Is there only one kind of OCD? Or can it express itself in different ways...
By dismalgrin
@dismalgrin (2604)
United States
February 28, 2009 9:05pm CST
My friend and I were just discussing this recently. I have always that that my mom has OCD because she has always been a FREAK about keeping the house clean when I was growing up. Like she seriously was going to get us military style beds and lockers for us kids and was going to limit us to what we could keep in the lockers as far as clothes and stuff. Haha. I knew a girl growing up that always counted the stairs when she when up and down them and she used a ruler to measure a stamp when she put it on the envelope. My friend that I was talking to about this is majorly messed up over germs. She was learned to calm down a little, which means she only has germ x, clorox everywhere spray, and lysol to spray and clean throughout the day, and not her old arsonal of antibacterial soap and bleach, and pinesol, and... you get the picture. But, see I've always considered myself laid back compared to these people, so imagine my surprise when I was diagnosed with OCD! Really! The doctor says that I just give up if I can't have it perfect. Like with my house, I give up because I can't have it perfect. He says that my habit of charting out exactly where I need to go, and figuring out the route of less gas is OCD. My meager and to the penny budget he says is OCD, and my habit of carrying both my infant and 2 year in my arms when I go out places because I don't want anyone to kidnapp my kids is OCD. I don't get it! I thought OCD was like the people I mentioned earlier. The unreasonable types. I have a good reason for the way I am. And if that reason was no longer there I would be more 'normal.' What do you think? Do you have OCD? Is it related to something most would not consider an OCD thing. What quirks do you have? This is not to be judgemental here at all, I'm really curious about how this effects us? Or is this just a blanket term that some doctors use for any little personality quirk that a person might have. Could it be something that is real, but gets over diagnosed?
1 person likes this
3 responses
@Vickie7978 (164)
• United States
16 Mar 09
I am also OCD. I don't count, but I do give up on things I can't do perfectly. I know how you feel. I don't take medication or anything. I just try to make new habits for myself. The housework has been the biggest challenge. I have a hard time just doing a simple run trough of the house for daily chores. I want each room perfect so I end up deep cleaning one room all day and run out of time for the rest. I have put myself and kids on a schedule recently and this has helped. I am also a stickler for schedules. Lol ironic. When I get up, I pretty much have my day planned out in my mind and one small glitch, like my kids missing the bus, ruins the rest of the day. I think having kids helps me. Because of them i have to seperate the things that are needed and the things I want. If it weren't for them I'd be nuts. My husband's favorite thing to say to me is, "Don't let it get to you." Ha easy for him to say. Nothing bothers him. Opposites attract.
2 people like this
@dismalgrin (2604)
• United States
16 Mar 09
Haha, I've always HATED schedules. I guess because I know things are going to go wrong! Haha. But, I do get what you mean, sometimes we have to use our issus for us rather than against us. Just last night I focused on getting all my laundry done. And the night before I focused on rounding up all the trash and taking it out. I have to do things this way because if I were to try to do everything in one day I'd go crazy!
I think kids have helped me relax too. I used to start throwing things away when I got stressed. Now, I like to play with my children.
1 person likes this
@shaggin (72141)
• United States
2 Jan 11
Holding your kids so people dont kidnap them is not OCD! That is just being a good parent. I do have ocd. I have to have everything a certain way. My towels have to be folded a certain way. If someone folds them for me and they arent the right way I have to fix them. I have to have a whole box of pens if I dont I'm afraid if I just have a few that they wont work when I need one and then I dont know what I would do. I have a lot more of these issues but I dont want to write all night about my ocd problems lol.
@dismalgrin (2604)
• United States
2 Jan 11
My mom was like that about towels. I really don't know why the doctors say I have OCD... I have lots of other issues that I'm well aware of having... but the OCD confuses me a little. Lol Thank you for your comments it helps put things in perspective.
@shaggin (72141)
• United States
2 Jan 11
One of the things that I used to do when I was in high school was put my antiperspirant/deodorant on over and over throughout the day. I would go through a bar of deodorant a week. It was when I was nervous I would have to keep putting it on. I was so afraid that someone would smell me sweating. It would cake up so bad under my arm pits it was completely disgusting lol. I never stopped doing it until I got out of school away from the stress of being around those classmates all the time. I was working and there was no way I could put my deodorant on all the time while I was working so I could only do it on my lunch break. Now I'm past it so that I put my deodorant on in the morning and then after I shower at night and also before I go anywhere during the day like if I go out to a friends house or anything. I have to carry deodorant with me in my purse at all times because I feel like I will need it and I wont have it.
@samast (5)
• Australia
18 Oct 10
Hello,
I am new to My Lot and I have just noticed your article. I have lived with OCD for decades now and I am now setting up my own site at http://www.soundmindaus.com
You can have a look if you want to.
Well, I think OCD can be over diagnosed when you take into account the statistics that are avaialable as to how many people have
OCD. I have found anything from one in 100 to 250 people (who have OCD) so to me it says that there is some uncertainty about the prevalance of it. I would think that no more than one in 250 would have it to an severe or extreme level (clinical diagnosis).
OCD can manifest itself in many ways. There are so many different types of obsessions and compulsions (obsessions of blasphemy, filth, lust etc.). If you look at OCD more deeply in terms of a clinical diagnosis, there are some different types such as OCD with predominantly obessional thoughts or ruminations, OCD with predominantly complulsive acts etc. (as seen in the ICD10). In the DSM4 it speaks about OCD more uniformly, but there are many associated features and disorders that can co-exist with OCD. This topic can obviously be expanded on much, much more, and you can find some good information on the Internet, but just be careful. One thing that concerns me with OCD and mental health in general is self-diagnosis (not that you are doing this, of course). I think people can be a bit mislead and I think that this can be very deterimental.
Anyway, I'll have to finish this article now, so if you want to read more stuff about OCD, please look at my site at http://www.soundmindaus.com or of course there is a lot of good info through Wikipedia and other sites written by reputable organizations etc.
Bye for now,
Paul Inglis.
