Has anyone else experienced this...

[marieb73]

I seem to be developing a really strong OCD. Not about cleanliness (that's always been there), but about random things. Such as, when I exit the freeway, there is this one lane I MUST be in or else who knows what evil will befall me or if I wake up/go to bed at a time that is not usual for me, in my mind it means something bad will happen (the bad of course is v*, d*, sv....).[img]smileys/smilies_12.gif[/img]

Tuesday I did a whole bunch of things outside of my regularly scheduled activities, including changing around the living room, which I have meant to do for a while. As soon as I did, I got this horrible sinking feeling. And now I have a stomachache. No doubt the stomachache is from my late dinner of tacos, an argument with my bf, and my IBS acting up, but in my head, it's because I did something out of the norm.

Is OCD something common in emetophobes? I've never felt this strange about so many little things and it is driving me nuts. [img]smileys/smilies_11.gif[/img]

[momof2]

I would guess that it is common...I definately have it. Mostly about cleanliness but also about other things.

[marieb73]

It's making me feel more crazy than I used too.[img]smileys/smilies_06.gif[/img]

[purpleteacher]

I have always been OCD. For me, it is just part of life.

[samara's on tv]

I have mild OCD because of my emet, nothing big but I feel the same way if I do something out my normal routine. Do you have anyone you can talk to about this?


~Monica

[tanyarn]

I'm convinced I have OCD. Presently mostly with cleaning and keeping things in order. I'll come home completely exhausted from work and if I see anything out of the ordinary like crumbs on the floor a streaky glass tabletop etc. I have to make it 'clean'. I'm even t th point here I'll break out the paint if I see a mark or scratch on the wall.


My OCD was worse when I was smaller. Thank God I actually took control of my compulsions. At one point when I was smaller I couldn't go to bed unless I peed 15 times before I went to bed. I still have a thing with numbers. Odds are good evens are bad. For the most part I can control a lot of my compulsions which is good.

[kristin1980]

I too have OCD.. i have alot of ritulistic behavior and it tiring! I am always afriad if i dont do something right.. over and over again.. i will get sick.. i have clue and it doesnt make rational sense i do know.. but i am taking an anti depressant for it right now.. only on day two but also in therapy we will see..


Good luck and take care.. its tiring isnt it?


Hugs

[angles]

ive had OCD for the most part of my life and i notice it gets a lot worse when i have a lot of free time on my hands cos that gives me more time to think and this leads to me obsessing over lots of things. i do a lot of strange things and also have that constant feeling that if i dont do something in a certain way something bad will happen (usually the bad thing being me getting sick). i wish i knew what advice to give you.. it sucks hey just know that ur not alone!

[marieb73]

Monica, I do have some close friends to talk to it about. It's just that I feel like they listen and can sympathize, but still think I am beyond weird.

[sage]

HI - don't worry. OCD and phobia are just two manifestations of the same anxiety disorder. The way I like to think of it is that OCD is almost a "symptom" of phobia, and can develop when the anxiety gets more acute, then disappear when it calms down. OCD symtoms, especially when secondary to something else, are highly curable. You need to simply stop doing the things you're ritually doing, and also stop yourself from having the catastrophic thoughts. They're just anxiety, they don't make any sense.


In fact, I would suggest even that you changing your living room around simply upped your anxiety is all, and that "sinking" feeling you got was from the room changes/anxiety, and had nothing to do with what you ate.


I have the most success with OCD "superstitions" with clients who are Christian. I don't know if you are or not, and imagine that similar logic would work with other religions, but in case you are Christian, here goes: you see, superstition is as "un-Christian" as you can get. Bad things do not happen because you changed lanes on the freeway. What kind of God is in control of the world if that were true? Is God so powerless that you changing lanes can change the course of history? Anyway, the reason I put this in is cuz you can say to yourself (to calm yourself down) - "it's ok. God is in control of the world. I am not in danger." And you WILL need to find something to calm yourself down if you try to stop OCD rituals. That's the only way to get over this symptom. If you're not a Christian - well, that's ok - you can try telling yourself something like how it doesn't make sense that you being in one lane or another means something bad will happen. I've just found that the theological rationale is particularly powerful.


All the best to you!


Hey - I just posted this and then thought of it from a Jewish perspective too. The first commandment, right? "You shall have no other gods before me". There is no god of traffic. No god of light switches, cracks on the sidewalk, clothing, other rituals. There is only the LORD. It is only speaking the LORD's name that is wrong, not the date and time you last were sick or any other number. Edited by: sage

[girl drummer]

Marieb,


I know what you mean- and would agree with angles about the fear of not doing something just the right way will lead to me being sick! I'm not sure exactly how the OCD or OCD-ish behavior works or why, but I've had problems with it off and on for as long as I can remember. The weird thing is, the obsessions change over time. Like, I used to worry about what would happen if I suddenly, out of my own control, steered my car into oncoming traffic? And I would worry that I might not be able to stop myself from doing it. I've worried about selecting a certain thing from a stack or list, or choosing the *exact* right box of cereal from a row of identical boxes at the grocery store. Not doing it "right" usually ends up making me anxious with a pit feeling in my stomach, then I worry about getting n* and worse!


I'm sorry this happens to you as well, but it may help to know that you can fight it with success. You may want to see a doctor about it if you haven't already. I got a lot of help that way (and from an antidepressant I've been taking for several years).


Girl Drummer