'Uk'-Type Anger Control Disorder Crimes Most Common Motive... Number of Patients Also Greatly Increased

9 Line Mobile Phone Assault Woman
40s Actress, Husband with Weapon, etc.
41% of Crime Motives 'Accidental'

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] "I should have received mental treatment or diagnosis such as intermittent explosive disorder, but I hadn't thought about it until now."

Kim Mo (27), a woman in her 20s accused of special assault and insult, choked up ahead of the first trial sentencing held on the 8th at the Seoul Southern District Court. Kim was charged with assaulting a man in his 60s, Mr. B, multiple times with the corner of her cellphone on the Seoul Subway Line 9 at around 9:46 p.m. on March 16, causing injuries requiring two weeks of treatment, and insulting him. It was also confirmed that she hit a citizen on the head during an argument on Subway Line 1 last year. The court sentenced Kim to one year in prison.

Earlier last month, a man in his 30s who wielded a weapon against his wife, an actress in her 40s, was brought to trial while in custody. The man is accused of wielding a weapon at his wife in front of their home in Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, at around 8:40 a.m. on the 14th of last month. The police confirmed that the man was diagnosed with 'intermittent explosive disorder' last year and are investigating the possibility of an 'anger-related crime.'

According to an analysis of major crime indicators by the National Police Agency on the 18th, among 341 people arrested for murder in 2020, the largest number, 116, committed the crime 'impulsively.' Among 454 suspects of attempted murder, 189 (41.6%), and among 313,990 suspects of violence, 130,940 (41.7%) had motives that were all 'impulsive.' The perpetrator who recently assassinated former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Yamagami Tetsuya, was also classified as a typical patient with intermittent explosive disorder.

Patients with intermittent explosive disorder often have lower self-control compared to ordinary people when it comes to regulating or appropriately expressing anger, and frequently exhibit an unhesitant attitude toward violence, which tends to lead to a higher likelihood of committing crimes.

The number of patients with intermittent explosive disorder is also increasing. According to the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service's medical big data, the number of patients with 'habit and impulse disorders' increased by 28.8% from 5,986 in 2017 to 7,715 last year. Monthly data also shows a steady increase: from 1,727 patients in January 2020 to 1,901 in July 2020, 1,946 in January 2021, and 2,197 in July 2021. Considering that monthly data is only compiled up to eight months ago, the current number of patients is estimated to be even higher.

Professor Lim Myung-ho of Dankook University's Department of Psychology said, "Intermittent explosive disorder is a variation of the expression of extreme suicidal behavior. If extreme suicidal behavior is an act that harms oneself, intermittent explosive disorder can be regarded as a similar act that harms others, only the target has changed. Therefore, prompt diagnosis and treatment are necessary."