• Has difficulty waiting in lines or taking turns
• Blurts out things
• Is a risk-taker or a dare-devil
• Has difficulty delaying gratification
• Jumps too quickly to inaccurate conclusions
• Has difficulty regulating alertness, either "wired" or "dead"
• Gives up too easily
• Has trouble getting started on a task, procrastinates
• Cannot get things done unless there is an absolute deadline
• Unaware of impact on other people
• Compulsive behavior (tics, rituals, "addictions", etc)
From time to time all of us have experienced some of these symptoms. In deciding if there is a problem, one must consider how often and how severely the symptoms are revealed. Only a thorough clinical evaluation can determine if there is a condition requiring treatment.
Most behavioral problems are one or the other
Balancing rational thinking and emotions to allow healthy behavioral choices can be challenging for some people. Impulsive behavior is acting without adequate thinking and results from a reduced ability to inhibit or prevent certain behavioral actions. Impulsive behavior is especially common in children and adults who have ADD as well as people with autism, bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder.
Compulsive behavior is doing something because you feel compelled to do it, feeling that you must do it even if it doesn't seem right, or rational to you. Compulsive behavior is the basis for conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the motor and vocal tic behavior of Tourette's syndrome, and disorders commonly called "addictions" (overeating, substance abuse, gambling).
Do or do not. There is no try. ~Yoda
Sometimes we know what to do, and we know how to do it, but we just don't do it. These situations may reflect a problem with motivation. Motivation is the the activation of goal-directed behavior. We find the energy or drive to do some behavior, take some action, to achieve a specific goal. If we will not, or cannot, then we may be lacking either internal or external motivation, or both.
Family therapy, behavior therapy, and neurofeedback
Improving behavior requires a careful combination of skills and motivation. We need to learn HOW to improve our behavior, and we need to be clear WHY we are working towards self-improvement. Improved state management from neurofeedback training can reduce impulsivity and compulsivity as well as improve internal motivation, making behavioral change much easier.