OCD? Please HELP!!!!!?

Question

i have little compulsions like everyone else, but are mine bad enough to get help? I....
*re-read certain things ATLEAST 5 times
*I count how many letters are in words (sometimes, not all the time)
*I check atleast 5 times to see if my volume on my alarm is set right
*i check about 6 times to make sure my alarm is actually set
*I i check to make sure my phone is off 3 times
*(this one is weird) when i push my jean pockets down, i push them down EXACTLY 7 times. (i dont know why its 7, it just is)
*i quadruple check to make sure stove is off
*i check numbers WAAAAAY too many times (like if i have a page number written down, when i turn to that page i look at the number forever to make sure its right, even though i know it is)
*sometimes i count my steps

are these okay? or do i need to talk to someone? thanks. =D

Answer 1

I married an OCD man. He drives me CRAZY, but hes not as much into counting as you are. If I had to choose I would say that your type is probably worse than his. I DO think that it would be wise for you to get help. It will only get worse over time. Sometimes a simple medicine like Effexor XR can help your OCD. My husband does little things like flip on the light switch so many time before he goes to bed. Or he plays with the water and soap. Stupid little rituals that dont make any sense, but he does not count like you do. I hope you get help! Take care!

Answer 2

I used to have ocd bad. I was diganosed with it when i was like 13 and i took a variety of medications to treat it and depression. I used to do a lot of things, some similar to what you do.



I used to have to turn every door knob one way than the other on both sides every time i would touch one. If not i would think something bad was going to happen.



everytime i saw words i would count all the words i saw and if it was an even number i would add the number over and over and over again in my head until it was impossible for me to add in my head anymore than i would let it go outta my mind and completely forget about it. if the numbers i counted were uneven i would have to find some that were.



those are just a couple of the things..they affected my life in bad ways for a while. I noticed the medicine did nothing but give me side effects and cause further problems. I eventually just worked it out in my head. It took till I was 17 and sometimes i still do little things but they arent as bad.

I researced a little and it seems only really smart people get it so maybe that can help you look at it in a different way.

and about talking to someone ..it could help or it could hurt thats all up to you. good luck its a hard thing to overcome.

Answer 3

You should seek help NOW! jk lol. I love the one about the Jean Pockets. Haha I can picture someone doing that now...thats too funny. On a serious note, I would think deep down as to why you do these things. I can understand the alarm thing. Maybe you have a deep fear of being late or something. Same thing with the stove. Wouldn't want the house to blow up lol. I think you're fine, maybe a little paranoid. Go Hang out somewhere peaceful and just think about it. It probably has something to do with your past. But what do I know, I just work at Taco Bell.

Answer 4

Ya know.........it can't hurt to talk to someone - there's NOTHING wrong with re-checking stoves (things that can catch on fire) -- I recheck my alarm a couple times as I have to get up really early in the a.m. and don't want to be late for work....and the alarm can change if it's set on "music" -- a lot of what you do is pretty normal actually -- we ALL have a LITTLE OCD in us I think. Is it affecting your everday life and making you miserable?

Answer 5

I do the alarm checking, stove, and phone-because those things will bother people or-blow up my house (Stove)



The other things, maybe you do have a touch of OCD, but I have a friend that clicks light switches on and off and counts out loud..he's got it bad. I think you need to find ways of relaxing

Answer 6

Well, the real question is do these obsessions cause problems in your every day life, bother you, bother others, or are they just little quirks?



If these things are making your life more difficult, you may want to see a psychologist. If there's a college near you with a psychology department, you might want to find out if they would be interested in studying you (if you're down with that) to further scientific knowledge of OCD and possibly help both yourself and others like you in the future.

