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Compulsions
As
you leave for work you turn the key to the porch door all
the way to the right, firmly enough to be sure that you
have successfully locked it. You want to turn it further,
but if it breaks off in the lock again you'll be in trouble.
You turn it back to the left, then to the right, and back
and forth again four more times. Now it is safe to head
to the car and strap your daughter into her car seat. To
be sure that the car door won't pop open and the car seat
fly out as you round a corner, you use the electric lock
on the key ring to lock and unlock the back door three times.
You also check the lock manually before getting into the
driver's seat. You count to ten before starting the car,
then off you go. That went pretty smoothly. You might make
it to work on time today.
But
wait! What if you left the porch door unlocked? Did you
check it, or did you forget? You think you checked. You
always do. You'll just have to start over to be sure. You
turn the car around and head back into the driveway. You
remove the keys from the ignition, unstrap and remove your
daughter, and walk back to check the house. Of course, the
door was locked.
You
call the daycare center to let them know you'll be late
again. You don't want them to worry.
This
chapter covers the following topics:
- Compulsions
- Compulsions
May Occur in Illnesses Other Than OCD
- How
to Cope with Compulsive Behaviors
This
excerpt may not be reproduced without written permission
from the publishers.
Fifty Signs of Mental Illness: A Guide to Understanding
Mental Health
Yale University Press / New Haven and London
Copyright © 2005 by James Whitney Hicks
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