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1072551 tn?1258203266

OCD?

I posted this in the parenting with toddlers forum and another parent told me she experiences the same thing and that it is a form of ocd so I thought I would post it here to see if I can get any advice.

"Okay so I know every parent is a little paranoid when it comes to keeping their children safe. But my paranoia has become a huge problem in that it's taken over my life. Like at night when my kids are asleep I have to constantly check on them for fear they wont be there, so much that Im losing sleep. And I can't even leave them with family members because Im scared that they wont watch them as diligently as they should or that my oldest daughter whose two (she has a habit lately of trying to go outside by herself) will sneak out an no one will notice and that shell get hit by a car or disappear. The most horrible things are constantly going through my mind and I cant control it. The stress of it all is starting to get to me. And you can only imagine how I feel with the whole h1n1 outbreak."

And there are other things Im like that about too, especially time. I obsess on being on time for everything and if I feel like I am not on schedule then I get really upset and I cant really explain the feeling its like a sort of panic.
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1072551 tn?1258203266
Thanks I will definitely take your advice. I wish mine was just as simple as being worried about them not breathing. I always think these horrendous things like someone kidnapping them and doing horrible things to them and the most horrible scenarios. Its likes I dont have control over my own mind.
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Avatar universal
What you are experiencing sounds very similar to my OCD.  I have been diagnosed with OCD and have gotten medical help for it and it has helped I would say 80% of my problem which makes life more enjoyable.  My obsession is with Safety which sounds like you too.  My cousin who also has OCD gets up several times a night to make sure her children are still breathing.  Once her doc got her on meds that were right for her, it helped tremendously.  She is still a very good concerned mother but enjoys life and is not overly ridiculously concerned.    It is normal to have a natural concern about the welfare of your children.  In fact, I worry about all the people who seem to have missed getting a natural concern for their children and do not take proper care of them.  But in my experience as a patient when your thoughts or obsessions began to interfere with your enjoyment of life and take up a large portion of your time then it is getting out of hand.  I had to see a physchiatrist (spelling???) and had some troubles finding some meds that worked for me, but now I feel much better.  My advice would be for you to talk to your doctor about it.  Best Wishes and Remember you are not alone in your struggle.
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