Obsessions
Obsession, preoccupation, passion, fixation, addiction, special interest, etc.
Clinically, the word ‘obsession’ is used to describe the frightening or disturbing images, ideas, etc. that a person with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder experiences, however I am referring to the colloquial definition of the word ‘obsession’: “an idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person’s mind” (from the New Oxford American Dictionary).
I also like this definition: “encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus” (from the DSM-IV).
Wiktionary also has a good definition: “1. A compulsive or irrational preoccupation. 2. An unhealthy fixation.”
I frequently hear people use ‘obsession’ to refer to something or someone colloquially, for example, “you’re so obsessed with cars”, “I’m obsessed with my boyfriend.” This term is overused incorrectly, but I mustn’t be a hypocrite, because I also frequently use it. Right now I am ‘obsessed’ with psychology, specifically abnormal psychology (the study of mental disorders), which is why I am writing this. It is basically all I can think about, usually all I can talk about, I spend hours each day researching and reading about it, and on most nights, I stay up until 12:30pm + thinking and reading about it. This fits the definitions of ‘obsession’ that I have quoted.
I have decided to compile my own criteria for ‘obsession’ to stop misunderstandings of the word in its colloquial sense.
Diagnostic criteria for Obsessions
A. Encompassing preoccupation with a specific topic, idea, or person as manifested by all of the following:
(1) the preoccupation is thought of at least once every hour
(2) the preoccupation is brought up in conversations, which may not be of interest to the other person involved
(3) a large amount of information (e.g. facts and statistics) is known about the preoccupation
B. The preoccupation causes clinically significant impairment or distraction as manifested by at least one of the following:
(1) sleep is disturbed due to the preoccupation
(2) the preoccupation often prevents the success or ‘gets in the way’ of more important tasks and activities (e.g. chores, school work, exercise, time spent with family)
(3) a large amount of money is spent on the preoccupation
posted by Alex @ 8:14 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home