my shrink and i talk about becoming more aware of what i'm doing and trying to break the behavior pattern. I do obsessive thinking, where its like a broken record and I keep playing the same thoughts over and over and can't stop it. i'm still stuck on the biggie - bc i haven't solved (or discovered) the underlying issue. on the more minor things, i'm starting to recognize the pattern and distract myself with other things. i don't know if this helps.

Bonni - I keep checking things over and over. For instance, when I leave my place, I re-open the door and double check my stove and all the burners & oven making sure they are off even tho I have already checked them b4 I leave.

Sometimes when I have left my place, I keep imagining something bad will happen like I forgot something or did not turn it off and I really become obsessed by it.

I am trying to get rid of this habit, but it seems to have its stronghold on me.

Could someone please tell me if this behavior is OCD?

Ras,
I think so. But not necessarily debilitating. How much does it bother you? As you are doing it the first time, say to yourself what you are doing and when you go back to do it again, try to make yourself remember doing it before and assure yourself you did it thoroughly enough. If you are only doing it once and it doesn't take much time, I would try not to let it bother me. its when it keeps you from enjoying the other things in your life.
bonni

OCD is an anxiety disorder that ranges from mild to severe. I have not seen too many people who have been able to get a handle on it without meds to help control the anxiety level. The more anxiety you have, the more you will do the behaviors or have the thoughts.

Cognitvie Behavior Therapy will help as well. Do not stop therapy. You need this to help you with the thinking patterns. But more often than not, meds are also needed.

Good luck

I was diagnosed with ocd about 17 years ago. I experienced several sudden and violent deaths in my family that i think, may have triggered my ocd, although i suspect I had a predisposition to it and experienced it long before this time. I am now 42 years old, married with a 5 year old daughter, and still have what I would consider moderate ocd. I feel that is is getting a bit worse and maybe even manifesting into turrets syndrome. (forgive my spelling) I have been thru psychiatrists and counselors, but to this day, even with great effort to try to ignore my immediate feelings, i feel little to no relief. Please, I would love to hear from someone who has been able to deal with this enough to get thru life. I accept my "problem", but i want a better life. I want desperately to feel "normal" again, if only for a few hours a day. If anybody can give me some advise, I would be truly grateful.
A call for advice, or maybe just a friend with ocd would be great,
Rosymosey, THANKS

Hey Rosiemosey,

I dont have it but i help teach people with ocd how to cope and I have not had any luck without the help of medication. I encourage you to seek a psychiatrist and a counselor for support. Not just any psych, but call around and ask people for the best one in town. Some dr's are just quacks, sorry to say.
Good luck hon. Its a tough illness and no one should ever have to deal with it alone.

I've tried a large number of meds, but they don't seem to help. I've tried to go the health store approach and i've found that E3live helps, which is an algae from Klammuth Lake, I think in oregon, but I'm not sure at this exact moment. It helps me feel less anxiety, but I still have the ocd and, apparently, now, turrets syndrome. I know that my worries are unfounded, that's pretty typical with ocd sufferers, but It seems that my ocd has taken over a large part of my life, and I've just gotten to the point that I think i need some daily coping skills. I do try, but sometimes, usually, it's not enough.
thanks again for your response, and any insight you could pass along would be valued greatly.
THANK YOU!!!! rosymosey

wow, you're amazing. Thank you for taking the time to respond to me. I truly appreciate it. I will definitely talk to my doc, as he is pretty helpful, i have just been hesitant because he seems to want to prescribe drugs first, he's a doctor, after all, who doesn't have what I have. But you're right, turrets isn'nt something i can take on by myself. I WILL talk to him. It really does help to have someone to talk to who has a similar issue. And i thank you for talking to me, again. It's just that lately, i've felt so overwelmed with my problem, and my homelife isn't what i had hoped it would be, which i know, only i can change that. It's these other things, the losses in my life that i find so hard to deal with. As you probably know, ocd makes me feel that if i do things in just the right way, that i won't lose anyone else.. I know that this thought is irrational. It's just that i've been made fun of so many times by people in my own family, that i've come to feel like it's my fault. Like i have total control over this. I know, to a great degree that i dont. It's just such a comfort to me that i've been able to share my thoughts with someone who doesn't know me, and, more importantly, someone who won't judge me. I truly thank you for being there, and for taking the time to give me your thoughts and insight. Your truly awesome for taking the time to do that for me.... thanks....
I will talk to my doctor again.
rosymosey