explanation Case studies are often used in clinical research to describe rare events and conditions, which contradict well-established principles in the field of psychiatry. Case studies are thus an important and necessary part of education. In this symposium, we will present a variety of rare and new cases of compulsivity and discuss their similarities and differences in clinical symptoms and neurobiology. Compulsivity may be described as the repetitive, irresistible urge to perform a behavior, the experience of loss of voluntary control over this intense urge, the diminished ability to delay or inhibit thoughts or behaviors, and the tendency to perform repetitive acts in a habitual or stereotyped manner. Currently, it is unclear how compulsivity should be defined. The presentation of these cases may help to elucidate the concept of compulsivity.
aim To obtain a better understanding of the shared phenomenology and neurobiology of compulsivity, so that it may be used in human clinical research across psychiatric disorders and in preclinical animal research.