A long-held view is that compulsive behaviors involve individuals getting stuck in a "habit loop" that overrides self-control, but new research in rats from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) ...

Mental health professionals say obsessive-compulsive disorder affects millions and can involve intrusive thoughts, anxiety, ...

Compulsive behaviors are actions that are engaged in repeatedly and consistently, despite the fact that they are experienced as aversive or troubling. Yet treatment can help to manage or overcome ...

A recent study in rats suggests that compulsive behaviors, such as handwashing and gambling, may be driven by inflammation in the brain rather than habit loops. Researchers found that ...

The series turned a voyeuristic lens to people with unusual habits, but it did raise awareness of various compulsive disorders.

Is compulsive behavior common in people with Alzheimer’s or dementia? When someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, many aspects of his or her life are forced to change and will ...

Eating disorders and OCD can look strikingly similar on the surface. Understanding what drives the behavior is essential for ...

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can affect children and adults. Obsessive thoughts are difficult to spot, but compulsive behaviors are usually more obvious. OCD often develops between the ages of ...

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 ...

Why do some people keep making the same harmful choices, even when they know better? A global study has revealed three distinct decision-making types and why punishment doesn’t work for everyone. When ...

Psychiatrists take new interest in once benign hair pulling, nail biting. Oct. 3, 2012— -- When Nicole Santamorena was a baby she pulled her hair for comfort when she was distressed or sick. But ...

At the Ithaca Yacht Club, people braved the frigid temps of Cayuga Lake to ring in the New Year for a good cause. The Ithaca ...