Compulsions come from a need that is desperate and tortured. They may bring relief, but they bring little enjoyment, and while one part of our brain desperately wishes to stop them, another is afraid of stopping.

What causes compulsion?

Compulsions are learned behaviours, which become repetitive and habitual when they are associated with relief from anxiety. OCD is due to genetic and hereditary factors. Chemical, structural and functional abnormalities in the brain are the cause. Distorted beliefs reinforce and maintain symptoms associated with OCD.

Where does compulsive behavior come from?

When people engage in compulsions, they become trapped in a pattern of repetitive actions or senseless thinking from which it can be difficult to break free. Compulsions may have a genetic component—they are often seen in identical twins, for instance—but they also often arise after stressful events, trauma, or abuse.