Compulsion to brood

definition

The term Compulsion to brood is made up of two words that both relate to the subject area of psychiatry attributable to: brooding and compulsion.

Brooding describes a process of reflection in which the thoughts revolve around a topic or a set of topics for the entire duration. Those affected do not come to a solution for the well thought-out problems and deal permanently with the relevant topic.

force or one Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a mental disorder. Here the patient feels a strong urge (or compulsion) to do or think certain things without being able to defend himself. The condition is described as stressful by those affected and there are restrictions in everyday life.

So the compulsion to brood is that constant urgeto think about the same topic without coming to a solution. Often times the problems people are dealing with have no real solution. That makes their situation even more difficult. Although they are often aware of the pointlessness of their thought processes, they can not counter them.

causes

The tendency to brood is initially strong personality dependent on the person concerned. Some people are generally more concerned and concerned about current or past issues. A supposedly simple solution is more likely to question what one calls pessimistic kind could interpret.

The cause is not always illness. With certain events in life, for example when you quit, worrying thoughts arise, which in this case revolve around the further financial future. The distinction between that understandable brooding and one morbid tendency lies in the feeling of the person concerned: if the person suffers from their own thoughts and cannot tear himself away from the topic despite being distracted, a mental illness could be in the foreground. Even if the obsession with brooding results in restrictions in everyday life, it is probably due to an illness.

The cause of a tendency to brood or an obsession to brood is often found in one depressive disorder. In most cases of this disease, this is an important criterion, leading to the classic symptoms of the clinical picture depression heard. Another illness in the field of psychiatry is that generalized anxiety disorder. The patients have a broadly fearful attitude and are worried a lot because of the compulsion to brood, mainly about the future. It is not uncommon for physical health to play an important role as a central issue.

Also read our topic: Causes of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Symptoms

General

Especially in moments of calm, the compulsion to brood takes the upper hand, which leads to many sleepless nights and as a result Tiredness, exhaustion and Susceptibility to infection leads. Because not only the psyche, but also the body suffers from this disorder. There are more or less severe restrictions in everyday life as too much time is spent brooding instead of devoting oneself to beneficial activities. The bad psychological state that arises as a result makes the compulsion to brood even more - a vicious circle. Since all intellectual resources are devoted to brooding, can cognitive deficits (Problems with thinking) such as memory problems or difficulty concentrating. This also increases the time that is inevitably sacrificed for the compulsion to brood.

Feelings of fear

There are various other symptoms that, in addition to circling thoughts, characterize an urge to brood. People often feel anxious. These result on the one hand from the panic of never getting rid of the thoughts, on the other hand from the supposed hopelessness, since there seems to be no solution to the thought-out problem.

depressions

Depression is the most common mental illness of the world. Many people plague the main symptoms: one depressed mood, a comprehensive Loss of interest and Lack of drive. Various side or additional symptoms are defined that occur more frequently in patients with depression. These additional symptoms also include a negative view of the future. This pessimistic attitude is usually associated with brooding. The own situation is seen as very hopeless, the personal future is extremely worried.

The comprehensive feeling of helplessness additionally fires the compulsion to brood and helps avoid finding a solution. Frequent brooding can often be identified as such by many patients suffering from depression and is one of the symptoms that those affected independently reveal when asked. Concern about one's own professional or financial future is little shame and is also widespread in the healthy population. Treatment for depression usually provides relief from the obsession with pondering. Since psychotherapy and medication are used here, self-treatment should be avoided and a doctor should be consulted.

therapy

If a person is brooding, it does not necessarily have to be treated. However, if the thoughts affect her and her life is affected by it, a doctor or a psychologist to be visited.

The importance of the compulsion to brood has increased in the therapy of mental disorders. Brooding is viewed as a symptom that occurs in many diseases across all disorders and requires a very individual treatment plan. In the meantime, in the therapy of a certain mental illness, coping with the compulsion to brood can be set as a therapy goal of its own, as the tendency to brood often existed before the illness. In the following, some treatment approaches are briefly explained, whereby the possibilities are even more far-reaching.

Psychoeducation

The patient is informed about his illness. By knowing that the compulsion to brood is a pathological process, the person concerned gains distance from the subject of his or her circle of thoughts. The brooding can now increasingly be viewed from the outside and can thus be influenced. The distance creates space for the patient and gives him back a piece of his lost independence.

Problem solving training

Strategies are worked out with the patient, which he can use when the compulsion to brood. The circle of thoughts should thus be interrupted by different paths. The episodes that otherwise last for hours are ended after a short time, which lowers the suffering of the person concerned and leaves room for other, beneficial activities.

Relaxation procedure

By learning Relaxation techniques the tense brooding phases can be broken or even prevented. If the person concerned notices that his thoughts are starting to circle, he applies the techniques. By relaxing the body - and in this sense also the mind - no concrete trains of thought can form and there is no brooding.

Tolerance training

The person concerned should learn to deal with negative events and thoughts. Its tolerance threshold for emotional frustration should be raised. Fewer topics are therefore considered to be dramatic and thus give no reason to ponder.

Confrontation of worries

The patient is instructed to think through to the end of his worries, which he is dealing with as part of the compulsion to brood. He arrives at the end of the train of thought and can work out possible solutions with the therapist. Often the pointless worry itself turns out to be. The person concerned must be urged again and again to accept the most likely scenario.

homeopathy

In the homeopathy there are various remedies that are supposed to help against depression. Since compulsion to brood is often a symptom of depression, appropriate remedies are also used here.

A homeopathic remedy that is said to have a special effect on people with a tendency to brood is Natrum muriaticum. It is about table salt, the deficiency of which is said to lead to the brooding states. By taking sodium muriaticum, various homeopathic aspects should be served and the condition of the person affected should be improved. They should help against the tendency to brood, make the person concerned more accessible to their own emotional world, stimulate the appetite and lead to a certain emotional balance.