Mental health articles

The person who repeats the same behaviour again and again Some people have an illness where they repeat the same thing again and again. Typically, this is washing hands or having a bath (several times a day). Other examples are the person checking whether he has done something, such as whether the door is locked. These symptoms are called ‘compulsions’. Some people also have thoughts that repeat again and again. These thoughts are distressing, such as sexual thoughts or thoughts of murdering a loved relative. These are called ‘obsessions’. There is often a link between the compulsion and obsession. For example, a person may have a repeated thought that she is dirty, especially when she touches a particular object. This leads to the repeated washing of hands. A person may have the repeated thought that he has not closed the door. This leads to the repeated checking of whether the door is closed. If this happens once or twice, then it is probably normal. Only if it happens many times a day, and makes the person feel distressed, is it a sign of an illness. Obsessions and compulsions are symptoms of a mental illness called obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). In reality, few people will ever complain of these symptoms to a health worker. Instead, many will become very unhappy because of their symptoms and often complain of tiredness or worry or depression.

Tags: obsessions