OCD Checking with a camera Anxiety
|
|
|
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder presents itself in many guises, and certainly goes far beyond the common misconception that OCD is merely a little hand washing or checking light switches. Although those are valid OCD compulsions, such perceptions fail to acknowledge the distressing thoughts that occur prior to such behaviours and also fails to highlight the utter devastation that constant compulsions (no matter what they are) can cause.
Although there are infinite forms of OCD, it has been traditionally considered that a person’s OCD will fall into one of these five main categories, with themes often overlapping between categories too.
Checking
Contamination / Mental Contamination
Symmetry and ordering
Ruminations / Intrusive Thoughts
Hoarding
The person with OCD will routinely check a room or other location before leaving by taking photos with a phone or digital camera so they can check later that they have not left anything behind, from seemingly worthless bits of paper to more valuable items. The primary obsessional fear is that they may leave and lose something they may later need, but the fear may also lead to feelings of guilt and worries about being irresponsible for not checking, perhaps meaning that they are a careless and/or a bad person and having a sense of ‘incompleteness’.
Although there are infinite forms of OCD, it has been traditionally considered that a person’s OCD will fall into one of these five main categories, with themes often overlapping between categories too.
Checking
Contamination / Mental Contamination
Symmetry and ordering
Ruminations / Intrusive Thoughts
Hoarding
The person with OCD will routinely check a room or other location before leaving by taking photos with a phone or digital camera so they can check later that they have not left anything behind, from seemingly worthless bits of paper to more valuable items. The primary obsessional fear is that they may leave and lose something they may later need, but the fear may also lead to feelings of guilt and worries about being irresponsible for not checking, perhaps meaning that they are a careless and/or a bad person and having a sense of ‘incompleteness’.