Mindless Obsession

A victim of this madness becomes overwhelmed with performing a single task over and over again. When his is not performing his particular, obsessive act, he is plagued with constant thoughts of it, making functioning in normal society difficult in the extreme. Such compulsive behaviours include washing hands, closing and locking doors, cleaning obsessively, or checking to make sure that objects do not get lost. Given a choice, the afflicted would spend all day and night performing his obsessive acts. Even sleep does not provide relief from his compulsion, as his dreams are filled with guilty thoughts of his hands being covered in filth, the doors having blown open in the wind, or his shoes having walked off of their own accord.

People with this insanity shun their chores and duties. Unless their particular Mindless Obsession involves constantly cleaning the body, most become dirty and dishevelled, ignoring even basic, hygienic care. Their businesses lapse into bankruptcy, and their loved ones despair, eventually leaving them when they cannot stop their behaviour.

Every day, the afflicted must use willpower to resist the urge of his obsession. If he fails, he spends every waking moment performing the act of his compulsion, ignoring other tasks and duties. If ordered by a superior or forced by another person to stop, he can make a very difficult act of will to cease. If he succeeds, he functions normally. However, if ever presented with a situation that triggers his compulsion, he may find extreme difficulty in avoiding starting up the routine once again. If the source of the discomfort is particularly egregious (i.e. a compulsive hand washer who finds his hands covered in blood), and he can do nothing about it, the afflicted may go further insane.

Those with this affliction that are shut away in jails or sanatoriums often spiral into further depths of desperation if denied from acting out their obsessive behaviours. They scream and thrash about in torment, berating their minders about the filth surrounding them, the unlocked doors allowing any evil to walk in, and countless other horrors, real or imagined.

Source

 * Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2nd ED -- Tome of Corruption
 * pg. 61

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