Where is the line with rituals?

[Hannah89]

Today my family gently nudged me to make a doctors appointment. Two weeks of anxiety attacks and waking up from dreams crying had pushed me to the point of not sleeping in 2 days.
I initially made an appointment for September 4th (my doctors surgery is pretty rubbish) but my boyfriend rung back and explained I needed to see someone sooner and his reasons pushed them to get me seen today
I was talking things through with a doctor I haven't met before, but he had my records up. I eventually needed him to help me get my breath by following his lead, it was so awful.
He was fantastic though and has referred me back to the mental health team with a view to another course of CBT.
I was explaining to him out my obsessional thoughts (mostly regarding my children, their health, and any/all dangers we as a family could encounter) and he asked about my rituals/compulsions. I responded that I felt I didn't have any at the moment. That's when he pointed out 4 I'd already mentioned or done while I'd been in the room. I argued that they were habits/common sense/necessary.
Am I wrong? Is he wrong? Is it a matter of opinion? Or am I plain kidding myself? I understand this feeling of "where do you draw the line"b is part and parcel of ocd, but where do you guys call it?
Thanks for reading
Hannah
X

[Midnight-mouse]

For me I call it a ritual if it's an action I repeat daily or on certain situations that is normally supposed to be either calming, distracting or to make me 'safe' from something.

For example I have a hand washing thing which is quite common, I rub parts of my leg in a certain motion to distract myself. Also I will check my pulse and push on my neck/throat a lot. They are all OCD habits/rituals I have. What did the dr call you on that he felt you were doing?


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[Hannah89]

I mentioned that I check the kids are breathing at night, he asked how I did it and I told him I put a mirror under their noses to make sure the breathe shows up. He says that is a ritual as I do it a lot and have to do it that specific way.
He picked up on me picking the skin on my fingers, asked to see my hands and asked if I do this when I feel anxious (I do, it distracts me)
He also noticed me rubbing my palms, I guess the same way you mention rubbing your leg. I do this when I'm trying to calm myself I guess
The other was when I shut the door going into the room. I have to lift the door handle up and shake it to check its shut.
I guess writing them down I can see better how they could be rituals, I just assumed they weren't as they aren't all the same as I experienced a few years ago.
Do you feel overly anxious if you don't do you "rituals", or is a kind of feeling that you'd "better had" do them?

[MyNameIsTerry]

Sounds like you've got a good GP there. Some don't know much about mental health and it's complexities.

All the ones you mention can be compulsions. OCD is diagnosed based on whether it's mainly obsessoion-based, compulsion-based or mixed. And compulsions can often be quite subtle, especialliy with the obsessive side with intrusive thought themes as they also be mental compulsions.

Compulsions just tick the box in the cycle to keep it going. They validate the need to be afraid. They are aimed at reducing anxiety, since resisting them is hard in therapy, but your anxiety can get so bad that doesn't work either and you get more frustrated & anxious (mine did).

All people have things like this that they do, all people can have intrusive thoughts, and that's why OCD is not just diagnosed based the cycles & traits but that it is impacting on your life.

[Midnight-mouse]

I mentioned that I check the kids are breathing at night, he asked how I did it and I told him I put a mirror under their noses to make sure the breathe shows up. He says that is a ritual as I do it a lot and have to do it that specific way.
He picked up on me picking the skin on my fingers, asked to see my hands and asked if I do this when I feel anxious (I do, it distracts me)
He also noticed me rubbing my palms, I guess the same way you mention rubbing your leg. I do this when I'm trying to calm myself I guess
The other was when I shut the door going into the room. I have to lift the door handle up and shake it to check its shut.
I guess writing them down I can see better how they could be rituals, I just assumed they weren't as they aren't all the same as I experienced a few years ago.
Do you feel overly anxious if you don't do you "rituals", or is a kind of feeling that you'd "better had" do them?



Some of them I feel very anxious, my hand washing for example. But others I do as a distraction and I also scratch and pick but that's one I decided was too much and have worked on it a lot and only pick or scratch (or dig my nails into my palm) if I'm in full meltdown. The rubbing I don't really notice until I'm doing it so I don't think I would be anxious without it.


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