Fellow OCDers!

[JWH]

I came across this today and I nearly pissed myself laughing when I read the following. My mother is exactly like this - she will keep the rings off the milk bottle caps for instance.

One time I ran out of toothpaste or floss or something, so I opened the medicine cabinet looking for more. Instead, I found the bathroom cabinet full of my old prescription bottles. I then realized I'd never thrown a prescription bottle away, I'd get new ones, and the old ones had just disappeared. I'd never thought about it. I confronted my mom, and she told me she was keeping hers too, and was saving them to cut the labels off so the prisoners wouldn't know what medications we were on.

Does anyone else here have a problem with OCD and would like to post stories or pictures? I'll post some pictures up when I get the time.

 

[nedkelly]

Hi jwh. I have OCD pretty bad myself, but i guess mine are ones that others with OCD, do also.
I use a piece of paper(out)/towel at home to turn on the batroom taps, or to flush the toilet, as i am scared i will get germs from others...even my own family.
No doubt you would guess it is hard to get way with it in public,and i will wait to there is no-one else in the toilet.This can take a while...lol
When it comes to cutting up meats, i am really fussy, washing my hands and dishes many times, and then throwing out the cloth i used to clean them...and so on.
I also double numbers in my head all the time...very frustrating.
Gee, people are going to think i am a bit loopy

 

[Tim001]

Years ago I had a problem leaving the house for any reason. I would check and re-check to make sure the appliances were turned off and that the water was turned off. It would take me hours to get ready for work since most of the time was spent performing my ocd rituals. Simply looking at the tap to see that it was off was not enough; I had to repeat this check several times, just to be sure. I also had a problem with hand washing etc...

I think the root cause was that I simply could not handle the consequences of what would happen if I left the taps on or the stove on. I also did not have the confidence to trust and believe that I had really turned them off, therefore, I knew that by checking and re-checking and doing this in a pre-determined way every time, I was ok to leave the house. How’s that for weird?

This type of thing can be exhausting. Fortunately, I have gotten over this to a certain extent. I still double check the water, stove and front door when I leave my house, but it’s not crippling like it was years ago.

Tim

 

[LilMissTragic]

My OCD comes out when I go shopping. If i'm gonna buy something, I cannot take it from the front row, it has be be the third one from the front. I also cover my hands when opening doors. Also when i go to my old house (my ex still lives there and i go there to check on my pets) I have to knock o the front door 3 times before I leave. I know nothings going to happen if I dont it just sorta feels comfortable and doesn't feel right if I dont do it.

 

[cody2468]

I have got a problem with pulling hairs out all the time. I have got a hormone problem and get alot of facial hair and every day I sit there with the tweezers and pluck them out, I know it is making worse but I can't stop doing it. I also tend to pick at things all the time. I'm female by the way so the facial hair makes me feel ultra self conscious

 

[JWH]

OMG!! Idiot parents are drilling the asbestos in the house. Just another thing to get paranoid about for the rest of my life.

 

[Dgm]

Years ago I had a problem leaving the house for any reason. I would check and re-check to make sure the appliances were turned off and that the water was turned off. It would take me hours to get ready for work since most of the time was spent performing my ocd rituals. Simply looking at the tap to see that it was off was not enough; I had to repeat this check several times, just to be sure. I also had a problem with hand washing etc...

I think the root cause was that I simply could not handle the consequences of what would happen if I left the taps on or the stove on. I also did not have the confidence to trust and believe that I had really turned them off, therefore, I knew that by checking and re-checking and doing this in a pre-determined way every time, I was ok to leave the house. How’s that for weird?

This type of thing can be exhausting. Fortunately, I have gotten over this to a certain extent. I still double check the water, stove and front door when I leave my house, but it’s not crippling like it was years ago.

Tim

I do some of the exact same things, how did u over come it?

 

[Jenni]

My OCD is is with cleanliness/germs etc (I'm so typical, lol)

It's one of those things that you hear about but think 'it will never happen to me'

Last year was my worst time. I lived on bananas, bleached tomatoes & oranges because they were the only foods I thought to be 'safe'. I came SO close to being sectioned.

Luckily a new relationship & moving out of home helped me to drag myself out of it. I'm pretty 'normal' in behaviour now - apart from using hand gel like crazy but my thoughts are still intrusive. My 'proffessional' said . . "You have to challenge your thinking & do the opposite"