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OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)

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Anonymous

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Suggested by the personal superstitions thread... but not identical to it.
Do you need to touch all four walls of a room before sitting down, do you feel the need to check the bathroom tap is firmly off before going to bed?
Personally, I cannot leave the house without triple checking all electric appliances are switched off at the mains. I put this down to an electric kettle that suffered meltdown when I was young, half asleep and the damn thing was switched off.
Strangely though, I am quite happy not to bother checking and rechecking the electrics the rest of the time. Nope, I could leave a 3kw heater on next to a pile of particularly dry newspapers when off to bed, but leaving the house positively requires strident safety checks...
 
Not now, but when I was small, about 6 or 7, I went through a phase where I felt compelled to touch things compulsively. If I touched an object, I had to touch it a certain number of times. It was very irritating, and eventually my mum cured me of it, but for a while it took me ages to do anything because I had to touch things 7 times before leaving the room.
God, I was a weird child... :rolleyes:
 
Lots of kids do this.
I think it's a mild form of Obssessive Compulsive Disorder. I had to touch things three times for a while...then went through a four times phase!:rolleyes: ... this would ensure good luck...
Another one was the last thought before leaving a room had to be a happy one!

When I mentioned this several months ago at work, two other guys said they had variations on the theme. One was called 'Two-sie' by his brother 'cos his lucky number was 2.
We all grew out of it We all grew out of it We all grew out of it

:D
 
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 . 7 . 8 . 9 . 10 ...

Any one else count their steps to the shop...to school...up steps...endless counting went on in my head when I was between the ages of around 4 and 7.

When I got bored with the step counting, I'd count lamp posts or blue cars or whatever...neverending.

I guess it had something to do with learning to count...but still going on and on and on and on for years after I learned.
:rolleyes:
 
I think Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is way more common than people think. I reckon it's less of a disorder and more a process in our brains which we usually suppress conciousness of, but is part of our tools for existance. I think we sometimes become more concious of that process and it leads to OCD.

I find I'm more likely to have to do my little rituals (lights on and off three times, opening and closing door, crossing the threshold three times, etc) when I am mentally tired. So my brain is less able to keep things ticking over in a logical manner, and I get locked into a loop of ritual, which is only broken by fierce concentration, or re-focusing on my brains normal "stand-by" mode processes.

Many people think OCD is something "serious" and they can't possibly have it, but it's something you can get mildly, and needen't disrupt your life. The whole stigma of mental illness stops people from being reassured by the fact that it's so common. The very term "disorder" implies something "wrong" about a condition. We need to stop thinking of things as right or wrong and just accept they exist, and that there is no reason to alienate people who have these conditions, as it's just a part of living.

hope this made some sort of sense.
pinkle
 
I heard an interesting program about it on the radio once. Don't remember too much, but it has a lot to do with security.

I used to do it a few years ago, but it got so irritating...I'd always be late for things because I had to run upstairs and check my plug socket, even when I knew I had unplugged it. It's strange, but it makes you feel secure in a way. Eventually I convinced myself nothing WAS going to happen, and it never did. I'm think I'm getting back into it though...argh! I think it's something we all do, some more than others.
 
Pinklefish said:
I think Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is way more common than people think. I reckon it's less of a disorder and more a process in our brains which we usually suppress conciousness of, but is part of our tools for existance.

hope this made some sort of sense.
pinkle
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Yep! It doesn't just make sense, it makes a lot of sense, Pinkle.
We humans are moody creatures. We may have days when we're a little depressed/paranoid/elated/over-emotional etc. That doesn't mean we're mentally ill - just human. So it seems perfectly natural, to me anyways, that everybody is a little obsessive about something.
Some might be obsessive about their appearance, others about punctuality, and so on. But I think everyone has something that they're obsessive about. This is no longer a "disorder" as such - simply a part of human nature/personality.

