I think my boyfriend may have OCD?

Question

To paint you a picture, I am 21 (Female) and live with my boyfriend in an apartment in London. He owns and operates several companies with his fathe and we live very nicely. We have a huge family and lots of friends. I have in the last few months being seeing some odd things in my boyfriend that seem to have come out of the blue. I will list them.

He has a phobia of tissues and if there is one on our table in restaurant he will get someone to take it away. Also at home.

I have seen him lock our door and then unlock and lock it again is if counting the times he does it. He has to touch things a certain amount of time and seems to get annoyed with himself when doing it.

Making sure our fridge door is shut all the time by pushing it.

I have also discovered soap in a case in a jacket pocket and packets of wipes.

It seems he is on edge all the time and looking round the room all the time.

There are lots of other things. When I mention it he just dismisses it as nothing.

Answer 1

I have OCD, and it sounds like your boyfriend does as well. OCD is a combination of obsessions and compulsions.

Obsessions are thoughts that enter your head that you can't seem to get rid of. Often, they are about one certain topic and repeat over and over throughout the day. For example, I am constantly worrying that my food has spoiled. In your boyfriend's instance he is worrying about the fridge being open.

Compulsions are behaviors that we then act on to make the obsession seem less intense. In your boyfriend's case he touches the fridge door over and over. It's not that he doesn't believe it is shut, but touching it relieves the anxiety for him

The hardest part of OCD is that I know it is silly, and I know the things I do aren't necessary. However, I often have this feeling like if I don't do a certain behavior, the world will simply stop. Seriously. I know this sounds extreme.

I have managed my OCD over the years with therapy, and for the past 5 years with meds. I have been on Effexor, and while it does make a huge difference, there are negative side effects, such as weight gain and sleepiness.

The most important thing for you to do is learn more about the disorder and help him become aware of it. He may not want to talk about it, or he may get angry, but try your best.

Here are some websites with info:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/HealthInformation/ocdmenu.cfm
http://psychcentral.com/ocdquiz.htm
http://www.ocdhope.com/

Good luck!

Answer 2

OCD runs in my family, and my brother does a lot of the same things. So does my grandmother. My brother is now on medication- his progressed in his 20's and he had severe nightmares. He is doing great now. He is very successful ( he's a CEO of a large company)
One of the traits of OCD can be- being a workaholic- Like my brother and my dad.

Answer 3

I had a friend who did similar things. He was later diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsice disorder. He used to always have to make things even when we were playing. If he did something with the right hand, he had to do it next time with the left.

Something to watch for. Some counseling would be helpful, because, even if he isn't diagnosed or doens't need medication, he may hate himself for these quirks and that should be addressed.

Answer 4

Sounds like More than OCD it soinds like a serious mental helth issuie well beyond OCD
I woild try convince him to see a mental health professionaASAP espcailly if he is between 18 and 35 . doinds like a bit of paranioa in ther or delusins . ther is treatment and good med but theysadly take a while ot find .
good luck

Answer 5

I think you're right. It seams like ocd...talk him into going to a doctor so he can start a tratment and get better.