Aboulomania

Aboulomania, from the Greek a- meaning without and boule meaning will, is a mental disorder in which the patient displays pathological indecisiveness. The term was created in 1883 by the neurologist William Alexander Hammond, who defined it as a form of insanity characterised by an inertness, torpor or paralysis of the will. It is typically associated with anxiety, stress, depression and mental anguish, and it severely affects a person's ability to function socially; in extreme cases the difficulties it causes can lead to suicide. Many people are indecisive at times, but rarely to the extent of obsession. The prefrontal cortex, which is tied to rational choice, can hold several pieces of information at once, and this may overwhelm a person facing a decision, producing paralysis by analysis. Although it is a recognised and diagnosable mental disorder, aboulomania is not recognised by the DSM-5.