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A comment on The terrible 'what if': how OCD makes every day a matter of life or death. Parent comment

Re:The terrible 'what if': how OCD makes every day a matter ... by dm03514 on Thursday August 09, 2018 @12:32PM (#17725691)
OMG I too am a "chronic checker". When my first son was born and my OCD was aggravated by exhaustion, and living in a relatively unsafe part of baltimore, I would have these 10 "check loops". I just couldn't be 100% certain the door was locked. Even at the time some part of me realized the absurdity of it.
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Re:The terrible 'what if': how OCD makes every day a matter ... by matthewwiese on Thursday August 09, 2018 @02:01PM (#17726701)
> Even at the time some part of me realized the absurdity of it.

You've independently discovered a key diagnostic factor in OCD. :) What distinguishes OCD from, say, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, is that the sufferer of plain ol' obsessive compulsive disorder knows full well the absurdity of their condition. She understands that doing 12 jumping jacks before leaving the house won't stop it from burning down, but the overwhelming "why not be safe?" urge compels her to do it just in case.

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