Worried about running over people?!!

[vic003]

I have suffered from OCD for a long time now. Recently, over the last few months I have developed this obsession about running over people and not realizing it. As I drive I constantly look in the rear view mirror to see if there is anyone lying on the road. When I pass pedestrians on the street I constantly check they are still alive as I drive past. I am starting to think about avoiding routes like school znes to alleviate the fear of running over children. Yesterday, I was turning into a street and a women and her kids were waiting at the kerb to cross the road. I convinced myself I ran them over and am now obssessing over it. I feel so helpless and I know it's my ocd but I can't convince my mind that nothing happened. I try so hard to go through the scenario to convince myself I didn't run anyone over. I am so distraught. God please help me.

[eeyorelover]

Oh hunny! I know how scary it is but please PLEASE remember that avoiding what you are afraid of only compounds the fear!
What you are feeling are intrusive thoughts. They are scary as hell and damned annoying but the only way to beat them is to challenge them and then counteract the negative with a positive.
For instance...All of a sudden you think "I ran someone over!". Counteract with "That's impossible because the care would be damaged", etc.
Then you think of anything else...doesn't matter what, "The sky is beautiful today", "Damn that woman is ugly", "I want tuna fish for lunch", doesn't matter what just get your mind off the intrusive thought

Please know you aren't alone and YOU CAN GET THRU THIS!
(((HUGE HUGS)))
xxx
Sandy

[Philomena]

Hi.

I have had this too. If I even drive over a tiny bump in the road or a polythene bag, I think I have hit a person, or a dog or a cat and there have been times where I have driven round and round to make sure I haven`t.

If you hit a person you would know about it, the noise would be VERY bad indeed. If you just bump your car slightly on anything it always sounds like an almighty bang you won`t forget, I don`t know why that is but it does, never mind hitting an entire person who would scream to the raffters too.

I also have a thing about putting my handbrake on properly in case my car rolls back and kills someone. So I am always going back to my car when I park it to check on it.

If you had done this, the police would have been to your door by now no doubt too.

Philomena.

[Captain Caveman]

Hi. I know people are just trying to help, but some of the advice given on this thread is not going to help, but in fact make things worse. Reassurance will give a person short term relief, but it won't help long term.

the only way to beat them is to challenge them and then counteract the negative with a positive.
For instance...All of a sudden you think "I ran someone over!". Counteract with "That's impossible because the care would be damaged", etc.

A person will in x amount of time just come up with a "but what if.....?" The following link explains how to respond to thoughts. One of the techniques is to "turn up the volume" / magnify things. It actually gives an example of someone fearing they ran over cars:

"In response to the thought, "I might have run over someone on my way to work," a beneficial response would be; "There is probably a stack of bodies all along the street; I probably wiped out half the population of my home town yesterday as well. I can't wait to drive home tonight and kill the other half." http://www.ocdonline.com/Rethinkingtheunthinkable.php


Coping strategies to AVOID:

"behavioural distraction, rationalization, reassuring yourself or seeking reassurance from others, replacing the obsession with a positve thought, saying "stop", relaxation, self questioning, self punishment, analyzing the thought, or engaging in a mental or behavioural compulsion."
That info is from the book "Overcoming Obsessive Thoughts" (Purdon & Clark)

The following is similar to what is at the bottom of the above article:

Bruce Hyman suggests:

MAGNIFYING eg: (I should point out that the examples for the magnifying technique could be a bit of a shock to some who are not familiar with this technique)

In response to the thought "what if I lose control and harm my child with a knife?", you would picture yourself grabbing a knife and charging towards your child crying "I''m going to cut you, and I'm going to like it".

Or if the thought is about potentially doing something sexual to a child, you would picture yourself becoming inflamed with lust and losing control and saying "Hot Damn! I just can't wait to have a little fun with that child. This is the best thing that has happened to me in weeks!"


WATCHING AND WAITING

Watching the thought come and go from your mind without judging it. Just let the thought become extinct on it's own.



ACCEPTING UNCERTAINTY

eg: "If I am a knife wielding terror (or child molester or violent serial killer), then I just am."

or

"I might be a danger to myself or others, or I might not be. I'll probably only know for sure one way or another once I do something, and I'll just have to cross that bridge when I come to it."

REFOCUSING

J.Shwartz suggests you allow the thought to remain in your mind, and then gently shift your behaviour to something that reflects your values and intentions, AS IF YOU NEVER HAD THE THOUGHT AT ALL