current knowledge about the emerging concept of the soft bipolar spectrum and summarizes available evidence regarding a possible relationship between impulse control disorders (ICDs) and the soft bipolar spectrum. The soft bipolar spectrum is organized around bipolar II disorder and cyclothymic temperamental instability represents the common substrate underlying a ‘spectrum’ of related clinical conditions characterized by a complex combination of mood, anxiety, and impulse control disorders. In this article, studies examining the phenomenology, course, psychiatric comorbidity, family history, and treatment response of impulse control disorders are compared with the studies examining those of the soft bipolar spectrum. This review suggests that the two conditions may be related and thus may share at least one common pathophysiologic abnormality. Viewing these constructs as related entities with a common temperamental predisposition will make patients in this realm more accessible to pharmacologic and psychological approaches geared to their common temperamental attributes.