"Hit and Run" OCD on 20/20

copyright 1999

ABC's 20/20 will feature "Hit 'n Run" OCD on Thursday, November 11, 1999. (NOTE -- the segment was postponed and aired on December 2) My coauthor, Bruce Hyman, will demonstrate his treatment of patients with this subtype of "harming obsessions." People with Hit 'n Run OCD have obsessive thoughts of the possibility they may have injured someone while driving. We present a specific plan for breaking free from Hit 'n Run OCD in our book, The OCD Workbook.

Bumps in the road, shadows in the street and sudden movements and sounds trigger the obsessions. We know we didn't hit anyone. It was just a bump or shadow. But just in case, we feel compelled to turn back and check the road. Often this triggers a compulsive cycle. Checking the first time relieves the anxiety and fear of having caused harm. But the relief is temporary and the anxiety returns. Worse than before. Again, we must check. Over and over, we must check. I say "we" because I have experienced this type of OCD. Not often, and only when my OCD was at its worst, but still it was devastating. I still remember the terrible fear that I had hit someone with my car.

The first time it happened, I was driving at night over an overpass. A man stood in the median between the lanes. As I drove by him, the man ran across the street, directly behind my car. My eyes widened, my hands gripped the steering wheel and my thoughts raced on. "I could have hit that man" became "Maybe I did hit him!" then "This is silly, I know I didn't hit him, he ran behind the car . . . but still, just in case, maybe I should check." I made a U-turn and went back to check. No body, no accident scene, nothing. My anxiety relieved, I went on. After only a block the obsessive thought returned. "Maybe I did hit the man. I have to make sure." Back I went two more times. Finally I was quite certain I hadn't hit the man and went on, late for my appointment . . . with my therapist!

Over the next few weeks, my Hit 'n Run fears occurred several more times, always without warning. I began to drive with extra caution near pedestrians and bicyclists. School zones were a nightmare. My son was 12-years-old at the time and bore the brunt of my anxiety. Over and over I'd ask, "Did I hit that boy?" "Did I hit that girl?" "Are you sure? Look back there. Is everyone okay?"

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