How many times have we been left thinking about a situation without being able to stop? How many times does the same image cross your mind? Human beings use their minds for many activities in our daily lives. When we think about something, images referring to a certain moment generally appear. The sounds that were part of the scene and the emotions we had may even be present.
However, sometimes we have thoughts that are not voluntary and arise spontaneously without us having anticipated it. These types of ideas seem to have no end and can be difficult to handle if we don’t have the right data. Do you want to know more about this? In this Psychology-Online article, we will provide you with information about the obsession in psychology, what it is, causes, symptoms and treatment.
What is obsession in psychology
The definition of obsession in psychology refers to those thoughts, images and memories that arise involuntarily and are constantly repeated in our minds. Obsessions can remain on the mental level or lead to certain actions that a person feels they must perform to have a certain security regarding some fact that causes them concern.
This produces an unpleasant sensation in the person who suffers from the obsessions, since they cannot control them. According to the DSM-V, this clinical condition is called obsessive-compulsive disorder. In this article, we tell you which ones are different.
Causes of obsession in psychology
Obsession in psychology appears due to certain factors that we will describe below:
- Imitation of behaviors: Human beings have references throughout life from which we acquire certain traits. Thus, one of the causes of obsession may be due to the imitation of familiar behaviors with obsessive patterns. It is possible that the person imitates these patterns and they last over time.
- unpleasant experiences: Living through stressful moments can lead to the formation of certain obsessions. For example, a person who has been robbed in his house could have the obsessive habit of checking ten times if the door is locked before leaving, because there is a fear that this situation will be repeated again.
- Genetic aspects: the inheritance of genes could be linked to the appearance of obsessions, given that there are certain ones that are responsible for processing information from the environment. In the case of people who suffer from obsessions, it is possible that the neural connections are different, although this has not been completely proven.
Symptoms of obsession in psychology
To detect obsessions, it is important know their modes of appearance, since this will enable us to make a decision to address them in the best possible way. Next, we will mention the main symptoms of obsession in psychology:
- Excessive fear of dirt. In this article, you will see.
- Overriding need to maintain order and/or cleaning.
- Repetitive and long-lasting behaviors: For example, checking if the lights are off again and again.
- Repetition of certain words that can represent something important to the person.
- Difficulty being in messy places.
- Unpleasant thoughts about sex and religion.
- Appearance of guilty feeling intense.
- Rigid lifestyle habits and unchangeable.
For these manifestations to be considered an obsession, they must be maintained over time. Likewise, the presence of any of these symptoms does not necessarily represent an obsession. The diagnosis must be carried out by a health professionalwho will suggest a treatment appropriate to the needs of each patient, taking into account the characteristics and severity of each case.
Treatment of obsession in psychology
How do you cure an obsession? There are some treatments to treat obsessions. The most recommended are the following:
Psychotherapy
Carrying out psychological therapy will allow us to address the problems that arise from obsessive behaviors and ideas. Within psychotherapy, there are two types of therapies:
- Of short duration: treatments in which problem resolution is worked on using techniques of progressive exposure to the stimuli that trigger obsessions. This approach emphasizes the difficulties that a person has in managing life situations and attempts to modify their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
- Long lasting: They try to find in the past the origin of the conflicts that a person has. This makes it possible to approach certain situations in a different way, since it is understood that current problems come from situations that occurred in the past. An example of this type of therapy is psychoanalysis.
Psychiatric medication
Medication provision is one of the treatments for obsession in psychology. Medication can alter brain functioning, generating relief in the patient who suffers from obsessions. However, the use of psychiatric medications without the supervision of a mental health professional is not recommended.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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References
- American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. Arlington: Panamericana Medical Publishing.
Bibliography
- Navarra Bayón, D. (2004). Characteristics and treatment of treatment-resistant obsessive disorder. Psicothema Magazine, 16 (2), 241-247.
- Sanz Vellosillo, P., Fernández-Cuevas Vicario, A. (2015). Obsessive compulsive disorder. Medicine Magazine, 11 (84), 5008-5014.