Checking Things Over And Over

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Does anyone else do this? Like where no matter how many times you check something, your subconscious believes your eyes are playing tricks on you (when they're not), so you have to examine that certain something repeatedly just to be sure?

This has sometimes made me consider getting a lobotomy.

It sounds like old fashioned Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder to me. It can drive you crazy...I know. Sometimes I have to check things over and over again; They often don't even need to be checked in the first place.

When I leave and lock the door behind me, I nearly always have to come back and recheck it.

If I'm just leaving for a few minutes or someone else is supposed to be there in a short time, I'm less likely to go back and check the door.

This includes just about any type of door and lock. Even the padlock on the door at the local grain elevator.

Yes. I have severe OCD.

I have to check locks, outlets, doors, belongings, etc, at least three times over.
My therapist is working on helping me be in control of it. It's a painful process.

No matter how much I check, my mind thinks I need to check more, and since I have a hard time with short term memory sometimes, it can be even worse.

Don't worry; OCD is crazy, but a lobotomy won't help.

have you tried tapping whatever it is?
for example i have to put a green bin on the couch every night so the dog wont jump on it (it is my seat and i hate dog hair).
i used to have to get up in the middle of sleeping thinking that i didnt put it on the couch but since i started tapping the green bin ive known i put it on the couch.

same thing with the outdoor light. i have to tap it to make shure it is off.

I'm going to try that now.

It just might work.

Wonder what my therapist will think...

I'd be mindful that tapping it may just be moving the compulsion over to a new habit.

I've got/had OCD too, and have done a lot of the things mentioned here. If you can, I find it useful to think "Okay, well, the worst that could happen if I don't check it is X. But the risk to my mental health of me continuing checking it all the time is Y. So I'm willing to take that risk."

Yeah, I'm in treatment for it...the therapist is only allowing me to check twice instead of three times right now...

I do this stuff too. I was recently diagnosed with OCD. I wouldn't say I have a severe case of OCD although my obsessive and compulsive behaviours get much worse when I am all-round anxious. I'm not convinced I'll ever be totally rid of OCD actually. It's not great but it's by far not the most annoying of my various issues. edit: If I had a much worse case of it it would probably drive me nuts though.

If I added all the "xtra steps" of checking twice...Ive walked around the world. OCD, I hate it. Was bad in late 20's and early 30's. All about routine so dont tweak out ass bad. Im 40ish now and not that bad. Worse when blue. I forget what I have to check from my "mental list" sometimes (usually 4 to five items) andI cant relax to till I remember. Nuerotic! Takes years from my life. I took meth way back in the day and it was my worse OCD fit ever. Got stuck in the house. Friend kept calling, are you coming? Five hours later. Funny now, I can laugh. Tell your horror stories. Laugh at yourself. Its good for you. Come on fellow freaks. I challenge thee

I have OCD & I had phases where I checked over lots of different things. Emotional stress & other emotional problems tends to make it a lot worse. One thing that helps me sometimes is trying to understand the causes of why I feel the need to check things; like analyzing what things I was checking over & what problems there could potentially be & then finding ways to better prevent those problems. For example if your constantly checking to make sure your door is locked; you could get a bugler-alarm monitoring system. I'm taking Neurontin for OCD & that's helping with the checking aspect some.