OCD???

[fallenangel2007]

I read an article today about OCD which got me thinking about my own habits. Im obsessed with counting, I know how many stairs there are in every stairwell at work, I even know how many tiles there are on the ceiling where I do my kickboxing class. When Im watching TV or listening to music I have to have the volume on an even number, if its on an odd number I feel panicky and have to change it, I even got into a fight with my bro because he kept putting the volume onto 31!! I also have thoughts that something bad will happen if I don't do certain things by a certain time, e.g if Im in my car listening to music I think that if I don't arrive home before the song finishes or if I don't do a job by a certain time then something bad will happen. If I see one magpie then all day I think about what bad things might happen, and I freak out if just one of my hands is wet, I have to go and wet the other 1 too. I also pick the skin off my head until it scabs , and have bitten my lip so much that it now has a natural groove :S... I feel like a bit of a freak actually writing about all these things. I get to thinking though could it be OCD or am I just being paranoid??

Any info would be appreciated.....

thanks :?

Nikki XxXx

 

[paulmm]

It does sound like you have mild OCD. These are all extremely common symptoms of OCD, and depending on how distressing the compulsions are (compulsions being the need to get home before the song, the need to have both hands wet, etc), you may or may not want to seek help. If you do not seek help, you will probably have these symptoms for years or for life. Many many many people do, and many people have far more severe cases of OCD than you do, and others have less severe cases. What you need to watch out for are intrusive thoughts and compulsions that affect your life negatively. They are easy to spot - they are full of self-doubt, in that you can't convince yourself of something without 100% certainty. If you don't have these intrusive thoughts already, try and avoid them and try to think they through rationally if they do come, rather than suppress them with a compulsion. This will help keep your OCD to a minimum and not let it get out of hand.