Fun with OCD - Time for updates(long)

[Los Feliz Slim]

I'm pretty sure I have undiagnosed OCD. My sister was treated for the whole hand washing thing, and I:

- There are a couple of areas on my temples that I'll grow slightly thicker/rougher hairs, like beard hair. They're individual hairs, not patches. Once I am aware of one of these little bastards, I HAVE to pull it out. Of course I always also get a clump of regular hairs, and I'll usually need to try four or five times, so I'll sometimes have little (very little) bare patches on my temples.

- When I glance at a stack of magazines like in my bathroom or something, usually I'll subconsciously pick up a word from one of the covers and it'll stick in my mind. I then HAVE to find it. Like, I'll walk in, and the word "vacation" will pop into my mind, and I'll flip through the magazines and find which one had the word "vacation" on the cover. If the New Yorker or something is open on the top of the stack of magazines this can take a while, the word doesn't have to be in the title of something or anything, it can just be in some paragraph somewhere.

- If I get water in my mouth in the shower or something, I spit for like 5 minutes. I remember being made fun of as a kid for doing this when I swam. I don't swim anymore.

- I have lots of examples of things I must always do in the same order and if I mess up I have to go back and start over. Pre-shower, shower, and post-shower procedure is the first one that comes to mind.

I could go on and on but now I'm starting to freak myself out. As long as this stuff doesn't bother me too much there's no other particular reason to seek treatment, right?

[jackal47]

I do the thing with words too on a magazine. Also, if I hear a song or remember a clip of a movie I need to know who sang it/was in it (pretty standard though I guess)

I also repeatedly check the toilet lock at work when I know I have locked it, sometimes I check it 10 times in 2 minutes (I can't see as the light is off)

Also, I try to find numbers/letters in order whileI am travelling on cars/billboards etc. lots of things to keep my mind busy I guess,

Don't think there is any need for treatment unless it is affecting relationships I would say (relationship with yourself included)

[CrazyEyez]

[ QUOTE ]
- When I glance at a stack of magazines like in my bathroom or something, usually I'll subconsciously pick up a word from one of the covers and it'll stick in my mind. I then HAVE to find it. Like, I'll walk in, and the word "vacation" will pop into my mind, and I'll flip through the magazines and find which one had the word "vacation" on the cover. If the New Yorker or something is open on the top of the stack of magazines this can take a while, the word doesn't have to be in the title of something or anything, it can just be in some paragraph somewhere.


[/ QUOTE ]

That is bizarre, and I love you for it.

Alarm clock - I only check the time once, but I flip the switch on/off 3-5 times before I get in bed. The switch goes off->radio->buzzer. I use radio, so I have to make sure I move it just right so I don't feel like it went too far towards buzzer or not far enough. Even though there's a very audible and tactile click when it moves into place.

[AJackson]

[ QUOTE ]

- When I glance at a stack of magazines like in my bathroom or something, usually I'll subconsciously pick up a word from one of the covers and it'll stick in my mind. I then HAVE to find it. Like, I'll walk in, and the word "vacation" will pop into my mind, and I'll flip through the magazines and find which one had the word "vacation" on the cover. If the New Yorker or something is open on the top of the stack of magazines this can take a while, the word doesn't have to be in the title of something or anything, it can just be in some paragraph somewhere.



[/ QUOTE ]

I get the same thing when I'm reading the newspaper. A word will pop in my head and I'll have to find the word. Often the word is no where near where I'm reading.

[Los Feliz Slim]

Wow, hearing that other people do the word thing is really cool. I don't think I've ever told anyone about that.

I tend to think that everyone does some of these things, and it's a question of degree as to whether it's a problem or not.

[Scottery]

I have an annoyance when i recognise someone in a tv-show, and i have to know where vi recognise them from.

Its probably not OCD but bugs me when i cant put a name to a face.

Scott.

[kgrad5]

I'm not OCD (that i know of) but I do some of the things mentioned.

I do the smelling my hands thing as well as constantly checking my breath by breathing into my hand. I also like to find patterns in things and usually do things in fours. For example if I do something once, like tap my fingers on a table or something, ill do it three more times so its a four, then ill repeat the whole process three more times so its a bigger four.. etc (if that makes sense). I dont think these are compulsive though because I don't always do them or find myself NEEDING to do them. But i do shake my leg constantly and this i cant stop (to the annoyance of those around me). It's not a nervous thing, its unconcious and I do it all the time, one leg or another. Its great for relieveing stress too.

[Bobby Digital]

Excellent thread. What I do is touch things in strange orders and patterns until my brain is finally satisfied. For example when setting my alarm I have to click the button to check the alarm exactly 5 times and check the radio setting 3 times. I have to check/touch things in these strange numbers, either 9 and 7, 7 and 5, 5 and 3, 3 and 2, until for some reason I am satisfied. I do this when putting the cd case back in my glove box, milk back in the fridge, just touching things in general. I do it much more when I am nervous, but not all the time. When I don't have time to really pay attention I don't do it at all.

Page numbers on books are like torture sometimes, only one I wish I could change cause it just wastes time. I flip to say page 155, I have to check the previous page numbers, 154, 153, 152, 151, to make sure that they are still there. I usually stop at 4 pages but sometimes I do this every time I turn a page, sometimes not at all.

Sometimes I have the urge to spin the opposite way, in order to "balance" everything out in my brain. Like when getting into my car I sometimes spin the opposite way, for example to the left, away from the drivers side, in order to get in. I'm sure this looks ridiculous to anyone paying attention.

I also order the bills in my wallet from large denomination in the back to small in the front. No big deal right? Well I also put them in order of crispness within each denomination. So if I have 10 1's the crispest 1 will be in the back and the flimsiest 1 will be up front so I spend it first.

The more I think about all these the more I add and the more depressing it is.

[cardsharkk04]

I'm not OCD, but when I was little I used to make sure to chew as much on the left side of my mouth as I did with the right side.

[Prodigy54321]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
- When I glance at a stack of magazines like in my bathroom or something, usually I'll subconsciously pick up a word from one of the covers and it'll stick in my mind. I then HAVE to find it. Like, I'll walk in, and the word "vacation" will pop into my mind, and I'll flip through the magazines and find which one had the word "vacation" on the cover. If the New Yorker or something is open on the top of the stack of magazines this can take a while, the word doesn't have to be in the title of something or anything, it can just be in some paragraph somewhere.


[/ QUOTE ]

That is bizarre, and I love you for it.

Alarm clock - I only check the time once, but I flip the switch on/off 3-5 times before I get in bed. The switch goes off->radio->buzzer. I use radio, so I have to make sure I move it just right so I don't feel like it went too far towards buzzer or not far enough. Even though there's a very audible and tactile click when it moves into place.

[/ QUOTE ]

anyone know why this retarded alarm clock design is still around??? This might be one of the most annoying things in the world..who the hell wants to gently put the slider between two options that make loud noises at you when you just wake up...of course I've been using the same alarm clock for about 5 years now...