I'm almost ashamed to admit this, but I once watched a Kilroy programme.:eek!!!!:(I must have been ill!) Everyone in the audience suffered from really bad obsessive/compulsive disorder, and believe you me, their lives weren't worth living. One woman had to take a certain number of steps for everything she did, eg to get from the bed to the wardrobe had to be 6 steps, and if she didn't manage to do it in the required quota she had to go back to the bed and start again. There were some days she just didn't leave the house because there was always something that had to be done again to satisfy this ritual. Now that's obsessive/compulsive disorder. :(
 
The most illogical manifestation of OCD I ever heard of was an American man, who couldn't seal an envelope until he'd checked his children weren't inside.
 
Originally posted by Spooky angel
Not now, but when I was small, about 6 or 7, I went through a phase where I felt compelled to touch things compulsively. If I touched an object, I had to touch it a certain number of times. It was very irritating, and eventually my mum cured me of it,



How did your mum cure you spook?
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No great method. lol She'd see me doing it, grab my hands, and hold them before I could complete the "right" number of touches. I soon found out that nothing bad happened the times I didn't complete the ritual and I guess I grew out of it.
 
David Raven said:
Lots of kids do this.
I think it's a mild form of Obssessive Compulsive Disorder. I had to touch things three times for a while...then went through a four times phase!:rolleyes: ... this would ensure good luck...
Another one was the last thought before leaving a room had to be a happy one!

When I mentioned this several months ago at work, two other guys said they had variations on the theme. One was called 'Two-sie' by his brother 'cos his lucky number was 2.
We all grew out of it We all grew out of it We all grew out of it

:D
Click to expand...

Glad to hear it, glad to hear it, glad to hear it. *happy thought*
 
Talking about compulsions, I've had my share, think it runs in the family actually, my sister's still obsessed with things laying straight and parallel on tables. She chides me and the rest of the family for being messy, but our house is squeaky clean. My grandmother runs around the house cleaning every day as well.

When I was younger I had compulsions related to things such as switches. I remember one particular incident where I was going to turn off my old Amiga 500 before having dinner. I switched it off, then proceeded to push and touch the switch to make it "feel right". I did this for probably five to ten minutes, and this exhausted me so much mentally that I almost started crying. I finally managed to put my mind off it and go eat.

Later I developed a compulsion that I like to think is unique to me. Whenever I saw a word, or thought of one, I substituted all the letters with letters that were similar in some way, thereby creating a "new" word. For example, I could think of my name, Torgeir (I'm Norwegian) and replace T with D, O with U, G with K, E with I, I with Y (can't remember if I used anything else for R), so that the result here would be Durkiyr. Sounds pretty daft, I know, but I used to do this in my head ALL the time. Anyone else heard of anything like this?

I guess I've always had a fascination with words, when I write poems I'm very careful about choosing the words, some words I'll never use because there's something about them that turns me off or even disgusts me. Don't know if that counts as a compulsion, I just see it as another aspect of my quirky kind of genius :D
 
Welcome to this madhouse of a MB, Torgeir :)

(Do you mind if I call you that, or do you prefer your username? Sorry, but I have a tendency to apologize a lot (I've been known to say sorry to lamp-posts that I've walked into) and, um, use too many brackets)

Ahem, anyway... your example of substituting different letters in words is interesting. Perhaps this could be a reincarnation memory - your brain/mind/soul/whatever knows the word but thinks it should be spelt in your previous language?

Did that make any sense at all?

Jane.
 
Pinkle said:
Many people think OCD is something "serious" and they can't possibly have it, but it's something you can get mildly, and needen't disrupt your life. The whole stigma of mental illness stops people from being reassured by the fact that it's so common. The very term "disorder" implies something "wrong" about a condition. We need to stop thinking of things as right or wrong and just accept they exist, and that there is no reason to alienate people who have these conditions, as it's just a part of living.
Click to expand...

Practically all mental illness is just an extreme version of something that everyone experiences. For example we all get depressed occasionally but it becomes a problem when you can't break out of the depressed feeling.

Mentally Ill people become a lot less scarey when you realise that they're really not that different from the so-called normal people.

What I find endlessly facinating about mental illness is that there is often a kind of bizzare internal logic to it.

