DO I HAVE OCD?

[pattriciaa]

Hello Im asking for help because I have this thing where everytime i turn off the lights, stove, faucet or when i close the door i have to count from 1-6 because there are six people in our house and after i do that i touch them until they feel right and when i don't do that in thinking that something bad will happen to my family. I constantly check things even though i know i did it already and it is sometimes consumes my time especially when im about to leave the house but my mind tells me that i didn't turn off the switch so I go back and check if did. I can't go to any therapists because I don't have money for that. I just want to know what's happening with me because sometimes people see what im doing and they think im crazy. Thank you.

[Ladybug9]

I'm not an OCD doctor but in my opinion, you defnintely do. One of my worse OCD habits is that I refuse to go into a check out lane with the number 6. I avoid that number like the plague. If only that was my only OCD symptom!!

[sligoguy]

yeah sounds like it .its called the doubting illness ....did I turn it off property.ect ect .try and nip it in the bud early ....trust yourself dont play into the mind games

[pattriciaa in reply to sligoguy]

but is it still ocd or not?

[sligoguy in reply to pattriciaa]

it sounds like ocd to me ...but im just a person with ocd ..im not a doctor .see your Gp and take it from there

[pattriciaa in reply to sligoguy]

do you have any tips where can i get tested to know if i have ocd, thank you

[sligoguy in reply to pattriciaa]

everyone has little things that they do ...little quirks if you like ...but when these get in the way of living your daily life ...it can be ocd. see your doctor and explain it .just like you have on this forum .he will point you in the right direction .failing that .look up the nearest ocd helpline in your area and ask them for a chat .its nothing to be ashamed of ,some people have high BP some have migraines..some have ocd ...dont panic ,dont get up set ....chat and sort it out ....head up

[Hidden]

A therapist would need to conduct a diagnosis.

But the symptoms sound like OCD.

I have similar symptoms of doing counting rituals and checking many times.

I really struggle in trying to resist the rituals.

Please do not think that you are crazy.

OCD is a mental illness caused by lack of serotonin in the brain.

OCD is not in your control.

We can only try to resist the urges to do counting and checking.

When I had taken therapy in the past, I was taught to sit with the feared consequences of the obsession, in a room, to try to focus on it.

Also, to write down the feared consequences on a paper, and keep reading it.

This way the anxiety reaches its maximum level.

Slowly, you will get desensitized to the feared consequences.

Thus, the anxiety will get lower.

[tk84]

i have to check the stove the windows the Water taps.. to avoid something bad happens to my appartement..and i have the thought if i do something "forever" i have to do it right or with right feelings, otherwise something bad happens to my family.. (they cant got to heaven) sound very similar to your thoughts.. 8 mental health Proffessionals said to me it is definitly ocd.. but im still in doubt about it..ocd is sometimes hard because reinsurance doesnt work..

[Hidden]

It sure sounds like OCD to me. There is a screening tool you can take online, it's called "Y-BOCS." Talk with your doctor and tell your doctor all of this, and if you take that screening tool, tell your doctor what your results are. Good luck!!