Channel 4 to air two part mental health series ‘My Mania and Me’

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An upcoming two-part series for Channel 4 will examine the lives of six people who have an uncontrollable urge to start fires, gamble, have sex, shop, steal or give in to bursts of anger.

The individuals concerned are affected by conditions such as pyromania, kleptomania and nymphomania, which are all a form of Impulsive Control Disorder or ICD – a relatively new definition of a psychiatric condition first documented in the 2013 edition of the psychiatrists’ bible, The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Stastistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

ICD is the failure to resist a temptation, an urge or impulse that may harm the sufferer or others and through a specific lack of self-control.

In the two ground-breaking films, the broadcaster will follow the sufferers as they confront their urges before they have a lasting effect on their lives. The films will also hear from experts studying ICD, who are beginning to identify the specific parts of the brain that control impulse. These developments could have a dramatic impact on our understanding of the urges that drive us.

The current title of the CB Films produced series – My Mania and Me – could change before its as yet unknown transmission date.