In an interview, veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah said he suffers from a condition called Onomatomania in which a person gets stuck on certain words and uses them constantly. He also said that it does not let him rest, even while he is sleeping. For example, if there is a song you can't stop singing. This can also mean that you have onomatomania. Many people are confused about this unheard health ailment. For information related to the disorder, Onlymyhealth editorial team spoke to Dr. Neha Anand, Counseling Psychologist at Bodhitri India Center, Lucknow.
While talking at a chat show on a YouTube channel, the Gehraiyaan actor talked about the condition and said, “I suffer from an ailment called onomatomania. I’m not joking. It’s a medical condition. You can check it in the dictionary." He further went on to explain saying, “Onomatomania is an ailment in which you keep repeating a word or a phrase, a sentence or a verse or a speech for no reason at all. Except that you like to hear it. I do it all the time so I am never quite at rest. Even when I am sleeping, I am going over some passage I love.”
What is onomatomania?
According to Dr. Neha, Onomatomania is a mental health condition which causes a person to repeat a sentence, phrase or word, but there is no particular reason behind it. When you have onomatomania, you will be remembering a specific word. This disease is considered to be a part of a person's personality. If you are associated with art or are more fond of reading and writing, then the risk of getting this disease are higher.
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Onomatomania treatment
Although onomatomania is a mental disorder, as per experts, there is no particular treatment or preventive measure for it. It is possible that one has to live with this disease as long as it is not worsening your mental health. However, if the person is worried about this disease, then doctors can treat it by giving CBT therapy.
If the symptoms are more severe then medicine for anxiety or depression can also be given. There is no specific medicine or treatment for onomatomania, but CBT therapy is given when the symptoms get worsen. As long as this disorder is not affecting a person's routine, then you will not have any problem with it.
According to some cognitive behavior studies, it was found that the condition has been linked to obsessive compulsive disorder or OCD too. Onomatomania on its own is not a matter of concern. If it is associated with something like OCD, anxiety disorder, or other problems, then can be a cause for concern.