Intermittent Explosive Disorder

Reading today about this find by a heath care team at Harvard Medical School, I felt a great disturbance, as if millions of criminal defense lawyers suddenly cried out in glee.

From the press release:

A seldom-studied mental illness called Intermittent Explosive Disorder, characterized by recurrent episodes of angry and potentially violent outbursts—seen in cases of road rage or spousal abuse—has been found to be much more common than previously thought. Depending upon how broadly it is defined, this disorder affects as many as 7.3 percent of adults, or 16 million Americans, in their lifetimes.

Hmm. “How broadly it is defined.” No need to worry about that part, medical community; the legal community will get right on it.