Compulsive behavior

Compulsive behavior, or compulsion, is defined as performing an action persistently and repetitively, often as an attempt to make an unwanted obsession go away. It reflects a need to reduce apprehension caused by internal feelings a person wants to abstain from or control, and a major underlying cause is obsessive-compulsive disorder. A person experiencing compulsive behavior keeps repeating the same action because they feel they have to, even while recognizing that the action does not serve their own goals. Someone may perform an action to try to prevent or reduce anxiety, uncertainty, or a feared negative consequence, and the behavior becomes compulsive once a person feels an inescapable need to act, cannot stop themselves from acting, and remains aware that the action works against what they actually want. These actions are carried out habitually and repetitively in a specific pattern. Many different behaviors can become compulsive, including shopping, hoarding, eating, gambling, hair pulling known as trichotillomania, skin picking, itching, checking, counting, washing, sexual behavior, and scrupulosity, among others.