Product Description

Millions of Americans wrestle with irresistible urges--to shop, steal, gamble, and more--that wreak havoc on their lives. Drs. Jon Grant and S. W. Kim, the nation's leading specialists on impulse control disorders, offer the latest research and practical help for those who engage in all types of impulse-related behaviors. Highlights include:

• Clues for identifying impulse control behavior
• Information on treatments
• Biological and emotional causes
• Mood disorders and their effects on families
• Where to get help

Customer Reviews (3)

Life-Changing Information
Every year I read a few books which I would consider life changing and this is one of them. Impulse control disorders have been around for a long time but they are still difficult to treat. A patient may have to go on several medications before the right one is discovered. If you or someone you love has problems with gambling, compulsive shopping, kleptomania (stealing) or compulsive sexual behavior this book may offer hope and a real solution to these problems.

To be honest, I bought this book because I'm on a low-carb diet and I thought it might have some solutions for carb cravings. I wanted the magic formula to appear and solve my current issues with dieting. I seem to do well for a week and then I give in to a carb craving which then sets me back a few days and makes me lose less weight. While this book does not really discuss dieting I think it should.

I did find the sections on compulsive shopping to be very interesting because I used to have a problem that was solved by cutting up my credit cards. For me the solution was simple and I was able to stop, but for some people the urge to shop is overwhelming. They must shop daily. I'll admit there is a certain high that goes with charging stuff on a credit card. The problem is paying off that card or maybe two or three cards if not more. Some of the people featured in this book were overwhelmed by credit card debt and felt guilty and out of control. Thankfully there are some solutions that work. This book explains what medications work for each particular problem.

The problem with many of these impulse control disorders is that people start to feel helpless to control themselves and end up trying to kill themselves. Reading this book gave me a complete sense of compassion for anyone struggling with these disorders. It is quite possible that you know someone who has one of the disorders discussed in this book. I personally know someone who has trouble with gambling and so I'm going to send them this book immediately! When you spend almost your entire paycheck on gambling something is definitely amiss. A lot of people discussed in this book ruined their marriages and lost all their friends because of gambling.

So dealing with an impulse control disorder is a real challenge and finally there is a book that describes exactly what someone goes through on a daily basis. I'd highly recommend this book to everyone interested in psychology. This should be required reading for family physicians, psychologists, counselors, social workers and psychiatrists. If you or someone you love is struggling with an impulse control disorder I'd highly recommend this book! There is hope and there are many solutions. Reading this book could save your life or the life of someone you love.

~ The Rebecca Review

A Must Read for Those Seeking Help for a Compulsive Disorder
An excellent examination of a poorly understood disorder.Few of us are able to distinguish between compulsive behavior and criminal acts.However, Dr.s Grant and Kim clearly show that people who suffer from compulsive urges are struggling with behavior they cannot control.This book is a comprehensive review of every aspect of the compulsive behaviors associated with uncontrollable urges to gamble, shop, steal, and have sex.Both those suffering from uncontrollable urges and their family and friends will benefit from the authors explanations of how to identify a compulsive disorder, possible causes and treatments, and resources for finding help.This was the first book I've found that focuses on the patient's own stories.Throughout the book I was struck by the authors' deep compassion for their patients and join their call to all doctors to familiarize themselves with the characteristics and current treatments for compulsive disorders.Just as many people have benefitted from the treatments described in this book, I am hopeful that a friend of mine will also regain health and happiness by reading this book.It may even save her life.This study also has important implications for the examination of other compulsive disorders and how we may be able to help many others take back control of their lives.

This book saved my life!
I have been searching for help my entire life. Having had lifelong problems with impulse control I have problems with relationships and even trouble with authorities occaisionally.No one would take me seriously labling me as weak or of low moral character.Having heard Dr Grant on television and radio speaking wih such empathy for Winona Ryder I new he could help me.Ibought his book the instant it came out.I was imediately able to apply his techniques to my own life.I really feel I have taken control of my life for the first time.The book is so well written, full of keen insight and examples drawn from Dr Grant's clinical practice.It is about time someone took my problems seriously. ... Read more

Product Description

Rooted in research and clinical practice, Compulsive Buying examines the drive that compels people to compulsively purchase and hoard their acquisitions. The authors and contributors cover the entire scope of this behavior and discuss what clinicians need to know in order to better understand and treat their clients. Among the key subjects examined are case reports, correct diagnosis, assessment and instruments, comorbidity, treatment, research, and directions for future research. The book ends with a useful guide for therapists, which includes data and research; and a treatment manual, which includes questionnaires and exercises for clinician and client alike.