Answer 7

i am 44 and i have had ocd since i was 7. .I will advise you how to get free and cheap counseling, and what to do to control your OCD. I learned how to get a good grip on my OCD. if you want to see a therapist and can't afford one, then call your states social services department and ask them where you can get free help. most states, especially in the big cities offer free counseling with a psychiatrist and you can qualify for free meds from the big drug companies. they may charge on a sliding scale for a shrink, i went a long time ago when i needed help and i had to pay $6.00 per session. make some calls, it's all there for you. heres how i controlled my OCD, and it has caused me all sorts of problems in my life. i bacame an alcoholic for 14 years due to the anxiety from my OCD. i've been alcohol and drug free for 13 years now. don't drink or do drugs because this will only make your OCD worse. especially as you come down form substances because of the anxiety and stress that is associated with the comedown. coke and uppers will fuel your OCD severely and stay away from caffiene because this will also fuel your OCD. i am white knuckling it now as far as not taking any meds for my OCD, but i have learned to cut out stress in my life at a very good rate. don't get worked up about things. this will cause your stress and anxiety level to rise and severely impact your OCD symptoms. I should go on meds because when i took 100 milligrams of Luvox my OCD symptoms were reduced by 70%. i also learned to drink caffiene free teas at night and sometimes when i feel a bit anxious I will add cava cava or Valerian root to my tea. I will even at times take melatonin to help me relax at night. i even learned to practice ignoring my OCD when it demands that I perform rituals. It's hard to do at first, but when you ignore the obsessions by not giving in and performing these rituals, the OCD will greatly subside. over a few months time of ignoring rituals it will become easier and easier to not do this. Then it will become more of a maintainence for you to not do rituals. The strength of the OCD symptoms will now greatly reduce. I also learned to do rituals in my mind so I don't look funny to other people doing strange movements.good luck.

Answer 8

Try a SSRI; Paxil or Lexapro.

Some recent studies show that as many as 3 million Americans ages 18 to 54 may have OCD at any one time.

Answer 9

I get what your saying, I do some of the same things because for me everything has to be in order and go from a-b-c-d, etc. I also check my alar and all of the stuff. It is not something you should be worried about yet unless it gets severely worse. Like i said i do some of those thing and others but i don't have what people would call ODC. It is like one of those things where you just think you do, some people think they have add cuz they cant pat attention, but they really don't. Overall, i just wouldn't be worried, for now.

Answer 10

omg! i am like this too. i am a normal girl and lead a normal, every-day life. i don't have diagnosed OCD but it all started nine years ago, when i was eight. i had little quirks, many the same as and simliar to yours, but my mom would constantly tell me to stop it. everytime i wanted to check the faucet again or count my steps & redo them until it was right, she would tell me to knock it off and eventually i did. last year i was in the hospital for viral meningitis, which can cause long-term damage to the brain. i have developed quirks again, and it's very annoying. i don't think you need to talk to anyone unless it gets to the point where you can't function throughout the day, and it stresses you out to the point where you're going crazy. good luck!

Answer 11

as long as the habits you have developed are not harming you, or others, it is not something that you absolutely have to get help for.



the only reason why you would get help for these kinds of things, is because you felt that you needed to. that would be entirely your decision.



there are many people, who really do have compulsive habits, that do harm others (or themselves). many of these individuals, even after being taken aside, and shown the harm they are inflicting, cannot bring themselves to find help.



the important thing to keep sight of, is how your habits change.

just because they are harmless now, does not mean you're compulsive nature will not grow into something unhealthy.



there are many people with your problem, who would want to break themselves of their compulsive nature now, because of the potential risk they might fall into.



but just as many in your position see nothing wrong with it. so its very much up to you.



if i were you, i would ask myself, maybe once or twice a year..

"What, if any, new habits have i developed that are potentially damaging or harmful?"

"Have any of my habits changed? and if so, in what way?"



i once read about a woman who was such a germophobic that each time she washed her hands, she had to wash her hands 7 times. she took the natural oils right out of her skin. it was very painful. it was difficult for her to break herself of this, but the first thing she had to do, her therapist said, was only wash her hands once, and then walk away. it was very, very hard for her.



but, things like, checking your stove, and checking your alarm all seem to be somewhat responsible things to be worried about.

Answer 12

i am not a psychiatrist but it sounds a little like ocd to me. i do some of these same things (minus the actual "counting" parts). like the stove and the alarm clock. i check the stove over and over, and i am soooo afraid of the alarm clock not being set right....

