Impulse control disorder?!?

My mom and I had a lengthy conversation about gambling and impulse control  while we were out shopping yesterday.  Since that talk, I have been doing some research and believe more than ever that the two go hand in hand.  One of my sons, who was diagnosed years ago with Attention Deficit Disorder, struggles daily with controlling his impulsive nature. I was comparing his actions while shopping to my Mom's when she decides to impulsively pull into a casino or restaurant that she knows has some machines in a back room.  She finds it difficult to shop in malls when she is surrounded by options as does my son.  Taking them both shopping in one day was probably not the smartest idea!

However, what came from that shopping trip, was enlightenment.  Is is possible that my Mom is suffering from an impulse control disorder?  It seems highly likely now that I have given it some thought.  I look back through her life and see that she has a history of impulsive choices.  She noted that online shopping is always easier for her.  She can look at one product at a time compared to being overloaded in a store.  It is a definite struggle for her to refrain from buying what she doesn't need when she is surrounded by large numbers of options.  In other words, she usually comes home with a lot of "stuff" that she didn't intend to buy or doesn't need.

What is the answer?  I don't know, yet.  But, in my black and white mind, it seems that most problems have a solution.  My suggestion to her was to call her doctor and discuss it.  Her therapist had brought up the subject of impulsivity but she didn't seem to take it to heart.  Now, I think it is time to research this subject more.  As is usually the case when I am presented with a new challenge, I read.  I just ordered the book in the link and am planning on a trip to the library later today if I can find time between track practice, band rehearsal, a piano lesson, and theater class.  I mentioned the sticky part, didn't I?  Choices and priorities!  The more we discover about our conditions or those conditions of the people we love, the more we realize we don't know nearly enough.  So, again, I research.