Product Description
This is the first self-help book to introduce Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) Therapy to addicts. Long successful in the treatment of a range of psychological disorders, this controversial technique has recently been found to have long-term effectiveness for alcoholics and chronic drug users. ERP teaches addicts to confront their temptations in order to immunize themselves against powerful behavioral triggers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Book Review
This book was intense.I heard about it from a friend so I bought it.The idea was rightv on, the exercises so real, but the pictues and session, WOW!!!.It seems very intense but after reading more and doing more, I realized just how real ERP is.I like the idea of choices along with the concept of not being dictated by the addiction, but moreso giving the person power over their addiction.Nice concept.Thanks again for the ideas and help.I highly reccommend this book to anyone with a addiction.

Kill the Craving
This book was great.The concept is so realistic and simple but the actual sessions seem unbelievable.I would love to experience them myself.If you have any trainings. let me know, I want to tell my therapist about ERP.

Thanks,

Review for Kill the Craving
I had to write and tell you that I bought the book and found it very provactive.As a substance abuse counselor, the book was right on the money.It talks about the reality of the addiction and makes clients look at how their drug use encircles all aspects of their lives.Nice job!I reccommend this book to anyone working in the field who has an open mind to change....

Thanks You;
TM

review of Kill the Craving
I saw your book in the bookstore a few days ago.I did not buy it right away because after reading it in the store I thought it was not for me due to my recent arrival back into AA. Your approach is radicle but after a few days I thought about it and decided to buy this book. I have been battling this disease for years now and I decided I had to give it another chance.I will apply all the tools I could find because after many attempts to stay clean, I kept returning back to the bottle.I am optimistic about this attempt to stay clean because I do like the realtity of this concept.Even though it is not oriented on a twelve-step approach it does allow the freedom for me to incoropate my current tools and enhance them with the exercises and more importantly ERP.

Thank you and keep the information coming.

review of Kill the Craving
I saw your book in the bookstore a few days ago. I did not buy it right away because after reading it in the store I thought it was not for me due to my recent arrival back into AA. Your approach is radicle but after a few days I thought about it and decided to buy this book. I have been battling this disease for years now and I decided I had to give it another chance. I will apply all the tools I could find because after many attempts to stay clean, I kept returning back to the bottle. I am optimistic about this attempt to stay clean because I do like the realtity of this concept. Even though it is not oriented on a twelve-step approach it does allow the freedom for me to incoropate my current tools and enhance them with the exercises and more importantly ERP.

Thank you and keep the information coming. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An excellent overview of child fire-setting
Dr. Gaynor is one of a handful of true experts on juvenile fire-setting in the United States.She and her colleagues are doing great service by turning out books such as this one, which help us understand and do therapy with juvenile fire-setters.This book was hard to find, but worth the wait. ... Read more

Product Description
An estimated 3-50f all individuals who gamble will become compulsive gamblers. This "invisible addiction" can be financially and emotionally devastating to both the gambler and his/her family. This timely clinical manual explains why gambling is on the rise and the factors which distinguish recreational and compulsive gamblers. Mental health professionals will learn how to assess and treat compulsive gamblers using a variety of interventions: behavior therapy, inpatient treatment, family therapy, and 12-step programs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

This is a superb book whose time is long overdue.
Gambling is one of the most rapdily spreading forms of addiction. In response, the biomedical addictions establishment has responded in its typical fashion of first denial, then quick evaluation whether these"new" patients can make the practitioner more financially comforable. Following this comes the inevitable third generation of turf squabbles, where various segments of the addictions and other interested communities attempt to cut themselves the largest portion of pie they can.

McCown & Chamberlain are brutally honest with this grim reality, as they are equally blunt regarding the multi impediments anyone with a gambling problem faces. While their review of the literature is not academically pedantic, it is sufficient to cause the run-of-the-mill clinician or even parent to give serious consideration to the idea that gambling may be the crack of the next quarter century.

However, these authors are not pessimists! Nor are they idealogues with a turf to defend. Instead they insist that only a unified campaign from the biological, behavioral, and social sciences will help those whose gambling has crossed the line from harmless hobby to life threatening addictions.

These authors argue from a morally neutral tone-despite having witnessed the horror of gambling disorders first hand. They admit that a major limitation of the effort is the mental health community has committed so resources into treatment that we lag behind progress made in other fields of addiction be a half century or more. McCown & Chamberlain are not afraid to attempt to experiment and to admit failures. They are open when they are stymied by our social policy and lack of treatment technology.Yet in the best spirit of scientist/clinicians they have faith that progress is always possible and site just enough science to make the reader convinced.

In addition to the above, their outstanding case studies, sensitivities to women and minorities, scientific ecclecticism and almost missionary sense of calling the scientific community to arms makes this book most readable.

