Do i have OCD?

[Zola]

Hi everybody,

Well i recently was at my cousin's house and there was a lady there that studied autism and other disorders like that. She noticed that i had many features that people with OCD have and she explained some signs and I noticed then that it was kind of weird what i was doing but i thought it was normal.

Well the most annoying thing is DEFINATLY being even. This has litrally taken over my life!!!

Even as i type now i have to press a key with my left hand and then my right and rub out 1.

If one elbo is going over the edge of a desk i have to touch my other elbo off the edge and this is repeated many times. Everything i do HAS to involve left and right being even and if somebody bumps into my by accident on the left i would 'accidently' bump into somebody with the right. I could go on for hours if i said everything that had to be equal.

I also have this strange 'box' shaped obsession. For example, if i put my hand on a desk i would have to make a square shape clockwise and then anti-clockwise. This would be repeated until it fely like it was 'even' or 'right'. Is all of this common????

[Chemar]

yep! sounds like OCD

equalising, organizing and "just right" are among the most common themes

 

seriously though, if it isnt bothering you.........let it be!

nothing of what you describe falls into the serious OCD issues that can sometimes really disrupt people's lives

 

If you want to try a mild supplement that can sometimes help tone things down, it is INOSITOL one of the B vitamins. It usually has Vit B6 in with it...if not adding that is beneficial

 

there are stronger supplements that can help, but they are usually recommended for more severe OCD (samE/methionine and 5HTP )

 

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is also very helpful

 

Eliminating artificial colouring, artificial sweeteners (Nutrasweet/aspartame and Splenda/sucralose) and other artificial food additives seems to also improve things for many people with OCD

[sss180b]

We can't provide diagnoses on this forum but if you think you have OCD, speak to your doctor about starting some treatment. Have a look at this website, it has some useful information about OCD diagnosis and treatment: www.aboutmh.com To have a diagnosis of OCD, the symtoms should consume a significant amount of time each day and interfere with daily situations. if you didn't really notice your symptoms until someone else pointed them out to you then were they interfering much with your life?

[Zola]

thanks very much guys, i really appreciate it.