Strange OCD symptom. Anyone relate?

[Stephanie1981]

Hi everyone-

I began a search online this morning to investigate why songs get stuck in one's head. I've been having a terrible time with this lately, as I have other OCD type mental behaviors, especially in times of high stress and/or anxiety. I have one specific thing that I have been doing for years... it is so strange and difficult to describe but I am going to attempt to. I researched what seemed to be a similar forum post, but it was basically letter counting, which really isn't what this is at all. I'd appreciate it if anyone would let me know if it makes any sense to them and if possibly they do the same thing?

Here goes:

I'll hear a sentence (on TV, something someone says to me, or just a random statement that pops into my head).

For example: I would like to go to the store.

The idea is basically this: to finish writing the sentence out in my head (not on paper), with each stroke of each letter being a syllable for the sentence. (damn this is hard to explain.)

Basically: the first down stroke of "I" is one syllable, and the top and bottom lines are two.... so "I would like" is 3 syllables.... and then the W is 4 total strokes, so it covers "to go to the" and then the "O" is 1 or 2 syllables (depending on how it looks like I'm doing fitting it all). and on and on. The obsession is to repeat saying the whole sentence over and over if needed, fitting each syllable into each stroke of the LETTERS in the sentence until the sentence is complete. But by the time I get to the period at the end, i HAVE to be finishing the sentence. If there is an extra syllable, sometimes I'll end it with an exclamation point (because there is a | as well as the . below it, so that makes 2 instead of just 1 for the period.

Sometimes I can't get an even ending and I get so frustrated, that I have to hurry and chose another sentence from somewhere and start all over with something else until I achieve it.

 

This seems so weird in writing... It's very difficult to describe without showing someone in person. I've only shared it with one person before, that is my therapist. But I'd really like to know if ANYONE has any idea what I'm talking about? I'd really appreciate it if someone would try to understand what I'm describing and let me know if they have done this, or something similar. I feel really strange about doing this all the time, as it really is a compulsive habit that I can't stop doing at specific times, and becomes very distracting from whatever else in "reality" I am trying to focus on.

 

Also, this is usually happening in the foreground of my head, whereas there is almost ALWAYS 1 or 2 songs stuck in the background of my head at all times.

 

Thanks for reading.. Cheers : )

Stephanie

Edited August 23, 2011 by Stephanie1981

[Familyof5]

I do not obsess over things like this now, but I do remember having a cumpulsion to repeat something similar in my head when I was a child. I would need to repeat a sentence over and over again until the syllables ended on my 5th finger. If it didn't end on my fifth finger, I would need to keep saying sentence over and over until it ended on that finger. Similar to what you describe.

[Stephanie1981]

I do not obsess over things like this now, but I do remember having a cumpulsion to repeat something similar in my head when I was a child. I would need to repeat a sentence over and over again until the syllables ended on my 5th finger. If it didn't end on my fifth finger, I would need to keep saying sentence over and over until it ended on that finger. Similar to what you describe.

 

 

Yes, I believe that is actually where it all started for me when I was younger as well. I suppose as I aged it grew more complex. Wish it would go away for me as it had for you. Was there something specific you did, or did it just cease on it's own?

 

Thank you for your feedback

[Familyof5]

Well, the more I think about it, I guess I probably still do this even as a 40 year old. Probably more so when I am stressed out. But, it is not a compulsion, and it doesn't inhibit me from functionally. I definately have never actually thought about it as OCD type behavior until you just described this. Wow!