obsession

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obsession (ŏb-sesh-ŏn) n. a recurrent thought, feeling, or action that is unpleasant and provokes anxiety but cannot be got rid of. Although an obsession dominates the person, he (or she) realizes its senselessness and struggles to resist it, which causes anxiety. Obsessions are a feature of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD, formerly known as obsessional neurosis); they can be treated with behaviour therapy and also with psychotherapy and antidepressant drugs. See also neurosis.
—obsessional adj.

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