The statement, 'I'm always worrying about my son. Sometimes I can't concentrate on anything else,' may be an example of which of the following?

The statement, 'I'm always worrying about my son. Sometimes I can't concentrate on anything else,' may be an example of which of the following?

• A. Compulsion
• B. Delusion
• C. Obsession
• D. Phobia

Answer: (C)

Intrusive, persistent thoughts that dominate attention and cause distress are obsessions. In this example, the person is continually worrying about his son, and that worry disrupts concentration on other tasks. There isn’t a ritual or behavior performed to relieve the anxiety, which would point to a compulsion, and the worry isn’t presented as a fixed false belief about reality (delusion) or as a specific irrational fear of an object or situation (phobia). Thus, the statement best illustrates obsessive thinking.

Intrusive, persistent thoughts that dominate attention and cause distress are obsessions. In this example, the person is continually worrying about his son, and that worry disrupts concentration on other tasks. There isn’t a ritual or behavior performed to relieve the anxiety, which would point to a compulsion, and the worry isn’t presented as a fixed false belief about reality (delusion) or as a specific irrational fear of an object or situation (phobia). Thus, the statement best illustrates obsessive thinking.