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What to do when a habit becomes a problem
Most of us have habits - behaviors
which we do repeatedly - but they really don’t cause us much, if
any, distress and don’t interfere much, or at all, with our daily
lives. Take for example, someone who is fairly meticulous about
washing his or her hands before eating, after going to the bathroom,
and after touching something “dirty”.
When does this type of behavior become a problem in
need of treatment?
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The 2 main guiding principles are: |
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The behavior markedly interferes with
activities of daily living. In our example above, our hand
washer would begin washing for longer and longer periods of
time, often being late for appointments or not getting to
them at all, exasperating family members, and even
developing skin problems on the hands.
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The behavior causes the individual a great
deal of distress, but the person is unable to stop the
behavior. In the case of our hand-washer, there would be a
great deal of guilt, frustration, and anxiety over the hand
washing but still a persistent need to wash.
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Many other behaviors could become
problematic habits; these would include issues such as over- or
under-eating, smoking, drinking alcohol, excessive orderliness,
persistent sloppiness, gambling, sexual addictions, overspending,
hair pulling, etc. When to seek professional help from a
psychologist, social worker, or psychiatrist is very much up to you.
Usually the earlier the better as far as treatment is concerned.
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