Rumination is one of the co-occurring symptoms found both in anxiety disorders and depression. It is often a primary symptom in Obsessive-compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. When people are depressed, the themes of rumination are typically about being inadequate or worthless.
Since rumination centers on thoughts, this may seem like a form of obsession. However, this is not the case. Obsessions simply occur, hence why they are often referred to as intrusive thoughts. If you have OCD, you have likely experienced the sensation of an obsession seemingly popping in your head out of nowhere.
It often involves negative thoughts or bad memories. Such thoughts can interfere with your daily life and mental well-being if you can't stop ruminating about them repeatedly. Rumination is linked to some mental health disorders like depression, anxiety, and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
The condition has long been known to occur in infants and people with developmental disabilities. It's now clear that the condition isn't related to age, as it can occur in children, teens and adults. Rumination syndrome is more likely to occur in people with anxiety, depression or other psychiatric disorders.
How Common Is Rumination Disorder? Since most children outgrow rumination disorder, and older children and adults with this disorder tend to be secretive about it out of embarrassment, it is difficult to know exactly how many people are affected. However, it is generally considered to be uncommon.
Rumination is a behavior and not a mental health condition. It's a common symptom in anxiety and mood disorders, though. But it doesn't have to be permanent. You can learn to manage it.
Some of the long-term complications may include: Increased risk of dehydration, malnutrition and weight loss. Poor school attendance and involvement in activities. Emotional issues such as anxiety, stress and depression.
Many different mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, phobias, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), may involve ruminating thoughts. However, in some cases, rumination may just occur in the wake of a specific traumatic event, such as a failed relationship.
While rumination syndrome itself is not life-threatening, the problems that develop around the rumination are quite debilitating. Some of these problems include: Heightened GI sensitivity resulting in severe abdominal pain, nausea, bloating and/or pressure that makes having food or fluid in the stomach intolerable.
Rumination likely involves a broad range of cognitive and affective subprocesses that are associated with activation in diverse brain regions, including attention, self-referential processing, and recall of autobiographical memories.
Rumination is often associated with addiction, but it can also be associated with other mental health disorders like anxiety and depression. Learn how therapy or treatment can help with repetitive thoughts and encourage positive change.
There aren't any medicines available that effectively treat rumination syndrome. The best way to stop it is to relearn how to eat and digest food properly. This requires diaphragmatic breathing training. A behavioral psychologist usually teaches this, and it's easy to learn.
Rumination disorder most often starts after age 3 months, following a period of normal digestion. It occurs in infants and is rare in children and teenagers. The cause is often unknown.
Depression in bipolar disorder has long been thought to be a state characterized by mental inactivity. However, recent research demonstrates that patients with bipolar disorder engage in rumination, a form of self-focused repetitive cognitive activity, in depressed as well as in manic states.
Rumination is specifically correlated with the DMN core regions and the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex subsystem.
Rumination is an involuntary engagement strategy and is not a coping style because it is not voluntary.
Finding a pleasurable activity or distraction often helps break the cycle of rumination. Using some of your own unique interests or self care can help find something that works for you. Mindfulness is a mediation practice that focuses on paying attention to your thoughts.
Biofeedback is part of behavioral therapy for rumination syndrome. During biofeedback, imaging can help you or your child learn diaphragmatic breathing skills to counteract regurgitation. For infants, treatment usually focuses on working with parents or caregivers to change the infant's environment and behavior.
Rumination involves repetitive thinking or dwelling on negative feelings and distress and their causes and consequences. The repetitive, negative aspect of rumination can contribute to the development of depression or anxiety and can worsen existing conditions.
These findings imply that rumination, which is characterized by inner speech (Nolen-Hoeksema, 2004) and by repetitiveness and negative valence (Nolen-Hoeksema, 1991), predicts dissociation.
The first records of rumination come from the 1500s. It derives from the Latin verb rūmināre, meaning “to chew the cud.” Rūmināre comes from the Latin rūmen, which gives us the English rumen—the first of four compartments in the stomach of ruminant animals.
When a person is stuck thinking over and over about an event that occurred, they are experiencing post-event rumination. Post event rumination is a common experience for those overcoming social anxiety.