Arithmomania (from Greek , "number", and , "compulsion") is a
mental disorder
A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitt ...
that may be seen as an expression of
obsessive–compulsive disorder
Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental and behavioral disorder in which an individual has intrusive thoughts and/or feels the need to perform certain routines repeatedly to the extent where it induces distress or impairs general ...
(OCD). Individuals experiencing this disorder have a strong need to
count
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
their actions or objects in their surroundings.
Those with arithmomania may, for instance, feel compelled to count the steps while ascending or descending a flight of stairs or to count the number of letters in words. They often feel it is necessary to perform an action a certain number of times to prevent alleged calamities. Other examples include counting tiles on the floor or ceiling, the number of lines on the highway, or simply the number of times one breathes or blinks, or touching things a certain number of times such as a door knob or a table.
Arithmomania sometimes develops into a complex system in which the person assigns values or numbers to people, objects and events in order to deduce their coherence. Sometimes numbers are linked to the past events and the person remembers the events again and again by particular numerical values. One performs their actions a particular number of times, and this number is linked to their particular satisfied event. Counting may be done aloud or in thought.
Folklore
European folklore concerning
vampires often depicts them with arithmomania, such as a compulsion to count seeds or grains of millet.
, a vampire character on ''
Sesame Street
''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) ...
'', is known for counting everything and anything.
References
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Anxiety disorders
Mania