Obsessions and compulsions help in St Albans & Chichester
Obsessions are not the same as compulsions and the two are often confused.
What’s the difference?
Obsessions vs Compulsions, let’s look at an example. A person can have a compulsion to tidy their home. They do this and feel an immediate sense of satisfaction for doing so. When the task is complete, the thought process I must tidy my house disappears … and the person feels much better, turning a negative situation (untidy house) into a positive, satisfying one (tidy house).
An obsession however, the sufferer broods and ruminates about the task (or thought). Thoughts come more and more often, until the person becomes preoccupied with them. An obsessive act (or thought) is usually about the deferment of punishment. The difficulty is, that’s unlike the compulsive, the obsessive feels no reward at all for performing his task (or thought): he/she feels no relief, no satisfaction, nothing at all. So, minutes (or hours) later, the brooding and ruminating returns.
With a compulsion, the sufferer feels an immediate benefit, with an obsession, there is no benefit (apart from having deferred their worries for a few minutes).
Obsessions
Obsessions are recurrent thoughts, beliefs or ideas that dominate a person’s mind. They affect both men and women from all ages and often occur in people that are already something of a perfectionist or who are anxious to get everything to be just right.
Obsessions can include:
Counting ritual
Checking things repeatedly e.g. locks, windows, doors, ovens etc
Elaborate absurd rituals e.g. if you bump one side of your body you have to hit the other side to even things up
Constant negative thoughts or worry
Chronic Insomnia
Worry about dirt or contamination
Repeated hand washing
Being obsessive about health or disease or bodily symptoms (that transfer from one thing to the next quite rapidly)
Obsessive jealousy or worry about partner.
There is often the dominating thought that if the task (e.g. counting / checking things) isn’t carried out… then something bad or unpleasant is going to happen. Obsessionals find it difficult to let go of things or stop worrying / brooding and their worries may transfer from one thing to the next rapidly.
As far as a professional therapist is concerned OCD is really an obsessional neurosis.
Compulsions
With compulsive behaviour the person does feel some reward…they get some satisfaction and escape from life for a while. The more stress (and anxiety) the person feels, the stronger their compulsions, and the more they will carry out their compulsive behaviour, often resulting in feelings of guilt (I shouldn’t have done that, I’ll stop tomorrow).
Compulsive behaviour can include:
Drinking (where drinking alcohol is excessive or out of control)
Smoking
Nail biting
Comfort eating / overeating
Gambling
Drug addictions
Impulse control problems e.g. cutting, burning or scratching oneself.
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