Not sure what to do...‏

[MariellaRP]

I believe I have a mild form of OCD but i'm not completely sure. I recently spoke to my doctor about my obsession to keep things even. For example, if I were to wink with one eye, I would have to wink with the other one right after. Or if a fly were to land on my Left hand, I would have to touch my Right hand softly and attempt to replicate a fly landing on that hand. And if I were to touch my Right hand with a noticeably stronger force than the fly did on my Left hand, I would have to touch my Left hand with a stronger force equivalent to the one I did to my Right hand and then again, attempt to replicate a fly landing on my Right hand softly to make it even. Though it's not always touch; if I were to breathe on one hand I would have to do the same to the other. Movement on each side of me also has to be even. For example, if there is something moving around a lot on my left side, I would have to turn left and make it so that the thing is also moving around a lot on my right side. So I told my doctor about these things and he saw it as something that I could easily get rid of by just stopping. He told me that OCD patients who have the same problem usually believe there is a consequence if they do not do these things. I agreed and then attempted to just STOP doing these things when I got home, though it was extremely difficult. As a test, I tapped my left hand and I became extremely irritated and felt the NEED to touch my right hand. I eventually gave in and touched my right hand after about 30 seconds of complete torture. I of course tried more and more but I didn't have the will power. I posted this issue on another forum and a few other OCD patients responded and said that they had OTHER symptoms of OCD which over time got worse and worse. So my question is: Can these symptoms over time- become more uncontrollable, latch onto other symptoms of OCD, or maybe even develop these unrealistic consequences my doctor says shows a clear sign of OCD? Please help me out, I am very young and therefore very ignorant when it comes to things I have not been taught about in school or even heard of for that matter. Thanks in advance.

 

[awkwardamanda]

I do the same sorts of things sometimes. I guess it's only a mild obsession for me though. It's not to a point where it's taking me over all day long or anything.

 

[mr.germs]

Try to stop this asap! Not to scare you, but all ocd has to start somewhere and it will get worse and harder to stop, so the sooner you stop it, the better you will be. Some of your rituals may seem stupid, but I guarantee after months and years after doing them, they will get more complicated and time consuming. Instead of touching your hand once, you will eventually feel the need to touch it 100 times, etc. The hardest thing though is when you try to stop your ocd for the first time at any level, but after not giving into the compulsions the first time, the next times will be easier. Try to make this a phase in your life rather than the rest of your life. Good Luck!