Anonymous wrote:There is a difference between OCD and habits. You have OCD if you feel like you MUST do something (i.e. count, check, touch, repeat, etc.) or else you will suffer from some sort of consequence and is the source of much anxiety. For example, my father sticks to a very rigid schedule, but what makes him different from others is that when he goes off schedule, it practically impairs him -- it's very unsettling for him, to say the least. He says certain phrases with the exact tone and tempo every single time he says them; he's been whistling the same song for over 40 years; he eats the same lunch everyday; he wakes up at exactly the same time every morning, and opens his bedroom door at exactly the same time every morning. He will never admit, though, that he has OCD. But he does.

I had counting behaviors in my early teens, but they went away after a few years (likely when my hormones kicked into full gear).

There is a great book called, Passing for Normal, about a girl who was diagnosed with OCD and Tourette Syndrome (which often go hand in hand). Also, Rewind, Replay, Repeat discusses how one man beat OCD later in life.

Typically, medication and cognitive therapy are used to treat OCD.

Anonymous wrote:There is a difference between OCD and habits. You have OCD if you feel like you MUST do something (i.e. count, check, touch, repeat, etc.) or else you will suffer from some sort of consequence and is the source of much anxiety. For example, my father sticks to a very rigid schedule, but what makes him different from others is that when he goes off schedule, it practically impairs him -- it's very unsettling for him, to say the least. He says certain phrases with the exact tone and tempo every single time he says them; he's been whistling the same song for over 40 years; he eats the same lunch everyday; he wakes up at exactly the same time every morning, and opens his bedroom door at exactly the same time every morning. He will never admit, though, that he has OCD. But he does.

I had counting behaviors in my early teens, but they went away after a few years (likely when my hormones kicked into full gear).

There is a great book called, Passing for Normal, about a girl who was diagnosed with OCD and Tourette Syndrome (which often go hand in hand). Also, Rewind, Replay, Repeat discusses how one man beat OCD later in life.

Typically, medication and cognitive therapy are used to treat OCD.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:diagnosed clinically depressed and OCD in 2006. I remember emailing all my friends and the universal response was like... "really, you didn't know you were OCD." My OCD shoes up as intense attachments and hobbies/interests that run amuck. I have learned to live with them, realize when they are occurring and taking me-time steps to get out of my funk or extreme interests. Much better than being a pill zombie, which I was after I was first diagnosed. Some of my secrets: be with friends and family, get outside to somewhere peaceful (hidden pond, national arboretum, etc.)

Yes, I told just about everyone. Now, whenever I am at a new job, I wait a few months, so the surprise is already gone (they always figure it out.) I am in IT Support, and being OCD is actually a benefit, I tend to follow instructions to the letter.

Anonymous wrote:diagnosed clinically depressed and OCD in 2006. I remember emailing all my friends and the universal response was like... "really, you didn't know you were OCD." My OCD shoes up as intense attachments and hobbies/interests that run amuck. I have learned to live with them, realize when they are occurring and taking me-time steps to get out of my funk or extreme interests. Much better than being a pill zombie, which I was after I was first diagnosed. Some of my secrets: be with friends and family, get outside to somewhere peaceful (hidden pond, national arboretum, etc.)

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for the info. Did you really tell everyone you were diagnosed with OCD? I haven't told anyone except my husband. I can't imagine telling other people! I guess that's part of my OCD perfectionism.

For examples of OCD -- at my worst, I would obsess that there was going to be a fire or that someone was going to break into the house, and I would check the locks and stove/oven several times. If I got into bed and couldn't remember if I had checked them (or even if I thought I probably had but wasn't sure), I would have to ask my husband for verification that they probably weren't on/open, or I had to go downstairs. I wouldn't check more than a few times, but it was definitely a compulsion.

Most of my obsessions are fears of things happening -- like being responsible for something terrible happening to someone I love, etc.

PP, did you wean off the meds? I don't feel like a zombie. I actually feel really happy now, but I'm having a bit of trouble coping with the fact that I have OCD and would love to be without meds.