Has anyone experienced intermittent explosive disorder?
My husband with Lewy Body dementia had sudden rages prompted by minor triggers, e.g., the arrival of home care workers or not wanting to bathe.
While in hospital after a paranoid delusion, he had a rage for which they sedated and sectioned him. When these rages continued while he awaited placement in a geriatric psych ward, the psychiatrist gave him Olanzapine. The positive effect to his personality was almost immediate. It was like a light switch turned off his over-the-top anger.
I have always wondered why this drug worked so well and never got a straight answer from his doctors; I suspect it was due to the vagaries of how dementia affects different people’s minds.
I recently queried “rage” and “Olanzapine” and discovered a mental health illness called intermittent explosive disorder. He fit it to a tee, including the remorse experienced after it had blown over.
A neuropsychologist diagnosed the IED after a referral from the rehab doctor at the facility where this person received medical care after the stroke.