Hit and Run OCD Spiral

OMG!!!!!! I FEEL THIS LITERALLY ALLL THE TIME!!!!!!! I THINK EVERY BUMP IS A PERSON OR AN ANIMAL AND I REPLAY IT OVER AND OVER IN MY HEAD TO MAKE SURE I DIDNT ACTUALLY KILL ANYTHING. IM ALSO SUPER INSANELY SCARED OF BEING INCARCERATED OR EVEN GETTING A TICKET AND THINK ABT IT WAY TOO OFTEN. And while replaying it and being sure i didnt hit anyone bc i definitely wouldve seen a person, i then think “what if someone was just lying in the road for whatever reason.” Sometimes ill hit a bump, think i killed someone, then play a scenario in my mind where a cop is right there and I’d get arrested until i remind myself that isn’t what’s happening and i need to focus on the road. I’m sorry you also feel that way but I’m so relieved I’m not the only one.

You are definitely not alone! This has been a newer theme for me recently, my main theme has always been harm ocd, but this one stuck with me in the last week or so. Plenty of times where i gave in to compulsions and turned my car around to check. But i think the only way to get through it is to not check! Don’t give in to the urge to go back and check. It will be uncomfortable at first and you will feel irresponsible ect but the anxiety will pass eventually ! Hang in there!

Some might say it's replacing one ritual with another but I'd rather think of it as a form of reassurance...get a dash / rear window cam. They aren't super expensive, easy to install and then there is no question. I have a security cam that shows my garage door because I can confirm the door is closed. Otherwise I'll have to turn around at some point, depending on how long I can fight the urge or just worry endlessly until I get home. Also, I say Garage Is Closed when I leave as I question it less when I can hear myself saying it.

this was the first theme i ever struggled with and it was even before i was diagnosed with ocd. i just thought i had really bad driving anxiety. something a therapist taught me (not an ocd therapist) was when i had that thought that i hit a person, change the song or put a piece of gum or candy in my mouth to get me out of it and re focus on the present. i still do it today and it helps. but if anything know you’re not alone!

you are not alone! i've struggled with hit and run OCD for about ten years, I used to waste hours of my life to compulsions related to it. I even stopped driving for a few months. Tackling OCD is scary, but I know it will be worth it to get my life back, to spend that time with my loved ones or doing what I love and being present in the moment.

I have this bad. Like circling back again and again, googling if there were any accidents on the same road, even calling the police on myself one time to have them double check. I wish I knew what to tell you. I did do some exposures around driving while in treatment but I always do okay with physical exposures. Like I have contamination OCD but if they tell me to touch a toilet and eat my sandwich I can do that. It’s the rumination that really gets me and the situations that I can’t possibly revisit. My ocd changes flavors based on what is going on in my life. I always switch to the more imminent threat and right now that’s other types of harm and real ocd, so it’s all mental reviewing. I would say find a good therapist. They can help you and consider the severity of your ocd. Maybe medications can help. I’m also hoping to do TMS soon. And since I’ve plateaued with ERP I’m considering I-CBT. Basically don’t give up on yourself. It can take a while to find the best treatment and provider for you. You deserve to feel better and live a rich and full life.