Do you think I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)?

Question

Here's the thing, I freak out when I see ants in my home and if I see even one ANYWHERE, I constantly look at the same spot over and over and over again just to see if there are any ants. I'll even do it so much that it kinda makes me crazy. I know, it sounds silly eh'? I think I might have ant nest(s) under my house because I keep everything in my home spick and span mostly the outsides too.

Answer 1

Well not really if you had any real form of obsessive compulsive disorder you would realize it much more. I knew someone with this but they had it really bad. They had to put the exact amount of tooth paste on there tooth brush and everything in the house was always the same. Perhaps they had an other disorder or more then one disorder.

I am the same way with mosquitoes and other flying bugs or even walking bugs. When I go to sleep there cannot be any bugs in my room of any kind. Even if I spend the next 2 hours getting rid of them useing raid or picking them up or crushing them with something.

I have other things like that as well. I cannot go to sleep without looking under my bed and in the clothest and any other place someone could hide in my room. And the door must be securly locked when I am sleep. But I do not think I have OCD because other things I do not care about. I am not dirty but I do not care if I put a water bottle on the floor etc and my work or school notes are very messy.

Answer 2

If it is one specific thing, then no, its probably not OCD and this doesnt sound very obsessive. For example, someone with OCD may see ants have to count the ants 19 times. Or may have to clean the spot where the ants where 32 times. Or would wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to go back asleep until they cleaned the spot where the ants were another 47 times. Or they wouldnt be able to leave the spot where the ants were and just sit for hours because they were afraid another ant would show up. Or they would have to shout "ANT!" 108 times everytime they see an ant.

And most likely this behavior would not be only with ants, it would be everything in their life. So if none of these resemble what you do, then I think you're fine. The biggest thing is whether the ants are a nuissance or if they are actually distressing and interupting your life. Thats the difference between a pet peeve and OCD.

Answer 3

You might. I am experiencing the same thing except whenever I leave the house I make sure the oven is off and the oil burner is running okay and sometimes I even go back home to unplug my computer because for some reason I think my house could go on fire. I check all the windows and doors constantly and I even installed a security system with surveillance because I have this strange feeling that if I don't lock the door or windows, someone could break in.

Answer 4

OCD isnt a disease in any normal sense, and for that matter, idk if it is one at all O_o. But i will tell you this, i used to have it, bad, when i was really young. im 16 now, and have been fine for a few years, but when i was 6ish through 12ish i was HORRIBLE about everything being equal. i had to take an equal ammount of steps, and tv channels had to be equal, and the volume even, and if i touched myself somewhere, even if by accident, id have to touch the opposite of that spot, with the opposite of whatever it was touched with.

I would guess that you are very close to becomming obsessive compulsive. Thats right, i said CLOSE, which means that theres really no fine line, but ill also say that if you dont work to stop it, it will consume you,

I never have to fight urges anymore, but i did at the time, and it was very hard. i cured myself, and im proud of that, because i feel like i truely saved my own life, and trust me you can do that too.

Try not to think about it, and i know that you probably "check for ants" (lol, sry =P) subconsciously by this point, and that doesnt mean that your past the point of no return, only that it'll make this alot harder. When you can help it, dont look where your eyes seem to be being pulled. Even when your painfully aware of ants, avoid them, think of anything else, and remember THIS IS NOT PERMANENT!!! you can CURE YOURSELF!!! remember that, and i think youll be ok.

Answer 5

I wash my counters down and leave some soap. They seem to disappear. I also look for ant hills around the house, that's terrific too.
Anything we think about too much can lead into a downward spiral and eventually to fear and even terror, depression and the like. We could categorize all emotions into love or fear. We tend to identify with ideas as if we were ideas instead of having ideas. When we think of ourselves as only aware of ideas, then we step back from them and can control them, ie. not take them too seriously. The real problem is that emotions lead us behind the scenes and quietly lead us while we rationalize our actions. Emotional Intelligence handles that. I've never seen so much free information on EI as at trans4mind. com probably too much. I have other sites if your interested. Intuition is important is self control. It's basically looking at other thoughts coming to us that we tend to discount. They seem less real or important, but end u being more rational on testing than our dominant thoughts. Of course emotions follow the same rules as ideas. We have emotions, we are not emotions. From that view we are in control of them also. It takes some practice and study. I found getting rid of judgment words and using descriptive words has a profound effect, even loosing 20 over weight pounds.

Answer 6

If it's just with ants, I don't think you have OCD. Maybe you have an ant phobia, I wouldn't know the scientific term though.
My grandma also has an ant problem and she says she's always on guard because they appear out of nowhere.

Answer 7

OCD is a disorder in which you do something obsessively. Typically a person does their habit due to a stimulus; also, many people believe that bad things will occur if they don't do it. What it sounds like is that you are either afraid of ants...or just don't want them in your house. Both are perfectly healthy...hire an exterminator!

Answer 8

Ants will not cross a chalk line. Draw a line in your window sills ,doorways, cracks,etc.

Answer 9

no, a lot of people jump to an incorrect diagnosis on this. ants are sneaky creepy crawlers... it's not so abnormal that the trigger a reaction like this. just relax.

Answer 10

No, you just don't want ants in your house. I constantly check for spiders.