Parabulia

PARABULIA (from Greek para-contrary and boule-will), a psychopathological symptom characterized by a pathological disorder of impulses in the direction of their perversion with a change in their essence. A typical example of P. is the very common impulse toward self-poisoning with various narcotic and stimulating agents and most frequently in the form of an irresistible impulse toward alcoholic beverages (binge drinking, or dipsomania); obsessive and irresistible impulse to expose the sexual organs in the presence of persons of the opposite sex (exhibitionism); an example of particularly sharp perversion of impulse is the impulse toward animals (bestiality), reaching the degree of pathological passion and sexual desire (zoophilia). The types of P. are extremely numerous and varied, just as differently they are valued in one or another clinical picture.