Anyone for a little OCD?

The 'pulling my hair out' thread got me thinking. Does anyone here suffer from OCD, whether it's diagnosed or not.

Midway through my short lived and crud 'relationship' with ex, i think i had a quick mental implosion. I started counting the strokes of letters and numbers in my head, if i could not occupy my mind with anything else.

Eg: the word 'HELLO' H has 3 strokes, E=4, L=2 etcetc. I add the five numbers together, then again for each letter so the total of HELLO is 12, then plus 5+4+3+2+1 then another for the whole thing because there are 5 letters.

Another eg: the numbers 1352978. 1=1 stroke 3=2 strokes 5=3 2=2 9=2 7=2 8=1. 1+2+3+2+2+2+1 = 13. Then like the first example add the 13 to 1+2+3+4+5+6+7 (because there are 7 numbers)

Ok it sound really bad, and extremely hard to explain, but it takes only a few seconds to calculate it all in my mind. Maybe i'm the female rainman lol. I sound like a freak. But this all popped up because i was trying to ignore the fact i was not getting treated nicely by the ex and i needed my brain to think of other things.

There's no other things, some days i'm messy, some clean etc, but i'm not obsessive with it.

What kind of weirdness ocd do you guys have?

I have to check our stove a few times before going to bed even if I know we havent used it that day.

yes, i have OCD...stupid things like counting to twelve (it used to be eight, sometimes i do thirteen) as i put on my deodorant and if i "mess up" i have to start all over again, whether i'm caked in deodorant already or not. sometimes it gets to me while i'm driving..must light this cigarette before i reach that lamp post...and if the lighter sticks i have to slam on my brakes and upset the drivers behind me to make sure i do it or "something bad will happen". i think if i don't do these little stupid things (which there are many more of, i won't embarass myself though) that my whole world will fall apart or everyone i love (including my animals) will die. i am in therapy for it, along with some other things i won't list, but we haven't made much progress in breaking the compulsion.

I have a little bit of it as well...only a few people in my life know about it.

I must have everything in aphabetical order if possible, and my clothes are in a special order in my closet.

I had a crush on AJ the Backstreet Boy because his name came first in the alphabet I chose my dentist based on the first one alphabetically.. I have been this way for a long long time. I think it has something to do with the fear of making decisions.

It does have a hold on me and I don't like it at all. It makes me make decisions that aren't rational sometimes. But if I don't do it the way my mind tells me, I feel very unorganized and incomplete.

I have arranged our books to be by category, like classics, stephan King, True Crime, Historical Fiction, Non-fiction, fiction,etc and all alphebetically by author by category.
At this house, most of the books are in Bruce's room, so I don't see them, so they don't bother me.

I also get really bothered when B does the laundry. He places clothes back in my dresser where ever he thinks they go. So I have socks and tank tops in with my underwear and bras. It really drives me nuts.

Finally...ummm...I still mentally spell out my last name. I remember having to do that when I was a kid so I think I just engrained it in my head.

For some reason, my room can be completely messy, but if I notice something isolated...ie: a picture that is a little un-even, I HAVE to fix it, or else it will bother me alot.
Also, I don't know if it is OCD, but if I am wearing something new (like jewelry or clothes that I just got) and something bad happens to me....I just through them out (or get rid of them some other way) because I honestly believe they are unlucky. It's really weird...

I have to count floor tiles and stairs everwere I go. I can't help it, I just...do. It drives me nuts! I do the 'I have to get ____ done before ____' thing too! It's not as irritating as having to count tiles is, but it gets kind of embarassing when I think 'I have to put on this pair of pants before someone comes into the room because my door isn't locked' and someone walks in right then!

I'm really OCD about the door being locked. When I was in college, some guy walked into our dorm room because my roommate forgot to lock the door. I was sleeping, my roommie was awake but in bed. Luckily he just walked away. Of course, she leaped out of bed and locked the door. Ever since I have complete OCD about locked doors.

I have been known to auto lock my car a couple times because I can't remember if I locked it the first time. The DVD's have to go back to their original space as do the VHS tapes. And my car keys and tv remote both have their "place" and if they arn't there I get a little freaked

As I said in the other thread, my partner has OCD and up until his CBT it was really out of control. He's doing great now thanks to his brilliant doctor.

I think I suffer from a bit of 'pure O' (just thoughts, no compulsions) and also CSP which like the hair pulling is kind of embarrassing.

I think everyone does things like checking the door's locked etc, it's about being in control (and often forgetful ). It's when it starts to take over your life you've got a problem.

I am slightly OCD. Especially about food, I will check expiration dates 20 times before I eat something. I also have to have a clean bed at all times. I'm trying to wash the bedding twice a week but usually end up doing it every other day.

Yes I have OCD, my dad has OCD and my youngest OCD traits.

I am a checker, started when I was 16. Stoves, clocks, locks etc. I quit trying to get rid of the obsessions a long time ago. Meds etc never really helped me and I took quite a few and several different doses. I finally got to the point where I just wanted to learn to live my life with my obsessions. And seen then its gotten a little better but its still there.

It's not really that strange - I've witnessed that same behaviour in an ex who had a minor nervous breakdown - it was incredibly scary to see his mind just crumble up like that. He spotted a lit doorbell on the other side of the street and then just started doubling the number over and over, until by the time we got him into a relatively stable mode, he was up in 10 digit figures. Of course, I don't believe that that's quite the same as OCD, but I understand what you mean. Does OCD occur simply when you can't occupy your mind with anything else? Is it something genetic? Or is it something that is "triggered" in some way..... or is it even a habit that somehow gets out of hand? Please explain, I'm curious

My Dh has OCD, he checks the stove and locks before we go to bed. or if we are going away, even for the day, he checks the stove, locks makes sure everything is unplugged and the lights are off. He makes sure the pets all have lots of food and water. My oldest also has OCD, it cause her so much anxiety.

Originally Posted by LilleKat

Does OCD occur simply when you can't occupy your mind with anything else? Is it something genetic? Or is it something that is "triggered" in some way..... or is it even a habit that somehow gets out of hand? Please explain, I'm curious

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OCD can be something one is born with. I have seen young children (3 or 4 yrs old) with OCD and no family history. Me I had a trigger when I was 16 yrs old. I had someone pull a gun on me when I was 16. I was walking and they were in a car. And for me that triggered my OCD.

I know exactly how many steps from my bedroom to the bathroom, how many stairs are in our house, how many windows. I can tell you how many steps it is to the mailbox. At work, I have to fold & size clothes.

I think I am slightly OCD also. My mom thinks I am too.

I'll admit to a slightly overenthusiastic commitment to keeping my hands clean. I do not touch doorhandles or light switches in public places, and I can get through an entire restroom visit without laying a finger on anything at all!

But I don't consider it OCD, really, because in this day and age, it's a good thing. There are so many emerging pathogens, so many infectious strains that are antibiotic-resistant... why not take whatever precautions you can? All my efforts only cost me a few Kleenexes here and there, and who knows what they may save me from?

And by golly, you can always trust the food I cook. When I cook, I use contamination-control techniques to rival the Level 4 Biosafety Labs at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta!

But OCD? Nahhh, not me...

My former husband had OCD before there was a name for it - he was diagnosed with "depression" and it wasn't until I read "The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Washing" that I realized what he had - then had to fight with doctors & psychologists to get his diagnosis changed cuz the meds they had him on were counter-indicated for OCD! He's been on Prozac for almost 2 decades now and has no more symptoms (his case was mostly O, not so much C)...his father has Compulsive Personality Disorder, and my daughter has a light case - she's a packrat. My marriage was educational in many ways!