Like most mental health disorders that encompass a compulsion, Compulsive Checking disorder, CCD, is a type of behavior attributed to an obsessive thought process. If you are concerned about your frequent obsessions, and actions, associated with a particular behavior set, it is important to become familiar with CCD complications and how you may be treated for it.
As a subtype of Obsessive-Compulsive disorder, CCD is not only an obsession with recurring thoughts and behaviors but, specifically, and obsession about things that may not be complete or a fear that routine actions or things are not being done, or taken care of. While many adults suffer from these types of concerns, in the person who has subtype Compulsive Checking disorder, the fear can be overwhelming and lead to recurring “checking” on the issues that most of us take for granted everyday.
To determine if you have a complication associated with Compulsive Checking disorder, one of the key characteristics will be your tendency to check and re-check the same item or event. If you perceive that you are generally an irresponsible person, and fear that you may not have checked something correctly, this could be a pre-disposition to CCD and cause your concern with resulting behavior.
If you believe, based on these symptoms, that you have a problem with compulsive checking, it is important to seek out mental health treatment and diagnosis. While most individuals in your situation fail to seek treatment, due to fear of embarrassment and further complication of symptoms, these fears are simply unfounded based on historical treatments. In most cases, to treat this subtype of OCD, your mental health specialist will recommend medications as well as Cognitive-Behavioral therapy.
Like any disorder that is associated with compulsive thinking and behaving, the onset of Compulsive Checking disorder can inhibit a quality of life. If you find that you suffer from the symptoms of this mental health subtype of Obsessive-Compulsive disorder, be sure to seek out medications and psychotherapy in such a way that your behaviors are, at least, minimized so you can focus on other dynamics of your life.
Sources: Overcoming Compulsive Checking, by Paul Munford, Ph.D.