Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and what we do

[Dr Death]

Dont worry about OCD, just because it has disorder tacked on the end of it doesnt mean theres something wrong with you. OCD should only be considered a \"disorder\" if it stops you from doing what you want to do, or ifit is significantly negatively intruding on your life.

I myself was diagnosed with Asperger\'s syndrome a good 4 years ago of which OCD is a part and its my beleif that rather than try and \"cure\" the OCD (which is practically impossible, especially since its not a physical illness) you should rather pick your battles. Seek help on individual obessions which your life would be genuinely better without rather than attempting to cast off the more minor ones that do not impact so heavily on your happiness but dont go down the \"its a bug, its a bug, get it off!\" route for those \"little eccentricities\" just because its called a disorder. Doing so only sets you up for unnessercary anxiety.

You\'ll find that most people interested in this hobby have some form of Autistic spectrum disorder, be it Aspergers, ADHD, dyspraxia, dyslexia or Autism in its wider sense, which is why i always have to chuckle at the hypocricy of gamers/painters talking about the \"weird types\" in a gaming store when you realise quite how close you actually are.

Talking of which- Heres a story that happened to me in my youth, when i was about 9-10, a good 7 years ago now. I was always fascinated by the books associated with wargaming when i first started the hobby (still am, but this was verging on an insatiable need for them) and so one Saturday in a crowded GW store, i went into the corner where all the black library stuff was sat down and just started reading. I cant quite explain the level of attention i gave it but i was literally there for hours, completely turned off from the mad goings on around me. I was right in front of the stock cupboard so occassionally i\'d get the impression of some dark shape stepping over me but i was utterly engrossed. Another habit of mine which carries through to this very day is doing a running commentry to apsolutely no-one as i paint. I dont know quite why i do this but it allows me to rationalise what im doing as i paint, i dont really go in for all this \"artistic flow of idea\'s\" stuff for me the process of painting is about bringing a character to life and so essentially talking myself through what any character is, where they came from etc helps me not only create the image of them but also keeps my interest fresh through what is essentially a fairly repetitive task.

So there you have my account of OCD, have fun and relish in it.

Dr Death

 

[Zordana]

I have mild OCD, so it\'s not really a major issue.

Currently I:
Have a thing about even numbers and specific numbers. For example, hanging out clothes, I need to put up an even amount of pegs and take off an even amount of pegs each time. I count them in my head whilst I do it.

Count stairs, again preferring the even steps. There are none in my house now

Occasionally I get stuck looking at the alarm clock. I have to stare at it untill the minute changes without blinking. If I blink I have to start again. Usually ill be saying something to myself like \"so-and-so will die/get hurt if I dont do this properly\".

If I hit my arm on a door frame or somesuch the feeling kinda emanates through my arm untill I even it up by hitting my opposite arm. That one is kind of embarrassing. My husband likes to whack my arm just to see me whack the other. Thankfully it doesnt happen all the time, but when he does that it reminds me and I cant help but \'even\' myself up. Much to his joy

When I was younger I used to go up the stairs and have to leap down the hallway to my bedroom. I\'d have, like, two seconds to get into my bedroom or someone would die.

I\'d also do the crack on the sidewalk thing when I was younger. That doesnt happen so much anymore.

Its pretty funny when you think about it. Thankfully it only gets annoying on the odd occasion so it\'s alright.

 

[SebastianRushworth]

Originally posted by Zordana

Currently I:
Have a thing about even numbers and specific numbers.

Count stairs, again preferring the even steps. There are none in my house now

Occasionally I get stuck looking at the alarm clock. I have to stare at it untill the minute changes without blinking. If I blink I have to start again. Usually ill be saying something to myself like \"so-and-so will die/get hurt if I dont do this properly\".

If I hit my arm on a door frame or somesuch the feeling kinda emanates through my arm untill I even it up by hitting my opposite arm. That one is kind of embarrassing. My husband likes to whack my arm just to see me whack the other. Thankfully it doesnt happen all the time, but when he does that it reminds me and I cant help but \'even\' myself up. Much to his joy

When I was younger I used to go up the stairs and have to leap down the hallway to my bedroom. I\'d have, like, two seconds to get into my bedroom or someone would die.

I\'d also do the crack on the sidewalk thing when I was younger. That doesnt happen so much anymore.

Its pretty funny when you think about it. Thankfully it only gets annoying on the odd occasion so it\'s alright.

