Every time you leave your home, do you feel a niggling urge to double-check the locks or make sure the stove is off? It may seem like a sensible precaution, but what happens when the urge keeps returning, driving you to double-check again and again? When can everyday caution become a compulsion that disturbs your peace of mind? Could it be a sign of a mental health condition?
Shyam Gupta, OCD specialist therapist and rehabilitation psychologist with over 24 years of experience and founder of Emotion of Life, answered questions for HT Lifestyle about what healthy checking looks like and when it can become a compulsion that demands professional attention.
What does healthy checking look like?
Not all double-checking is a cause for worry. Some checks are normal precautions prompted by safety concerns. Distinguishing ordinary checking from compulsive behaviour, Gupta said, “Ordinary checking is quick, and it ends. A person looks at the knob, sees it is off, and done. The mind moves on. The whole thing takes a few seconds, and it leaves behind a small sense of ‘done’. That feeling is the point. Checking exists to settle a question.”
When does a checking habit become worrisome?
Ordinary checking allows you to move on, but repeated checking keeps one stuck in a cycle of doubt. Gupta described how compulsive checking differs: “Compulsive checking does the reverse. It reopens the question. The lock is confirmed, yet the doubt returns within minutes, often louder. The person is no longer verifying a fact. They are trying to switch off a feeling that something terrible will happen, and that it will be their fault.”
Is compulsive checking common in India?
The expert agreed, saying, “Checking is one of the two most common forms of OCD. Indian clinic studies suggest roughly half of patients have it.”
So, repeatedly checking locks or the stove may be seen as a sign of care and responsibility or because of safety. This is why it becomes hard to spot such behaviours as mentally detrimental.
What appears to be simple caution may actually reflect a cycle of vicious doubt, in which each check brings only temporary relief before the urge to check returns.
When should you see a therapist?
Gupta highlighted that no single behaviour tells the whole story. You should not self-diagnose yourself. One should monitor the overall pattern and its impact on life. He listed the following signs that may mean one needs professional help:
- Time-consuming checking: Checking, rechecking, or mentally replaying takes more than an hour a day.
- Repeatedly returning to check: Turning back when you have left to go somewhere or leaving bed at night to inspect something already confirmed
- Constant doubt: You remain unsure after carefully looking at or touching the lock to confirm it is secure.
- Fear of responsibility: Skipping a check makes you think you will cause a disaster and you alone will be blamed.
- Rigid rituals: You need a specific number of turns, touches or a particular sequence before the task feels complete.
- Repeated reassurance: You frequently ask others to confirm that something is safe or to check on your behalf.
- Disrupted daily life: Checking makes you late, interrupts sleep or causes conflict at home
- Distress when trying to stop: You feel exhausted or embarrassed by the behaviour but become intensely anxious when you try to resist it.
How to resist the compulsive urge?
For treatment, the expert recommended exposure and response prevention (ERP), a form of cognitive behavioural therapy. Describing his approach, the OCD specialist shared one example of how to cope: “Lock the door once, pay attention while doing it, then leave. No going back, no asking someone else if it’s shut. The anxiety will rise for a while, level off, and then drop without any help. Do this often enough over a few weeks, and the brain starts to get the message that nothing bad follows, and that not being sure is something a person can live with.”
Family members can also help. Gupta advised gently avoiding repeated reassurance when a loved one keeps asking the same question, such as ‘Did you lock the door?’
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice.
