Disinhibition

Disinhibition

Disinhibited behavior is impulsive, showing poor judgment and insight; it may transgress normal cultural or social bounds. There is a loss of normal emotional and/or behavioral control. The disinhibited patient may be inappropriately jocular (witzelsucht), short-tempered (verbally abusive, physically aggressive), distractible (impaired attentional mechanisms), and show emotional lability. A Disinhibition Scale encompassing various domains (motor, intellectual, instinctive, affective, sensitive) has been described. Disinhibition is a feature of frontal lobe, particularly orbitofrontal, dysfunction. This may be due to neurodegenerative disorders (frontotemporal dementia, Alzheimer’s disease), mass lesions, or be a feature of epileptic seizures.

Cross References

Attention; Emotionalism, Emotional lability; Frontal lobe syndromes; Witzelsucht