Is this a mental problem, maybe related to OCD?!


Question: Is this a mental problem, maybe related to OCD.?
Ever sense i was around 7, I have been terrified at night that someone will come into my house nd kill my whole family and me as well. I am 17 now and I only get really scared on some nights. And I have worked out ways for my mind to not be scared at certain times. Like the "danger hours" are when the bars close here from 1 - 4. But if i go to sleep before 1 i'll be safe for the night and so will my family and if i survive untill 4 i can go to sleep an everyone will be safe. also some nights i have to touch everything on my bed, i have to have one leg out of my sheet touching my comforter, the other leg is just on the bed sheet, and i have to take a corner of my sheet off my mattress so that i can touch that with my right hand. and my left hands touches my baby blanket ( i know i'm a little old for it, but my mom made it while she was pregnant with me). I am 17 now. Some night i sleep with 911 predialed onmy phone so i can call really quick and i have it all planed out i will just scream Help then my address so the police come to save us. Health Question & Answer


Answers:
OCD is an anxiety disorder. There are a full spectrum of symptoms associated with OCD. Sometimes, the presence of some symptoms does not qualify for an OCD diagnosis, but rather as an OCB. Here's the best way I can explain. A person with OCD has an obsession that causes anxiety. In response to that obsession, they have a compulsion they perform to "correct" the outcome of the obsession. So, yes, you're explanation of fearing death to your family would fall under the obsession category, and the sleeping pattern created is the compulsion created to ward off the anxiety from the compulsion, likewise is the in depth critical thinking such as statistics, and planning.


However, touching everything on the bed, holding one leg out of the comforter, left/right hand touching things, etc are simple OCB's (Obsessive and/or Compulsive Behaviors), simply because you do them to satisfy a feeling, not to ward off the anxiety created by a compulsion. Almost everyone has OCB's...we all double check the alarm clock, recheck the locks on the front door, look in our suitcase a second and third time to eliminate forgetting something.

I bet an psychiatrist would say it is fair to assume that you may have OCD. Only he or she can diagnose you accurately, and I would definitely recommend a visit.Health Question & Answer

This is not simply "related to" OCD, it IS OCD. OCD means "Obsessive-compulsive Disorder." You are certainly obsessed with fear of a break-in, and you are compulsive about your treatment of that fear, and this entire process affects your whole life. These elaborate "rituals" of going to bed are definitely compulsive behavior.

You need therapy.
Health Question & Answer

i think to make yourself feel safer, every night before bed, check the locks and try a self-defence class. also teh first thing you must do is talk to someone about this problem - a teacher, a friend, a parent, sibling. they'll help u and tehn u can see a psychologist if u need.Health Question & Answer

I think you need professional help. I wonder if something happened to you when you were 7 is someone try to scare you. No you are not to old for that. Many people suffer from that. I try not to see scary movies before I go to bed.Health Question & Answer

i have ocd, i have to clean stuff
i have to clean my penis everytime i see the colour blueHealth Question & Answer

it sounds a lot like ocd but you need Professional help to determine the best course of action. please don't wait there are many new drugs and treatments that can help but you must First seek helpHealth Question & Answer

sounds like OCD to me. either that or extreme paranoia.
see a psychiatristHealth Question & Answer

Yes, it is.
Go seek help in real life, not on internet forums.Health Question & Answer

Its not OCD,Its the tools you use to relax your mind and make you feel safe before you sleep. you seem to have some anxiety issues.Good on you for picking up on them though and becoming aware that anxiety and unnesesary fear may be a problem.

Suggestion would be to chat to a school counselor.Youre not going to the nuthouse or anything, but it would be ideal to chat to someone who is trained whilst youve still got access to them.They wont prescribe medication( or they shouldnt)
It is something youll grow out of as you get better tools and experiance in making yourself feel safe.

Good luck, we all have our demons and i hope you overcome yours soon.When you do youll feel great.

http://www.lifepositive.com/mind/psychol...Health Question & Answer

ok babe i think this is a little bit more than being scared of the dark. visit proffesional help! have you told your parents.? I personally have been getting really scared at night also, better not tell you what of might freak you out even more but i always have a candle on to provide a bit of light or i just turn my lamp on. also I burn essential oils. Lavender is really soothing and bitter orange has been proven to make you go to sleep. have a book next to you to read. A boring one cause if you choose an exciting one your just reading all night ( i know from experience!). But you deffo need to to see a counselor.
Hope you sleep well!
Health Question & Answer

Everyone has a few irrational thoughts or behaviors. Although this type of thing is obviously not a healthy way of thinking or behaving, it is not a clinical mental condition, especially since you point out that you have have figured out a way to think through it. Habits you develop as a kid can be hard to break, especially those related to feelings of security.

Even though this behavior is irrational at one level, it may be rational at another. Perhaps when you were 7, you got scared once, performed a bed check like you described, and the process made you feel secure. Then you repeated the bed check again, and it had the same positive effect. After a while this became a habit -- this type of scenario is not OCD - its a normal type of habitual behavior that is very hard to break because it serves a purpose.

Keep practicing the techniques you have developed to think past the worrying. I once lived in a bad neighborhood and worried at night when i could hear people outside. I eventually reached the conclusion that the odds of becoming a crime victim were very low and that there wasn't anything i could do about it anyhow, so there was no point in worrying. Just to be on the safe side, I kept a can of pepper spray and a baseball bat near the bed and slept soundly ever after. Health Question & Answer



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