Table 3.
Treatment options for impulse control disorders as reported in blinded and unblinded studies
| Impulse Control Disorder | Double-blind studies (references) | Outcomes | Other treatment options as reported in open-label trials |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pathological Gambling | Fluvoxamine vs. PC (Hollander et al. 2000; Blanco et al. 2002) | SSD for Fluvoxamine; No SSD between Fluvoxamine and PC. | Nefazodone, Bupropion, Citalopram, Divalproex, Topiramate |
| Paroxetine vs. PC (Kim et al. 2002; Potenza et al. 2003) | SSD for Paroxetine; No SSD between Paroxetine and PC. | ||
| Lithium vs. PC (Hollander et al. 2005) | SSD for Lithium; | ||
| Naltrexone vs. PC (Kim et al. 2001) | SSD for Naltrexone | ||
| Trichotillomania | Clomipramine vs. Desipramine (Swedo et al. 1989) | SSD for Clomipramine; | Fluvoxamine, Citalopram, Venlafaxine, Naltrexone, Lithium, CBT |
| Fluoxetine vs. PC (Christenson et al. 1991; Streichenvein and Thornby 1995) | No SSD between Fluoxetine and PC | ||
| Pyromania | – | – | CBT and other psychotherapies |
| Intermittent Explosive Disorder | *Lithium vs. PC (Campbell et al. 1984 and 1995; Malone et al. 1998 and 2000) | SSD for Lithium (in the Campbell’ study of 1984, Lithium was associated to Haloperidol) | Clonidine |
| *Divalproex vs. PC (Hollander et al. 2003 and 2005) | SSD for Divalproex | ||
| *Fluoxetine vs. PC (Coccaro et al. 1997) | SSD for Fluoxetine | ||
| *Carbamazepine vs. PC (Foster et al. 1989) | SSD for Carbamazepine | ||
| *Phenytoin vs. PC (Barratt et al. 1997; Stanford et al. 2001) | SSD for Phenytoin | ||
| *BBlockers vs. PC (Greendyke et al. 1986a and 1986b) | SSD for BBlockers | ||
| *Risperidone vs. PC (Buitelaar et al. 2001; Findling et al. 2001) | SS for Risperidone | ||
| *CBT vs. PC (Alpert et al. 1997) | SSD for CBT | ||
| Kleptomania | – | – | Fluoxetine, Paroxetine, Fluvoxamine, Divalproex, Lithium, Benzodiazepines |
| C–I Internet Usage Disorder | Escitalopram vs. PC (Dell’Osso et al. 2006**) | SSD for Escitalopram | Psychotherapy |
| C–I Shopping | Fluvoxamine vs. PC (Black et al. 2000; Ninan et al. 2000) | No SSD between Fluvoxamine and PC; | Fluvoxamine, Naltrexone |
| Citalopram vs. PC (Koran et al. 2003) | SSD for Citalopram | ||
| C–I Skin Picking | Fluoxetine vs. PC (Simeon et al. 1997; Block et al. 2000) | SSD for Fluoxetine | Clomipramine, Sertraline |
| C–I Sexual Behaviors | – | – | Lithium, Tricyclics, Buspirone, Fluoxetine, Nefazodone, Sertraline, Naltrexone |
SSD = statistically significant differences; CBT = cognitive behavioral therapy; PC = placebo
* Studies on patients with impulsive aggression features, rather than with a proper DSM diagnosis of IED
** Open-label study followed by double-blind discontinuation phase (Abstract)