Continuously checking on things
Similar to counting, checking on things becomes a secondary type of compulsive disorder meant to relieve an obsessive thought. Obsessive-compulsive patients have a checking ritual associated with their obsession, and it is meant to make sure that the problem is solved and everything is under control. Still, they keep on checking when there is the slightest doubt that they have made a mistake.
For instance, a patient with an obsessive thought about safety would have the compulsive behaviour of staying up in the middle of the night to open and close the locks. Even if they did just that a moment ago, they need to keep on repeatedly checking if the locks are properly bolted and if nobody can enter their house by chance. Or they suddenly remember about the window latches and need to check on that lock just in case.
In some cases, this compulsive behaviour is associated with other obsessive thoughts, as in the case of the fear of harming themselves or other people. They always need to make sure they are not causing harm to other people by chance. Thus, they would need to check if they have not performed damage to others, as in checking their bodies to see if they got any cut or sore, or stopping the car to check if the bump they felt while driving is not a small child or someone they could have run over.
