Reassurance-seeking is a habit that compulsions can develop. While it may provide instant relief from worry, it often sustains anxiety for days, weeks, or even years. What's worse, it encourages a pattern of seeking reassurance. Identifying the underlying cause of reassurance-seeking will help you identify its root cause. Below are the symptoms of reassurance-seeking.
Obsessive reassurance-seeking is a compulsion
Obsessive reassurance-seekers use compulsive methods to create a sense of certainty in their lives. These methods temporarily provide assurance, only to be replaced by an intense need for more. Reassurance-seeking is often an attempt to overcome health anxiety or social anxiety. It is not a disease itself, but a compulsion, like other compulsions, that can be difficult to treat.
It is addictive
Reassurance-seeking is an addictive behavior and mental act that arises from a person's inability to tolerate uncertainty. While this behavior is particularly prevalent in anxiety disorders such as obsessive compulsive disorder, it can be seen in all forms of anxiety. As a result, the individual's mind will never feel satisfied with 'assurance' in and of itself, and instead continues to seek more certainty.
It is self-perpetuating
Reassurance-seeking is a common compulsive behavior that can exacerbate symptoms of anxiety and depression. This can include a variety of activities, such as checking bodily symptoms and seeking medical attention, as well as hidden cognitive reassurance. It can also be highly addictive, reinforcing the behavior despite the lack of empirical support. Ultimately, reassurance-seeking is a self-defeating behavior.
It is a form of avoidance
Reassurance-seeking is the persistent and unwanted search for assurance that does not actually alleviate anxiety. The purpose of seeking reassurance is to counteract the distress of uncertainty, but it also strengthens the pattern of seeking reassurance. This pattern can continue for days or even years. Hence, reassurance-seeking is an avoidance technique that should be discarded. Here are some examples of the ways reassurance-seeking works.
It is a form of interpersonal stress
Often accompanied by anxiety and depression, reassurance-seeking is a behavior that seeks to alleviate the distress caused by uncertainty. It may seem to be a good way to deal with the stress and uncertainty that are part of relationships. However, reassurance-seeking can create an endless cycle of stress and uncertainty. Consequently, reassurance-seeking must be avoided.
It is a sign of OCD
While reassurance-seeking is a normal human reaction to worry, it can become excessive in OCD. While the process of seeking reassurance may seem supportive at first, it can actually further the OCD sufferer's path to repulsion. The person will continue to seek reassurance even after it appears to have temporarily ceased. In many cases, this reassurance-seeking will be followed by a new wave of anxiety, which will then drive the patient to seek reassurance again.
