OCD: The Doubting Disease

Hi everyone,

We sufferers have this doubting disease OCD.

We go through doubt in everything we do.

For myself, in involves replaying conversations, rereading, checking, reassurance seeking, and so much more.

I came across while reading a book about how OCD works.

The bibliography is listed below.

Obsessions and compulsions are often interrelated. Obsessions usually begin with persistent doubt, which is why OCD is sometimes referred to as “the doubting disease.” In the story that began this chapter, no matter how hard you tried, you still doubted that the stove was off, the doors were locked, and so forth. This doubt leads to intolerable levels of uncertainty, which generates anxiety. To relieve the anxiety, you may start engaging in compulsive behavior—excessive washing, checking, reassurance seeking, and so forth. These behaviors might relieve your anxiety for a little while, but the relief won’t last long. The anxiety-provoking obsession returns, often stronger and more frequently than before. So you may try to adopt even more elaborate rituals to relieve the anxious feelings of uncertainty.

Do you see where this leads? Obsessions and compulsions combine to create a vicious cycle, each provoking and worsening the other.

Compulsive checking: The story that began this chapter was an example of this kind of OCD.

Sufferers repeatedly check objects such as doors, locks, and household appliances, fearing pending disaster if they are not checked and rechecked, then checked again.

DuFrene, Troy. Coping with OCD: Practical Strategies for Living Well with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (pp. 4-5). New Harbinger Publications. Kindle Edition.

[JJC5]

Thank you!