Am I obsessive compulsive?!
Question: Ok, this is gonna sound really strange, just so you know. I'm 14 years old and I choose to be Atheist because I just don't believe in God or heaven or hell or things like that. It is all mumbo jumbo to me. But every single night, I just HAVE to pray, each different prayer has to be said 3 times, and I have to start and end with a specific prayer each time. And I have to be lying in bed and be holding my hands in a certain way (the typical praying position), and I just HAVE to do it or else I feel like my whole family is going to die if I don't pray. I know that my fear is irrational, but I can't control it. I can't sleep unless I pray! Am I obsessive compulsive? And what can I do to be free of this curse?
Answers: Ok, this is gonna sound really strange, just so you know. I'm 14 years old and I choose to be Atheist because I just don't believe in God or heaven or hell or things like that. It is all mumbo jumbo to me. But every single night, I just HAVE to pray, each different prayer has to be said 3 times, and I have to start and end with a specific prayer each time. And I have to be lying in bed and be holding my hands in a certain way (the typical praying position), and I just HAVE to do it or else I feel like my whole family is going to die if I don't pray. I know that my fear is irrational, but I can't control it. I can't sleep unless I pray! Am I obsessive compulsive? And what can I do to be free of this curse?
It sounds like a definite trait of OCD. I suffer from OCD and do exactly the same. I'm not religious, but every night before bed I have to touch wood and repeat a prayer in my head which keeps everybody safe. If I don't say it, everyone is at risk. And I feel as though I have everyone's lives on my shoulders and it'll all be my fault if they die because I didn't keep them safe with a prayer.
BUT there are many different signs of OCD and if this is the only thing you're experiencing, could you not just carry on doing what you're doing? If it's only taking up 5 minutes of your time a day, then maybe doing it would just reassure you and that's it. But if you have other traits, or if you feel it's leading on to other obsessional thoughts/practises, I would advise you talking to your parents/peers/teachers/ or actually go and see your doctor. I went to see my doctor because my life was becoming intolerable with OCD. But it's much better to get it sorted now than waiting a few years and it growing and getting more difficult to surpress.
You could try reversing your thoughts, for example you could try and think "If I don't do this every night, my family will be safe" and if you try and say it to yourself a lot to reassure yourself you might find it actually works. Good Luck with it.
this is not OCD
Yes, it sounds like you are showing signs of OCD. There is a counting ritual and an irrational belief that something "bad" will happen to your family if this ritual is not done exactly the same every time. If you do not get treatment, you will typically expand your ritual to become more elaborate and even add new rituals.
For OCD, please go seek professional help. They will be able to help you at least reduce your behavior. There is no "cure" and most likely you will always have these kinds of thoughts and rituals.
you gave me one brief symptom you do which is a classic OCD ritual. it is a complex ritual too. my gut says yes you do have OCD. now i get the very strong feeling that you do other rituals also, but i can understand why you would not want to detail every obsession of yours. yes i feel sure this is OCD. if there is no other ritual you do to prevent harm than this one, then the answer is no.YES i feel you do have OCD. i know OCD like the back of my hand. take care.
If you only show signs of OCD for this one thing, then I highly doubt you have OCD. However, if you have other rituals you HAVE to do, then it is possible. Check with a therapist or counselor to get some help.
Ok...were you raised with religion in your family? Did you just decide one day it wasn't for you? If this is the case then it is just something that you've always done and eventually it will stop. It is amazing because whatever is put in our heads at a young age seem to be hard to forget. On the other hand, if you feel like this is something you have to do, who/what are you praying to if you are not a believer? You need to ask your self some serious questions and be open and honest with yourself about it. You're only 14...life is confusing enough for you at such a young age....don't worry, you'll figure it all out in time. You are not obsessive compulsive.
that doesnt sound like ocd to me, sounds more like anxiety. You realise you are contradicting yourself? you dont beleive in the mumbo jumbo but you want to be free of the curse? that your whole family is going to die.
If you dont beleive in god who are you praying to?
think about that for a while
Yes that sounds like OCD. I have the same problem too, I have to do certain things before I go to bed or else I can't sleep. One of the things I do is check my alarm clock 10 or more times to see if its set correctly. You could try going to a therapist and getting medication, tell your parents so they can get you the medication.