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A-Z of Pick's (FTLD) Obsessions

Penelope Roques, PDSG

People with FTD may develop obsessions. This list highlights some of the ones we frequently hear about, but nobody develops them all!

A Alcohol: increase in consumption, hiding alcohol sometimes works.
B Buying: anything and everything but particularly soft toys.
C Children: talking to children can cause embarrassment.
D Disinhibition: takes many forms, loss of social graces are common.
E Eating: changes in taste often occur, sweet things being preferred.
H Hoarding: refusing to throw anything away.

Hugging: sometimes anybody and everybody.

Humming: constantly humming, often on one note. The distraction of music, perhaps through headphones, sometimes helps.
F Fiddling and touching everything around - a symptom called utilisation behaviour
G Giggling: often for no reason or at inappropriate times
J Jealousy: suspicion about anybody or everybody particularly the nearest, dearest and most helpful.
K Kissing: sometimes anybody or everybody.

Kleptomania: acquiring things from shops, explaining the illness to local shops may help.
L Licking: patients may put anything in their mouths, a symptom called hyperorality
M Money: it may unaccountably disappear, Enduring Power of Attorney recommended.
P Picking up: almost anything but particularly little bits on carpets.
Q Quantities: counting objects, arranging things in patterns or having to do a task a certain number of times.
R Religion: over and above previous interest.
S Sex: some very sad changes often occur in sexual habits.

Switches: obsessively switching things off, even the fridge.
T Time: strict adherence to routines, eating, walking, sleeping etc. must be carried out at the designated time.

Tiredness: may insist in staying in bed or having fixed rest periods.
V Vocalisations: clearing the throat, grunting or shouting repeatedly out for no reasons
W Walking: long walks, often the same route at the same time of day

Wordbooks: constantly reading and repeating words from the book
ZZZ Sleeping: often spending long periods in bed.