Beak said:
The most illogical manifestation of OCD I ever heard of was an American man, who couldn't seal an envelope until he'd checked his children weren't inside.
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Of course it's not always logical, but I can't help wondering if this man didn't have some irrational, but to him perfectly reasonable, reason for it.

Cujo
 
mejane said:
Welcome to this madhouse of a MB, Torgeir :)

(Do you mind if I call you that, or do you prefer your username? Sorry, but I have a tendency to apologize a lot (I've been known to say sorry to lamp-posts that I've walked into) and, um, use too many brackets)

Ahem, anyway... your example of substituting different letters in words is interesting. Perhaps this could be a reincarnation memory - your brain/mind/soul/whatever knows the word but thinks it should be spelt in your previous language?

Did that make any sense at all?

Jane.
Click to expand...

Just call me Torgeir :)

I don't have much faith in reincarnation, at least not the part about having memories from different lives. The basis for my little word "game" was just replacing the individual letters with letters that were in some way similar to them (sounding similar or looking similar), so I doubt that it has anything to do with foreign languages. Interesting theory, though.
 
Well, straight off Spooky's electric shock thread, after recieving numerous annoying shocks from my car, i have developed this 'ritual' before touching the metalwork with my hand or a key:
I have to knock on the door or bonnet twice with my bare knuckle before touching it, to a bystander this may look to be an obsessive compulsive disorder, but it's a deliberately conditioned action that i have to do to stop getting a shock.

I also have this annoying habit of repeating myself.

I also have this annoying habit of repeating myself.

I also have this annoying habit of repeating myself.

I also have this annoying habit of repeating myself.

:p
 
I have a mild OCD in certain things I do, or I have to complete a particular simple 'ritual' of actions when doing something. But I think I can live with it . . .:rolleyes:

And when we were kids we all must have played a variation of the 'don't step on the cracks of the pavement' theme.

One rhyme I remember from Opie, I think:

'Tread on a nick you'll marry a brick
And a beetle'll come to your wedding.'

Carole
 
I have one thing- I've pretty much outgrew it, but, sad to say, if I'm creeped out for some reason, I still repeat it.
Whenever I'm in a bathroom, and the shower curtain is pulled closed... I HAD to check behind it- always, no exceptions. Just to make sure there wasn't anything there. Goes back to a childhood fear of Dracula being in my cousin's bathtub. I think.
 
DschingisKhan said:
some words I'll never use because there's something about them that turns me off or even disgusts me...
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This reminds me of synaesthesia (which we don't have a thread on, amazingly, so I can't link to it!)

But here is a link to a site about it:
http://www.psychiatry.cam.ac.uk/isa/frames.html

I heard a synaesthete describe how certain notes he played looked horrible to him, or made him feel icky. My friend is an artist and she often incorporates the music she is listening to into her paintings, and can recall what music she was listening to on viewing each part of the painting at a later date!

Excellent stuff. Probably new thread fodder. Someone else can do the honours, my head hurts.

pinkle
 
Yup, certain sounds are icky. I couldn't have put it better myself. For example, without wanting to cause any offense at all, I can't stand the name Julie. No reason, just the sound of it. Unfortunately, that's my sister's name (nothing Freudian there, I assure you) the name of my line manager, and the name of about another half a dozen people at work. No imagination, some parents ;)

Yet I love the word 'chamfered' (or however it's spelt). Dunno why, just do.

I don't have any rituals I'm aware of. Hang on, I just thought of one. When I'm eating a roast dinner, I have to eat one vegetable at a time. Eg, I'll eat all the carrots, then the broccoli (or beans, or whatever) then the potatoes, then the roast potatoes, then the meat. Don't know why. The idea of mixing the food on the fork makes me feel ill. I don't like foods mixed together much, except for Chinese and Italian. Basically, if the foods put on the plate separately, that's how I eat it, I suppose.

I can't stand leftovers. I can handle food as much as necessary when cooking (although, yes, I do wash my hands rather a lot) but once it's been eaten and there's stuff left on the plate, it's rubbish and I can't bear to even look at it. It's all I can do to scrape the plate clean into the waste disposal thingy. Even that makes me feel sick. The thought of touching it.....urk!