Finally, their continued explorations into addictions as nonlinear constructs, often with a family sytstemic root, remains one of this books most fascinating hypotheses. We can only hope that these researcher scratch time somewhere to continue practicing both good science and good clinical practice. ... Read more

Product Description
Road Rage provides a detailed and integrative summary of the existing literature on aggressive driving as well as detailed assessment information on the aggressive drivers from a variety of perspectives?standardized psychological tests, psychiatric diagnoses, and psychophysiological measurement, among others. ... Read more

Product Description
Do you ever feel as though you are simply not in control of your emotions? Are there times when the ability to control your emotions would change the outcome of events within your life?

For some of us it is decidedly difficult to control our emotions even though we know it may be necessary to do so. If you are one of these people, I want to share some exciting news with you in this 145 page book.

... Read more

Product Description
Impulsivity and aggression have undergone considerable research scrutiny in recent years and will comprise a major research topic in psychiatry over the next decade. Violence is a public health issue of great concern and advances in our knowledge of the psychiatry of aggression and disorders of impulse control are therefore of tremendous importance. Specifically addressing diagnostic, epidemiologic, evolutionary, neurobiological, neuropsychological and legal issues, this timely text brings together a large array of diverse data to provide a unique, comprehensive and up-to-date account of this subject. Specific impulse control disorders, personality disorders, and related disorders such as self-mutilation, bulimia, substance abuse and neurological trauma are discussed. Treatment strategies—articularly psychopharmacology, new agents undergoing trials and psychological approaches—are reviewed. No single work has yet attempted to address systematically the phenomenology, neurobiology and treatment of impulsivity, aggression and disorders of impulse control. Written by leading world authorities in their field, this text will have a wide audience including researchers and clinicians in psychiatry, psychology, psychopharmacology and mental health care, as well as those in the fields of social and health policy. ... Read more

Product Description
Recent years have witnessed major advances in the study of neuroscience that have increased our understanding of the relationship between cerebral processes and behavioural, cognitive and emotional disorders. This series aims to monitor important research developments in the field of biological psychiatry and their relevance to clinical practice.

At a time when violent crime is on the increase in a number of countries a book on aggression and impulsivity is undoubtedly welcome. This volume, written by experts in their field, covers a range of topics including the phenomenology of aggression and impulsivity, etiological factors and biological markers, and the treatments of these variables. This volume:

• Concentrates on the biological aspects of aggression and impulsivity
• Provides a timely and comprehensive publication, especially in view of the increase in crime in recent years

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Internal Medicine News, published by International Medical News Group on September 1, 2008. The length of the article is 1111 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Dopaminergics appear to impair impulse control.(Neurology)(Clinical report)
Author: Patrice Wendling
Publication: Internal Medicine News (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 1, 2008
Publisher: International Medical News Group
Volume: 41Issue: 17Page: 27(1)

Article Type: Clinical report

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more

Product Description
Help is here! Become a Master of Self-Control with The Kids of Camp MakeBelieve tm by Pamela Goldberg relates three different stories about true-to-life characters growing up in today's rapidly changing society.

Each story ends with several innovative workbook activities. Through art, clay sculpting, card games, acting, storytelling, meditation and fantasy, they are designed to help children learn how to manage their behavior and express their emotions appropriately.

The "Parent's Corner" gives parents many creative tips, suggestions and strategies that are used in child therapy sessions to help them reinforce the skills their children have learned in the workbooks, as well as examines their own feelings about their parenting practices. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

single mom finally gets help!
I am a single mom with 2 very active boys (ages 9 & 11).I was divorced 3 years ago.My kids learned so much from this book.It was a lifesaver!They realized that they need to get in control and to say what they are feeling.My ex and I also learned not to let our kids maniupulate us anymore!I wish we lived near the author so we could send our kids to camp make believe.

Help for my children has arrived!
This is great that somebody finally wrote a kids self-help book that kids and parents can understand.My children and 6 and 8 and man have they learned from these stories.They love all the activities and we talk for hours using the discussion questions.I totally think this is a really good resource for parents.

Become a Master of Self-Control
I first bought this book for my 9 year old son because he was having problems in school.I then realized this is a great book with really easy to use workbook pages for my 6 year old.We love playing the "Crazy Action Animals" role playing game.My 6 year old laughs herself silly when we play the scared mouse or ashamed puppy. Both kids are learning to express their feelings better.I am happy to recommend this book to other parents.

Become a Master of Self-Control
I first bought this book for my 9 year old son because he was having problems in school.I then realized this is a great book with really easy to use workbook pages for my 6 year old.We love playing the "Crazy Action Animals" role playing game.My 6 year old laughs herself silly when we play the scared mouse or ashamed puppy. Both kids are learning to express their feelings better.I am happy to recommend this book to other parents.

