Hi, I’m sixteen years of age and ever since I was 7/8 years old I often get this feeling that I have to do something otherwise someone I love will die or (this might sound silly) but I sometimes feel like I have to do something a number of times or count to a certain a number a few times because I feel like if I don’t, the boy I like will stop liking me or never ask me out. For an example when I was younger I used to have this obsession of running from my room to downstairs holding my breath otherwise something will happen. I also sometimes get this paranoid thought that when I’m on my phone, that the boy I like is watching me through my phone camera, so I always have to change the front camera to the back or I move my phone to lower down or to the side so I can’t show my face. Another paranoid feeling that doesn’t happen as often is before I leave the room/house or about to turn the lights off I have to check everywhere to see if anybody is hiding there, even if it’s a small space. It’s really annoying, but I actually can’t stop. I’ve tried a number of times before to ignore the feeling, but I failed after a few attempts and sometimes I don't even realise that I'm doing it. My mam told me that she has this as well, and also my sister and aunt and a few other family members but different when it comes to the things they do. My aunt has to knock on the door when she leaves the house because she thinks that someone will die. I would really appreciate it if you informed me on what I have, and how I can get rid of it.
Answers (2)
Hey you!
Don't worry, nothing is wrong with you! I'm a 19 year old girl, and I have it too. For me it got serious when I was 16 and sometimes I would accidently hurt myself from actions that I thought I had to do. What you describe is called OCD. (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). Everyone have it to a certain extent, but it's only few people who have it in a high level and it varies widely from person to person. It is said that it's genetic, so when you describe that others in your family also have it, it's natural that you are affected by this disorder too. Don't worry! I also count numbers in my head, and I have numbers that I hate and numbers I find lucky. I often think that something bad will happen to me if I don't perform certain thoughts or acts, even though I know it's crazy. You can go to a therapist to get some advice/help (which I did), or maybe mention OCD to your family and speak with them about it. You can look the disorder up on the internet to be clear, there's also various quizzes to take to classify how affected you are. And remember it's just a quiz, if you feel like it's taking a lot of your time, you shouldn't just ignore it!
I hope my answer helped you, and that you figure it out! :)