Q. I am writing to you because I would like to know how do you know if someone has this intermittent explosive disorder? My fiancee is an angry person due to childhood experiences. His father left him and doesn't want anything to do with him, and he has cystic fibrosis on top of it too. He is dealing with a lot in his life and I'm not sure how to handle things anymore. I would like to help him, but don't know where to go or what to do. I would like some information about this disorder because of what I have read, I feel he may have this. Please help me! I don't want to lose him!
A. The intermittent explosive disorder is likely a limbic system seizure very similar to the BPD, and the BPD must be ruled out to make that diagnosis.
The main distinguishing features to me include lack of chronic symptoms - mood swings, chronic anger, emptiness, depression, rejection sensitivity - and stress related symptoms including dysphoria (anxiety, rage, depression and despair), paranoia and dissociation.