Answer 13

i check the stove like twenty times a night, but it is just because i want to be certain. my best friend has ocd, she cries over little things like if her hair is perfect or if her shoes match. She gets really upset if her outfit doesn't match. I hope that you get through ur ocd.

Answer 14

my husband had OCD. when we left the house my son and i would sit in the car for 20,30 minuets waiting for him to do all his checking and flipping of switches. this was embarrassing to him. you have a disorder. as you get older it will become more of a problem. you will have to explain it to people, make excuses for the things you are doing and, hope like crazy, people understand. most won't. please get some help. life is too short and medical science is too advanced for you to live this way. talk to a professional, soon.

Answer 15

When it begins to affect your life then you need to seek help. Nothing here seems that bad. My son is OCD, but we are dealing with it without the help of a professional and it's going pretty well.

Answer 16

ive seen little problems of ocd but yours is pretty bad i suggest you go to a doctor and see if you can turn it around to know that what you do is sill the thing that you do can sometimes ruin your life or wast a lot of it so i suggest you get help its not only good for you but good for your life...i hope this helps and you take my advise it should help a lot hopefully....

Answer 17

well, you have ocd. Maybe you could get counseling to make life a little, no affense. OCD is normal, though. You wont believe how many people have it. If these thing bother oyu CONSTANTLY, i reccomend counseling. if you can live with them, you would be fine without.

Answer 18

It is ok to be catious and double check, but that is complusive. My BF is the same way. You need to speak to a dr. It will only get worse



Good Luck Hun!

Answer 19

although im not a doctor and cant say for sure, you might have OCD. i would go to your doctor, and let them make sure that you have it. and if you want to actually physically get rid of it, you can go to a clinic that you stay there as long as they think you need to, with excercises that will help you stop these disorders.

Answer 20

Well... it is a little unusual..



I suggest maybe telling a councilor or something? You could be dealing with an underlying issue (or not dealing with it for that matter) and this is how it's "asking" to be dealt with.. I hope that makes sense.



If not feel free to email me.. [e-mail]

Answer 21

Hey, i am really to say that but i think you have obsessive compulsive disorder. Don't worry, it is quite common, i used to have it, i saw a shrink, and she really helped me out about that. So, i will advise you to see someone about it.

Here is the wikipedia link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsessive_compulsive_disorder

Answer 22

u def have ocd and need to talk to someone, a doctor or a psychologist. they will put u on meds so these compulsions wont interfere with ur every day life. good luck

Answer 23

I have ocd so I know what you are going through.



They are OKAY, but maybe you ought you to try some therapy to overcome them because they will only get worse and more extensive.



Good luck (:

Answer 24

ocd yes, i don't know why there are people against taking meds to help out. if you find the right one, it will be so much better. the problem with ocd is it can get worse if your not getting help.

Answer 25

As long as it's not harming you, i don't see anything wrong with it.

We all have our little 'compulsions'. We can either let them turn us in to freaks, or we can keep them under control and as private as possible.

Answer 26

I'm sorry to say, but you need a therapist..I'm sorry. But it's ok. I have OCD, too. It could get better if you see someone pretty quick. :D

Good Luck~!~

Answer 27

ok i have the same symptoms as you

but its not bad enough to seek treatment

we just take better precautions than everyone else! lol

Answer 28

you've got OCD. consult a physician for medication or referral to a therapist.

Answer 29

You need to talk to someone. See a psychologist.

Answer 30

i do that too! you may want to talk to someone, only if it is effecting you in a very bothersome or troublesome way! good luck!

Answer 31

you remind me of the movie 'as good as it gets' you should really see it if you havent, wonderful movie



but psychiatric help is the best i got

Answer 32

i think a little bit of OCD yea sorry...

Answer 33

i have ocd also.

its perfectly normal alot of people have it.

Answer 34

Your fine.

Answer 35

well idk, but i have a problem with stepping on cracks, or stepping on blocks of tile with difforent colors.

Answer 36

YES!