A common belief is that compulsive behaviors trap people in a “habit loop” that takes over self-control. New research, however, suggests this explanation may be incomplete. For many years, compulsive ...

Compulsive behaviors are actions that are engaged in repeatedly and consistently, despite the fact that they are experienced as aversive or troubling. Yet treatment can help to manage or overcome ...

Why should we be concerned about compulsive sexual behavior? Pornography, which is just one part of compulsive sexual behavior, is a huge business, and as such, it is here to stay. Some estimates ...

Maia Kinney-Petrucha speaks with Business Insider about being diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder at age 4.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have identified a brain circuit that can drive repetitive and compulsive behaviors in mice, even when natural rewards such as food or social contact are ...

Is compulsive behavior common in people with Alzheimer’s or dementia? When someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, many aspects of his or her life are forced to change and will ...

Although anger is not a core symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), it is a common experience in people with OCD. OCD involves intrusive thoughts and feelings, and a person uses compulsive ...

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can affect children and adults. Obsessive thoughts are difficult to spot, but compulsive behaviors are usually more obvious. OCD often develops between the ages of ...

Psychiatrists take new interest in once benign hair pulling, nail biting. Oct. 3, 2012— -- When Nicole Santamorena was a baby she pulled her hair for comfort when she was distressed or sick. But ...

My Master’s thesis was on quitting smoking, and one interesting fact from that body of research was that more of today’s smokers are extremely addicted versus the smokers of a generation ago.* (This ...

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have identified a brain circuit that can drive repetitive and compulsive behaviors in mice, even when natural rewards such as food or social contact are ...