At least, I don't think I have rituals. I just have routines. Actually, thinking even more about it, I even shower in a particular order, shave in a certain order......maybe I'm worse than I thought I was?:eek!!!!:
 
Helen said:
I don't have any rituals I'm aware of. Hang on, I just thought of one. When I'm eating a roast dinner, I have to eat one vegetable at a time. Eg, I'll eat all the carrots, then the broccoli (or beans, or whatever) then the potatoes, then the roast potatoes, then the meat. Don't know why. The idea of mixing the food on the fork makes me feel ill. I don't like foods mixed together much, except for Chinese and Italian. Basically, if the foods put on the plate separately, that's how I eat it, I suppose.
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Sorry to keep threadjacking, but a quote from the movie "Toys", culled from IMDB.com:

Patrick Zevo: I can't even eat. The food keeps touching. I like military plates, I'm a military man, I want a military meal. I want my string beans to be quarantined! I like a little fortress around my mashed potatoes so the meatloaf doesn't invade my mashed potatoes and cause mixing in my plate! I HATE IT when food touches! I'm a military man, you understand that? And don't let your food touch either, please?
 
THAT'S IT!!! That's it exactly, Pinkle! Although, I'm not myself a military man, you understand. Just a place for everything and everything all over the floor......hang on, that's not right.;)
 
Caroline said:
I count. I count the number of people in a room. If I know their ages I go around the room mentally from person to person counting down from the oldest to the youngest. Then I start all over again. Especially when I'm stressed, like at family gatherings.
Click to expand...

I do that too - usually left from right and back again, I usually include anyone on the TV as well.

If I am by myself and feeling stressed I count flat retangular surfaces in the room over and over trying to make it a multiple of 10. :rolleyes:
 
Ok, here goes:

I have to tap my fingures in the corect order. This is ordained by the fingure I start with. If it's my middle fingure then I have to tap that once, then tap the two fingures either side and then the middle one again. If I tap one of the other fingures (it's always the same ones) then these are taped together, followed by the middle fingure and then the other two again. Are you keeping up with me? Good. I then increse the speed again and again and then change the patern. This can go on for upwards of 10 - 15 minutes at a time.

I also count my steps when walking, I don't walk on the cracks and often find myself compulsivly humming the same music phrase again and again (this one can last from when I get up in the morning untill I go to bed at night.)

All these compulsions happen at a level below conciousness and it was once sugested that I sufferd from depresion as a result of my atempts to keep a check on a mild form of OCD.

Anyone have any thoughts on this?
 
I more or less cured myself of 'touching things' (four times or multiples of four) when I was little but still catch myself doing it sometimes.

Still 'count things', especially the number of panes in windows.

I know exactly what DschingisKhan means by not being able to leave a switch alone until it 'feels right'. That's irritating, but again something I grew out of - but not completely.

Sometimes I seem to repeat phrases (words or music) in my head until it feels like the right time to stop, which I think is what jamesveldon is talking about.

Any normal people on this board?? :gaga:
 
I'm not generally a very compulsive person (it requires too much effort and concentration:))
I can't turn a song that I like off, before it finishes, I have to let it play right up to the very last bar (although I will happily wander off out of hearing).
I also have to turn the light on in a room before I enter it at night.
That's about it really.
 
I catch myself daydreaming to the point where I am actually talking out loud or acting out actual actions from the dream. It's not compulsive, but it takes some effort to not daydream, especially in public.
 
I know that there are some developmental stages kids go thru when they colorize toys (very young, maybe 1 1/2 years) then will group or organize toys by some other criteria (i.e. a group of toys must contain one item of clothing, one item that is food, one toy identified as female and one identifed as male)...

These stages grow progressively more complex and more abstract, until they outgrow it entirely, but may revert at age 7-8, when their emotional learning curve steepens quickly. Often at that age, if they are not comfortable with their interpersonal relationships, they will re-develop compulsive behaviours, shedding them as they grow accustomed to the new plateau they have reached.

I learned that one in pysch in college. :)
 
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