This book really helped me
I just turned eleven and my mommy and daddy just told me that they were going to get seperated. Mommy bought me this book and really helped me.I went through all of the exercises and after a month I feel so much better.I want to meet her and give her a big hug. ... Read more

Product Description
The term impulsivity is commonly used to describe a person who is prone to act on whim without considering the long-term consequences of his or her actions. Several different definitions and measures have been established to examine impulsive behavior in a variety of populations such as substance abuse addicts, adolescents, brain-damaged patients and those who suffer from eating disorders. Impulsivity is a construct both complex and multi-dimensional. It has been characterized as an inability to inhibit appropriate behaviors or to delay gratification, acting without forethought or sufficient information and the failure to correct inappropriate responses. Its multiple descriptive features have led some to suggest that impulsivity is not a unitary construct, but rather comprises 'several related phenomena which are classified together as impulsivity'. It has been linked to various negative outcomes including criminality, delinquency, extramarital affairs and gambling. This book gathers the latest research from around the globe in this field. ... Read more

Product Description

Avoiding hard-to-understand medical jargon, the four-volume “Gale Encyclopedia of Children’s Health” uses language that parents can understand, while still providing enough depth to benefit today's health science students. The set provides in-depth coverage of pediatric diseases and disorders, along with issues related to physical and cognitive/behavioral development.

Product Description
Are you at risk for developing a gambling problem?Do you know someone who is?This book provides an inside look at the hell of the pathological gambler through actual case studies, and provides guidance in how to identify the problem and obtain necessary help. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Can't Even Read This Book Due To Poor Editing
I bought this book in conjunction with one other, "Behind the 8 Ball", in order to understand what was occuring in my life due to my husband's compulsive gambling.I can't even READ it as there are many sentences and paragraphs missing in the first chapter.

It is obvious that the writer uploaded a file with many typographical errors in it and that it was published with content missing.

IF the book were to be edited properly and the missing text added so that you could make sense of the writing, it may be a decent book, but there is no way to tell without having the full text to read.

I was very disappointed.I'm not talking about a typo here or there, I'm talking about paragraphs in there entirety missing, like someone accidently high-lighted text and hit delete.There are pages where the text starts mid-sentence as well.

I can't comment on the quality of the material as it just isn't there.I would not recommend anyone purchase this edition of this book as you simply cannot read it.I wasted my money, unfortunately.

Horrific editing
This book is riddled with typos, missing words, and even missing sentences.I managed to get through about 30% of the book, but finally could not stand it any longer.The book title is actually very apropos - it describes perfectly what reading the book is like.There are numerous other options out there which are much better on every level, including Behind the 8-Ball and Born to Lose.Don't waste your money on this one!

Eye Opening Easy Read
A number of Vignettes highlighting actual accounts of people becoming embroiled in the "hell" of pathological gambling. This is a well written, inexpensive, and easy read. I believe it is useful as an introduction to the topic.

With the explosion of Casinos all over America we are seeing an equally proportionate rate of ruined lives related to gambling. The suicide rate among problem gamblers is extraordinarily high. It is most important for healthcare professionals, both in addiction and general medicine,to become familiar with this problem and screen patients for potential gambling addiction. This book was part of my curriculum as an addictions counselor in the state of New York.

Another excellent book on this topic is 'Born to Lose' by Bill Lee, who also wrote the book inspiring the movie 'Chinatown'.

NO CHEMICALS, STILL BAD
IN THE ACTION MAN, THAT'S WHAT I WANT, WILL TAKE YOUR MONEY, HOUSE, CAR AND YOU MIGHT LAND IN JAIL? ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from The Psychological Record, published by Psychological Record on March 22, 2000. The length of the article is 6987 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: A COMPARISON BETWEEN ADULTS WITH CONDUCT DISORDER AND NORMAL CONTROLS ON A CONTINUOUS PERFORMANCE TEST: DIFFERENCES IN IMPULSIVE RESPONSE CHARACTERISTICS.
Author: Donald M. Dougherty
Publication: The Psychological Record (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 2000
Publisher: Psychological Record
Volume: 50Issue: 2Page: 203

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Clinical Psychiatry News, published by International Medical News Group on November 1, 2001. The length of the article is 503 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Impulsivity a Key Characteristic of Bipolar Disorder. ('Sine Qua Non for Mania').
Author: Carl Sherman
Publication: Clinical Psychiatry News (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 2001
Publisher: International Medical News Group
Volume: 29Issue: 11Page: 35(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from The Psychological Record, published by Psychological Record on September 22, 2001. The length of the article is 4962 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: CONTROL OF IMPULSIVE CHOICE THROUGH BIASING INSTRUCTIONS.(Statistical Data Included)
Author: Douglas J. Navarick
Publication: The Psychological Record (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 2001
Publisher: Psychological Record
Volume: 51Issue: 4Page: 549

Article Type: Statistical Data Included

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more