OCD Concerns

So, I started recognizing some symptoms in myself a couple months ago, in the gym of all places. Dumbells weren’t racked in corresponding pairs so I took a few minutes and fixed all of them. Kind of laughed it off and thought “damn that was kind of anal…” but thought nothing more about it.

Then over the last month or so, I’ve started really becoming concerned with some of my behavior and find myself wondering “What the fuck is wrong with me?”

Every night I check the locks in my house a half a dozen times to ensure they’re locked. Clutter is increasingly driving me crazy, where as before I could tolerate a rouge pair of my GF’s panties in the bathroom, or a lone shoe sitting by the front door. I got a new gas grill over the weekend (Lowe’s is having a kick ass sale right now, check it out) and all the plastic and cardboard on my patio from putting it together drove me to a point where I had to go into the house and make myself calm down.

Last night, and event occured that really has me thinking and concerned. We picked up some friends for dinner and went to La Jolla (kinda posh San Diego Neighborhood) to a fairly nice yet laid back place. Since there was no parking up front I dropped my GF and our friends off at the front door and drove around the block to find a place to park. Once I found a place, I parked, got out, locked the door and started walking toward the restaurant. I looked back and my Tahoe looked a little crooked, so I went back, got in, and straightened it out. Got out of the truck, started walking again, looked back, and it still didn’t look right so I went back and straightened it out some more.

I did this two more times.

All the while getting more anxious because I knew I had people waiting for me, but I couldn’t help it. It had to be “right.”

So, naturally, I hardly enjoyed dinner becuase the whole time I’m wondering “what the hell is going on with me?” I consciously know something is up, but I can’t tell myself to just “stop” until I’m satisfied.

One side of my brain is telling me that these are classic OCD symptoms and I need to get seen for it, and the other side is telling me that it’s just a phase and I need to chill out. I never used to be this way, I was always one of those guys who thought “ahhh fuck it, no worries” but now I have to check and double check stuff before I feel content.

Am I developing OCD? Am I full on into it? I’m freaking 32 years old, is this something that develops as we get older?

What the hell?

Thanks for any input,

B.

OCD sucks. My mother’s OCD went from a fairly mild case of cleanliness to a manic, lysol and bleach soaked hurricane of property destruction and personal boundary degredation. As her OCD progressed, paranoia became an issue for her, and depression worsened the condition.

If you’re thinking “I know I shouldn’t be doing this!” and you can’t stop yourself, you are at least one step ahead of my family of denial. My advice is to immediately seek counseling, but try to stay off the drugs if you can. They mess you up but good.

It’s odd you’ve not noticed symptoms before. Has something drastic changed in you life recently?
Your symptoms seem to be fairly standard in my experience with my mother. If you seek treatment, it should be manageable. I’ve never heard of a person with OCD actually being “cured”, but keeping it under control is quite possible.

the lock checking is classic ocd as the neatness thing. i think you should go get seen now. if you start washing your hands more than once in a row, definitely go.

What Crispyknight and ftothe3 said.

Don’t let this get worse; don’t let it get to the point where you are so caught up in your actions that you can’t step back mentally and say “I need help.”

Good luck.

Shit. The lock checking thing is something I do all the time. Right before bed and anytime I leave the house. I always end up walking about 10 feet away and then turning around.

[quote]Freaky Styley wrote:
Shit. The lock checking thing is something I do all the time. Right before bed and anytime I leave the house. I always end up walking about 10 feet away and then turning around.[/quote]

Don’t worry, many people do. Being careful and a bit compulsive, especially when stressed, is not a sign of being sick. What the OP is describing goes much further - when the behaviour starts to interfere with a normal existence, social interaction and the quality of life, it’s time to get help. And the earlier one addresses it, the better the prognosis.

Good luck, OP!

Makkun

Hey my first post here but thought I would say something. Both my Mom and brother are full OCD, and the symptoms you described sound bang on to my brother. He has had it for quite some time, but for an example of his behaviour - he noticed an oil spot in the garage a few weeks ago and spent a Saturday night on his hands and knees with a bucket of soapy water cause he couldn’t leave like that. Had to do the whole floor so it was an “even clean”.

He knew what he was doing and was frustrated on cancelling our plans. He is and has always been aware of his problem unlike my Mom. She will clean the house twice a day till 3 am and think nothing of it. We had to force her to go to the doctors and she has had a hard time as she was so far into her habits.

If you get help before it progresses you may have an easier time combating it. My brother is medicated and find it helps a lot.

I had OCD tendencies in the past. I just prayed and God took them away. All is well now.

[quote]GhostNtheSystem wrote:
I had OCD tendencies in the past. I just prayed and God took them away. All is well now.[/quote]

Prayer is a powerful source. You are a strong person for coming forth and sharing your recent experience. Get help now while you can beat this thing and laugh at it some day.

DezZ

[quote]GhostNtheSystem wrote:
I had OCD tendencies in the past. I just prayed and God took them away. All is well now.[/quote]

Yeah I had cancer, parkinson’s, and AIDS and just prayed them away. The shit works- you should all give it a try. I’ve been disease free for at least a year. Although if I miss church my parkinson’s starts to act up a little.

[quote]eengrms76 wrote:
GhostNtheSystem wrote:
I had OCD tendencies in the past. I just prayed and God took them away. All is well now.

Yeah I had cancer, parkinson’s, and AIDS and just prayed them away. The shit works- you should all give it a try. I’ve been disease free for at least a year. Although if I miss church my parkinson’s starts to act up a little.[/quote]

Haha. I love when God takes away my AIDS. Makes me feel good inside.

To Brad- get the shit checked man. It could just be an overabundance of stress on your mind that’s pushing you there- but either way don’t wait.

Stay off the fuckin drugs and all that, because I really think it’s something that can be worked out in other ways.

Good luck brother.

As others said, get help. Like most other health problems, if you catch it early enough (as you obviously have) it’s much easier to deal with.

And stay away from the drugs. Look for a therapist who deals strictly with Cognitive Behaviorial Therapy. The drugs can seem wonderful at first, but most people find that they become dependant on them and can’t survive without them. In a sense, need for the drugs becomes a sort of OCD in itself.