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Checking ocd


Guest Phil10

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Guest Phil10

Lately this has been my issue has anybody else got issues checking? 

For example checking door was locked, worried iron was left on so much so i was ready to cancel a day out and go back, worrying the toilet is not flushed, worry taps are not off or the gas.

Anyone been able to recover from this I am finding it very time consuming..

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Phil hi 

Yes I have. I used to feel the urge to go back and check such things. 

I weaned myself off by gradually reducing the checking and accepting that OCD was telling me lies. I am careful at checking at the time I do it, and I needed to trust myself not the OCD. 

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I had it really bad. Taking trains and taxis back to check. The anxiety would not reduce even hours after leaving a property. I would not run a tap a few hours before leaving a property because the amount of time checking that it was turned off. The reduction in the stressors in my life was the most important thing followed by a good CBT therapist.  Thirdly and way down the list was medication.

One approach that I found useful was not to check at all before going to the newsagent around the corner, then not check when going to my local supermarket a 12 minute walk away.....Slowly increasing the time I was away from the property without checking. On the principle that the shorter period you are away from a property the less likely severe danger or damage will occur. You slowly build up your non checking confidence. You build up the experiential evidence that checking is not necessary.

 

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Guest Paul92

Never really had checking OCD that severely, which makes me wonder whether I have OCD. I have occasionally been worried that I have left a heater on at work and sometimes been worried ive hit someone in the car and driven round a few times.

I think the way to get past it, Phil, is to really try not engage in the checking. Put everything you can into it.

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On 22/03/2019 at 00:51, Paul92 said:

Never really had checking OCD that severely, which makes me wonder whether I have OCD.

Not everyone experience all the different kinds of intrusive thoughts, nor is it required to do so in order to have OCD.

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Doubting whether we really have OCD or not is maybe an example of reverse psychology. 

I find that such doubt is in fact indicative of fact - since OCD is well-known to cloud its intrusions with a Web of doubt. 

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I like the idea of a continuum. You can virtually have no signs of OCD to having many signs of OCD. The standard OCD questionnaires capture this idea with your OCD score indicating the degree of your OCDness. Measureable signs of OCD involve the amount of time spent on OCD behaviours and the emotional impact on of OCD.

But the identification of OCD requires insight. One crucial role of the forum is to provide insight. 

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