Hacker News Reader

> The damnable thing about OCD is that a little is very valuable in my regular line of work (medicine). Without it I wouldn't be as careful, I don't think. It means it won't let me take shortcuts and it forces me to be thorough, and that's a very good thing in that business.

That's a really interesting take on the positive aspects of OCD and one that's not often discussed. Thanks for sharing. :)

There are a few famous athletes who've said similar things. Ray Allen was an NBA player known for having a beautiful, textbook-perfect jump shot and eventually setting the NBA record for three-pointers. He credits a good portion of this to his own OCD, which compelled him to repeatedly drill the motion beyond reason.

OMG I too am a "chronic checker". When my first son was born and my OCD was aggravated by exhaustion, and living in a relatively unsafe part of baltimore, I would have these 10 "check loops". I just couldn't be 100% certain the door was locked. Even at the time some part of me realized the absurdity of it.

> Even at the time some part of me realized the absurdity of it.

You've independently discovered a key diagnostic factor in OCD. :) What distinguishes OCD from, say, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, is that the sufferer of plain ol' obsessive compulsive disorder knows full well the absurdity of their condition. She understands that doing 12 jumping jacks before leaving the house won't stop it from burning down, but the overwhelming "why not be safe?" urge compels her to do it just in case.

I'm a doctor of four years now and I completely empathise with you. The one thing I have learnt doing the job is not to fully trust anything but to check it yourself. That's how you get outstanding results.

It's unfortunate that it seems to take a toll on your private life. This past year I have developed a habit of double checking the front door even though I remember bolting it.

It's an interesting thing to ponder whether some mental disorders are extreme versions of adaptive behaviours that we all do from time to time.

Same here. I've always had some mild OCD but last year my car got stolen and that's when it really started. Before going to sleep I now have to know where exactly the car keys are, even though I'm both better insured and the lack of keys didn't really stop the thief last time.

What's worse is that while I've also always been a chronic key checker, last month I still managed to lose the keys. On top of that I didn't even lock myself out - either they're somewhere in the apartment(I'm at a loss here because I went as far as going through the trash - to no avail) or the single time my OCD didn't make me check if whether I left them in the lock I did just that and somebody took them.