For years, compulsive behaviors have been viewed as bad habits stuck on autopilot. But new research in rats found the ...

New research suggests that compulsive behavior may be less about willpower failure and more about inflammation quietly disrupting the brain’s reward and habit circuits. While the idea of “hidden brain ...

A specific pattern of brain activity in a frontal brain region is linked to compulsive behaviors like excessive hand washing, chronic hair-pulling, and skin-picking in people with obsessive compulsive ...

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a mental health disorder, "where a person gets caught in a vicious cycle of obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors," explains Guerra. The thoughts and fears such ...

Compulsive shopping (sometimes called compulsive buying or shopping addiction) refers to a preoccupation with purchasing products and spending money. Compulsive shopping shares several characteristics ...

Sudden onset obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) may result from infections such as Lyme disease, mononucleosis, mycoplasma, and influenza. OCD is a chronic mental health condition. People with OCD ...

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 ...

Obsessive-compulsive disorder can be disabling without treatment. Learn more about when and how to seek professional help.

The parents of a 10-year-old Raleigh boy began noticing strange behavior in their son about a year ago, but had no idea that it could be the result of strep throat. The parents of a 10-year-old ...