Do you ever knock on wood, throw salt over your shoulder, cross your fingers or avoid stepping on the cracks in the pavement?

If you do any of these things, or perhaps worry about not making eye contact when clinking glasses or find a penny tails-up on the ground, you’re not alone, despite not being able to explain why you perform these rituals.

But, if these apparently harmless quirks begin to consume your thoughts and influence your actions to the point they begin to control you then maybe it’s time to consider if you have Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?

Personally, I’m not overly superstitious, though I have to admit I don’t walk under ladders or cross on the stairs – I calculate both these superstitions might be rooted in good sense as each could end up getting you injured.

However, despite believing I’m very much on the lower level of the OCD/superstition spectrum I realise I exhibit plenty of bizarre behaviour which, if questioned, I wouldn’t be able to explain rationally. A couple I noticed recently relate to my car.

Topping up with diesel I watched the pump like a hawk and demonstrated great control to ensure I filled up with exactly £80 worth of fuel, and not a penny more. Then I popped into the BP shop and selected sundry items before flashing my bank card at the reader, so what was the point?

Does such OCD behaviour have any basis in common sense? Maybe if we track back far enough to a time when you could fill up for £30 and would, more than likely, have handed over a twenty and a tenner, but how long ago was that?

Then, back on the road, I began watching my odometer, just as I have been for several days now – and why? Just because it’s about to tick over to 100,000 miles and I don’t want to miss it. What’s that all about? It’s a 2-litre diesel work horse, so it’s probably good for twice this, so other than obvious OCD leanings there’s no possible explanation for this behaviour.

But such behaviour, however silly, is pretty much benign as it doesn’t consume my thoughts or cause me distress.

Such trivial superstitions have been with us for hundreds, if not thousands, of years as we search for explanations to unknown consequences.

However, if seemingly harmless quirks begin to take over your thoughts, dictate your actions and cause you worry, you need to investigate if you're experiencing the highly distressing, but very treatable condition of OCD.

The reason I’ve raised this subject is that I was recently introduced to a fantastic young lady who first of all laughed off a superstition I demonstrated when I turned a horseshoe up the right way.

She then explained she had suffered from paralysing anxiety due to OCD but having sought help had been treated with Exposure and Response Prevention therapy.

For more information on OCD and how to get help, visit the NHS website here.

She says the change to her life has been remarkable in just a few months.