Steve, a 26 year-old computer programmer: “I can’t stop thinking about why we’re all here and whether there’s any purpose to life. I keep going over it in my mind all day long. I have continual thoughts of how one day I’ll be dead and no one will remember me. It will be as if I never existed. 

Always expect the unexpected - you can have an obsessive thought any time or any place. Don’t be surprised when old or even new ones occur. Don’t let it throw you. Be prepared to use your therapy tools at any time, and in any place.

“Doc,” began Don, a 35 year-old school teacher, “I told my wife we should sell my car, because I just can’t drive any more. Every time I go anywhere, I keep thinking that I’m hitting people with my car. It could be a jogger, a pedestrian, someone on a bike, or even an animal.

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) has long been known to take on many strange forms and cause people to think unusual things. It is important to know about and be able to recognize these different forms in order to make a correct diagnosis, and therefore have an effective treatment plan.