I was diagnosed with just OCD but I was reading an article last night about Hyper-Responsibility OCD and most everything is exactly what I am experiencing. I started to cry because I couldn’t believe others have experienced exactly what I feel daily. I am always afraid of someone dying or being injured because of my actions. I do drive around the block because I think the bump in the road was someone I hit, I do become ill for days from worrying about the same event and how I might have hurt someone or not done the best job. I’m just starting medication and hopefully therapy soon because I can barely get out of bed, I’m so anxious I’m sick and my mind is never clear. Does anyone else suffer from this form of OCD? How are you coping?

I do have this ocd, and it is so though!!! I used to have stair rituals where each time I went up or down the stairs, ocd told me which stairs to step on. If I didn't step with the correct sequence, I suddenly realized that I had caused a car accident or the death of an innocent person. What did I do? I. Stepped. On. Every. Step. I'm not supposed to do that, I always skip at least 2 steps. But I thought my step ritual was really really weird so i decided to stop. I still got the thouhts that maybe I caused something horrible but it was surprising how quickly they faded away. This was a decade before I even learned about erp and ocd therapies. So the moral of the story: You must stand up to ocd. You must do the opposite of what it says. If you feel the need to drive around the block, you need to keep on trucking without going back. It won't be easy the first time, but it IS possible. When you take your first step, every step after that will be easier than the last. The hardest is always the first, but it gets easier. In psychology this is called the foot in the door phenomenon. You are likely already talking yourself out of it because the stakes seem so high, but each time when you're in the car TRY. Prepare yourself mentally. At least have the MINDSET of TRYING. If you buckle up thinking there is no way I am going to attempt to fight this, then that is going to dim your spirits. But if you buckle up thinking today might be the day I can stand up to OCD and when the time comes I am going to try to keep driving, your odds of success are higher. This type of ocd therapy is called Exposure Response Prevention (erp): You expose yourself to the feared or triggering situation and you try to pregent the ocd response, which is to drive around the block. This is clinically proven to be the most highly effective treatment for OCD, and I 100% vouch for it. Erp has given me my life back. Once you feel more comfortable with erp and get more wins against ocd, you will actually enjoy it; the thrill of challenging ocd and showing it that YOU are the boss is an awesome feeling. And you can get there if you believe in yourself:) This app has built in a guide to erp so be sure to check that out :) I know you can do it!!!!!

I’m here for you. I’m sure therapy and medicine will help, and I hope you find the right methods/medicines for you soon!