RP383 Breaking the Habit

 RP383 Breaking the Habit

I'm Dave. I'm Dave. I'm Dave. Whoops, sorry about that. Looks like it happened again! My obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) sometimes makes me write things three times for good luck.
I was first diagnosed with OCD five years ago. My problems began when I found myself developing all of these weird habits that I couldn't control. For example, I would be scared to go to bed if I didn't turn the lights on and off five times. That's also when I started saying and writing everything three times in a row. And let me assure you, this makes it hard to have normal conversations with people.
The doctor told me that OCD is very common. In fact, it's diagnosed almost as frequently as asthma. He said that it was nothing to be ashamed of. All of us have habits in life, like checking to make sure the door is locked before going to sleep. People with obsessive-compulsive disorder have habits that are... Well, let's just say their habits are a bit more exotic than normal people's.
He also told me that symptoms vary from person to person. Some OCD sufferers occasionally have a thought that won't go away. It may make them uncomfortable or anxious for a while, but it will eventually disappear. Other people experience much more serious OCD symptoms. They might have uncomfortable thoughts that make them anxious all of the time. They tend to develop habits in order to help put their mind at ease. One minute they' re feeling nervous, and the next they' re washing their hands for two hours before they' ll even touch their lunch.
I know what you' re thinking: Why aren't I writing everything in this article three times in a row? Well, the doctor didn't just tell me what OCD was; he also told me how I could treat it. I underwent two kinds of treatment— ritual prevention and exposure therapy. These treatments exposed me to circumstances that triggered my habits. Think of it as getting practice resisting the urge to indulge in my exotic habits. So far, the treatment has worked very well, but there's still some work to do. Still some work to— Hah! Gotcha!