Arithmomania or numerological obsession is a type of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in which people who suffer from it feel the need to count actions, words or objects that are around them. It is a disorder in which obsessions are thoughts that repeating a ritual a certain number of times will ward off bad luck, while compulsions would be the execution of that action. Compulsions manage to calm anxiety among those who suffer from arythmomania, at least in the short term, since this practice can be seriously harmful in the long term.
Examples of compulsions are diverse. Among them are the counting of words that are written somewhere or that another person is saying or of the objects that are in a room. People with arithmomania also tend to perform mathematical calculations with the numbers that go through their heads.
Other common compulsions are counting up to a certain number before doing an action, such as opening a door, or repeating something a specific number of times, such as ringing the bell twice, because doing it 1 or 3 times would cause anxiety. Avoiding a certain group or groups of numbers (even, odd, multiples) would also be a compulsion.
All these thoughts are obsessive, limiting and can generate intense discomfort. Numbers require people’s permanent attention to their environment, which can lead them to remain absent and condition their social relationships, as psychologist Raquel Rodríguez explains in an article. Although it depends on the severity of each case, numerological obsessions can also be an impediment to achieving optimal performance at work. On the other hand, constant anxiety and symptoms of depression are quite common among people with arithmomania.
The main difference between numerological obsessions and superstitions lies in the degree to which they affect our state of mind and condition us in our daily lives. For example, a superstitious person might avoid traveling or sitting in seat number 13 and would not feel very comfortable if they end up being assigned it. Meanwhile, the person with numerological OCD would be capable of canceling an important trip or losing the money for a movie ticket in order not to sit on a number that they do not like, as they will avoid it at all costs.
Professional help is essential to treat arithmomania and cognitive behavioral therapy has been the traditional approach. Generally, exposure techniques with response prevention are used, so that the patient is gradually able to dissociate the obsession from the compulsion. In these cases, the most complex thing is to identify the thought that gave rise to the patient’s obsessive structure, that is, why he began to use numbers as a relief mechanism.
Writing a journal during treatment can help you identify the source of your obsessions. Relaxation techniques such as mindfulness, meditation or yoga can also become an effective resource to promote concentration, reduce anxiety and tolerate uncertainty. Only in extreme cases, and under a psychiatrist’s prescription, should antidepressants be used.