i might be ocd, help!?

Question

am i ocd? my best guy friend thinks i am. i don't think i am. some of the things he pointed out to me is that i check everything over four or five times. i also have to have some things in my life perfect, or it bugs me out of my mind. i obsess over it, he says. i say i am a perfectionist. he says i do weird things, like check to make sure the door is locked several times before i leave. sometimes i have to check everything in the house many times before i leave. sometimes i take upwards of fifteen mins. to leave. i think i am just a forgetful person. what do you think? please, don't laugh, and only serious answers. also, if you think i am ocd, how should i deal?

another question. what if i take this to my parents, and i go to therapy, and i'm not ocd? that would be embarassing. actually, this is why i've kept quiet about this. what if im wrong?

Answer 1

a doctor or therapist can diagnosis OCD, and there are medications that may help. I do not take medication but have been to a therapist on behavior modification techniques. Good Luck.

Answer 2

A therapist would determine whether your symptoms are severe enough to be considered diagnosable as OCD. You don't seem bothered by these symptoms, since it took a friend to point out that it seemed like something was wrong. I have OCD and i was always trying to figure out what was wrong with me. I didn't need anyone to point it out.

Everyone has OCD tendencies. It is whether it is causing a huge problem in your life that matters most.

There are a lot of criteria to diagnosis of OCD, but if you are happy as you are, then don't seek therapy. If you are bothered by it and want to change, then by all means go to a good psychologist to be evaluated. Don't worry about what your friends say. Good luck!

Answer 3

Not only are you NOT ocd, you don't have it.
Obession Compulsion Disorder is a disorder that is very serious. It's also one that is becoming popular in the media for its unusual appeal. People think they have it when they don't.
My Abnormal Pscyholog professor told us that he would rather have terminal cancer than OCD. People don't just get it like a cold.
People who have this true disorder have both obsessions and compulsions. The usually obsessions and complusions of checking door locks and light switches isn't abnormal, at all. It's a normal healthy trair that humans have, to check up on the young for example. A disorder, or a pathology is related to some kind of traumatic event.

Answer 4

There are people who take much more than 15 minutes to leave.

But, then again having to double-triple-alot check something like a locked door before you leave might be a subconscious insecurity about something else.

But... then again, I'm an engineering major.

It's pointless to put titles on things. It's not like calling yourself OCD will suddenly mean that you're a lesser person. Everyone is different. I can't pay crap worth of attention in class, does that mean I have ADD? Some doctors might say yes, some might say no, I still wouldn't care.

The beauty of life is that everything is dynamic, and different. Embrace it... although remember to bring your keys since you're locking your door so well.

Answer 5

I'm a very mild OCD. It doesn't upset my life to much although at times it really does interfer and it bugs me more than anything. I obsessively write in notebooks that same thing over and over and over. I obsess over my appearance. If I have a hair that isn't doing what I want i will wash my hair and start over. If my makeup isn't perfect I will wash my face and do over. I have a hard time delegating things to other people because I know it won't be done like I would do it. I continuously run conversations through my head over and over until I twist their words around and it upsets me. If I go to bed AFTER my husband every noise freaks me out and I get up maybe 20 different times to check doors and check on my daughter. So I always have to go to bed first. There's other little things I do. Not really obsess over numbers or germs or anything like that. I take paxil and it really does seem to help. I notice when not on it, i start writing in notebooks again. That one is the biggest problem for me.

Answer 6

It is hormonal. My sister is OCD and I can't help her. She would "decontaminate" everything coming into the house, she wears gloves in public places, it is an obsession on germs. She'll wash her hands until they are raw and bleeding. She hardly gets any sleep since she is always cleaning. It is so hard to watch her. I love her but I can't seem to help her. OCD overwhelms her. I hope you can overcome this. Life is just too short to be obsessed with our phobias. Please just let it go. "Live dangerously". You'll spare your loved ones from watching you self destruct, and you will find that there is no reason to fear after all.

Answer 7

Hi. I am O.C.D. It sounds as if you are. It's not really a big deal. In fact most O.C.D. people are very neat & tidy. :o) There are meds you can take, though I don't take them. I only take prozac. Anyway, a lot of the time O.C.D. can be started when you have no control over what goes on in your life. Like I know a guys' whos started because his house burned down when he was a kid. Therapy helps too I've heard.
A doctor can explain it to you further. I wouldn't stress over it.

Answer 8

You are a very reponsible, forgetful perfectionist. Like me. As long as you don't think it's a problem...you're good. Believe me I know what ocd is, because I had it before they made up a name for it. When you have the real thing...it actually really bothers you, but you can't help it.

Answer 9

I think you are. I am too but I'm getting better at it. Just think about living life and if stuff happens it's for a reason. Let go

Answer 10

I don't think your ocd, your proberly just being careful.If you feeling you may have a problem go and speak to a professinal.