What it means if you constantly need to count the things around you – and when it can become dangerous

Most people connect to certain numbers, but not all of them have a health problem

People who count things around them all day often suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder and cannot easily eliminate the habit.

However, sometimes such behavior is a consequence of complex neurological and mental illnesses, so it is advisable to go to a psychiatrist in order to determine the true diagnosis.

Compulsive counting and obsessive-compulsive disorder

Compulsive counting is a common symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder. People who suffer from this way of counting things around them often consider that certain numbers have special meaning in their lives, so they do special actions when that number appears. In this way, they ensure that they feel good, reports the Telegraph.

People who count compulsively may do so without thinking deeply about the number. They most often count every step, passing cars, pots, tiles, etc. This counting can be action in the mind, but also physiological action with sound.

People who count also do not have a clear reason for counting, but behind their counting there is often at least some fear that guides them. So they think that something bad will happen to them if they don't cross the four-step path or if they don't look at the clock at the appointed time. They are deeply connected to counting things because emotional uncertainty prompts them to do so.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder based on fear is most often related to the existence of the patient or his family. Although sufferers are aware that their fears are irrational, they cannot avoid them, because their minds act so strongly that they see it as a good option to do a certain number of repetitions "than to achieve karma".

Compulsive counting and anxiety

In people who suffer from anxiety, the frequent phenomenon is that they connect to certain numbers, especially when they try to stop the panic attack. Then they know how to count the inhalation and exhalation in order to reject the focus of thoughts from the attack to the angle.

If these actions, namely exercises, are not changed in a certain period of time, obsessive counting can develop and obsessive-compulsive disorder can develop as a result of anxiety.

Compulsive counting and headaches

If the compulsive counting is accompanied by a headache or any other physiological symptom such as croup, etc., then a visit to the neurologist is necessary, because it is possible that a more dangerous disease may develop, such as a brain tumor and multiple sclerosis.

The most typical types of compulsive counting:

– counting steps,
– counting objects,
– counting by voice,
– counting in the mind,
– counting the numbers on the machines.

/Telegraph/