Table 1.

Disinhibition at a glance

Associated Psychopathology

Alcohol and other substance use disorders (e.g., tobacco, marijuana) Antisocial personality disorder and borderline personality disorder Maladaptive Behaviors (e.g., psychopathy, maladaptive eating, pathological gambling, nonsuicidal self-injury, risky, impulsive, and aggressive behaviors)

Treatment Considerations

Disinhibition is associated with treatment interfering behaviors (e.g., reduced treatment seeking, disinterest in necessary behavior change, missed appointments, forgetfulness). Disinhibition is related to life stressors that can worsen prognosis (e.g., occupational dysfunction, financial problems, legal issues, physical health concerns) Disinhibition may be relevant in matching clients to specific interventions Interventions that directly or indirectly target disinhibition, and traits in general, may reduce disinhibition and behavior.

Future Research Directions

Further elucidating of disinhibition’s role in psychopathology Clarifying the utility of using traits to match clients to interventions Investigating to what extent interventions can permanently change personality traits, including disinhibition, as well as whether trait change occurs at the module or session level Developing disinhibition-focused interventions