Yep, I also have a bit of a thing about even numbers. When I was younger I also had to \"right\" myself, but by turning around (as if I was tied to a rope and had to keep it untangled) rather than by hitting myself (sound painful!). I also can get caught up looking at a clock, at least if it shows seconds, since I have to stop looking on a \"good\" number (this is very annoying when I\'m looking at a movie and my eye gets caugt on the timer on the DVD). I also have a bit of a thing about reaching a certain place, so I have to reach the door to my apartment before the door to the building closes. Lots of similarities, only the specifics are slightly different!

But I think there are also certain advantages to OCD. When someone else posted about the advantages of it earlier in this thread it really got me thinking, and I realized how much of my personality comes from the OCD. For example, my extreme orderliness, and my restlessness. I constantly have to be doing something that requires mental concentration, so I don\'t get caught up in obsessive thoughts. I think this is a very important reason for why I read so much and why I paint miniatures, and why its impossible for me to just lounge about doing nothing.

 

[dauber22]

Originally posted by Zordana

If I hit my arm on a door frame or somesuch the feeling kinda emanates through my arm untill I even it up by hitting my opposite arm. That one is kind of embarrassing. My husband likes to whack my arm just to see me whack the other. Thankfully it doesnt happen all the time, but when he does that it reminds me and I cant help but \'even\' myself up. Much to his joy

Whoa! I used to have this problem all the time!! I\'d never heard of anyhone else having it, so I thought I was the only one. It persisted probably right up until I was nearly 30 or so, then just seemed to ebb. Now it still happens occasionally, but only infrequently.

 

[supervike]

Originally posted by Zordana

Its pretty funny when you think about it. Thankfully it only gets annoying on the odd occasion so it\'s alright.

Yup, it is kinda funny. I have a bunch of little quirks that I always had attributed to superstition or other such things...

This thread has really been eye opening to me.

 

[Dr Death]

I\'ve never had any number related obsessions (well strictly number based obsessions), that i can remember, but i\'ve had clock based \"eccentricities\" (obsessions i think is a bit strong a word) like Zordana, but rather than staring as the minute changes i look away as it does. About a year before i was diagnosed i couldnt look at a clock on the 13th minute or second in a minute.

I suppose the way to fix all of those is just to make sure your house has no digital clocks lol but no doubt obsession would find a new means by which to be vented.

Dr Death

 

[Shawn R. L.]

Originally posted by Dr Death
I\'ve never had any number related obsessions (well strictly number based obsessions), that i can remember, but i\'ve had clock based \"eccentricities\" (obsessions i think is a bit strong a word) like Zordana, but rather than staring as the minute changes i look away as it does. About a year before i was diagnosed i couldnt look at a clock on the 13th minute or second in a minute.

I suppose the way to fix all of those is just to make sure your house has no digital clocks lol but no doubt obsession would find a new means by which to be vented.

Dr Death

One word - sundial...................lol

 

[supervike]

Originally posted by Dr Death
I\'ve never had any number related obsessions (well strictly number based obsessions), that i can remember, but i\'ve had clock based \"eccentricities\" (obsessions i think is a bit strong a word) like Zordana, but rather than staring as the minute changes i look away as it does. About a year before i was diagnosed i couldnt look at a clock on the 13th minute or second in a minute.

Yup, I have some of these things too. Anytime I see the clock reads 10:10, 11:11 or 12:12 I have to make some sort of wish. Also the time 12:34 always makes some sort of an impression with
me.


I noticed too lately that I have been saying the alphabet when putting several dishes in the sink, or when putting clothes in the wash machine (each item gets a letter...), and count the stairs, in spanish, as I go up or down them.... I don\'t even speak spanish. And I can only count to ten in it.

It\'s like these things start off as fun little \'diversionary\' things for me, but then develop into habits.

Strange.

 

[Modderrhu]

Curious habits there, vike. Mine are just as silly, like; seeing a word somewhere, and counting its letters, seeing if it\'s divisible by 3. If it\'s not divisible by 3, then I try do it by area; an \'i\' has less weight than a \'w\', for example. Staring at a blank wall, there are triangles to be made out of the spots and marks on the wall... hmmm, Spots on the Wall, wasn\'t that written by Hoo Flung Dung?

 

[Zordana]

Originally posted by dauber22

Whoa! I used to have this problem all the time!! I\'d never heard of anyhone else having it, so I thought I was the only one. It persisted probably right up until I was nearly 30 or so, then just seemed to ebb. Now it still happens occasionally, but only infrequently.

*whacks you on the arm* lol

 

[Dr Death]

One word - sundial

Knowing how up to speed my family is with technology that probably isnt too great an exaggeration, our idea of sat nav is figuring out whether that bright light is the north star or hubblelol

Dr Death