When I get up in the morning, I do the same thing in this order: put in contacts, brush my teeth, use the bathroom. I don't feel like I HAVE to do it, but it's become a habit for me.

The thing is, maybe I HAVE to do it in this order, otherwise I get thrown off. Once, I put in my contacts and I noticed that my eyebrows needed a bit of a tweeze, so I went off course and tweezed. Later, when I was driving to work, I realized that I forgot to brush my teeth...

So now, I need to do it in this order, otherwise I'll not get things done...

When are things considered a coping mechanism (like doing things in a certain order, having a short checklist to make sure you have your keys/wallet/phone, etc.) and when is it considered OCD?

I don't really have any other habits... usually wing-it a bit...

When it is OCD, it is a compulsion/obsession or else there is some level of discomfort when the "rituals" are not performed. What you are describing sounds like very good coping mechanisms, the ability to put systems in place to help you function throughout your day, ability to organize, etc. I am a lot your way, but I do have a touch of OCD in there too, which I have always recognized as perhaps one part of the OCD, and the big clincher is I have anxiety surrounding it as well, thus the systmes go into effect as you describe. (OMG did I turn off the stove,lock the door, close the garage, and drive back home to check otherwise I cannot function due to the all-consuming worry until I get to check these things.)

Yes, but it's not like I don't have a reason to worry. I used to worry DID I LOCK THE DOOR? TURN OFF THE STOVE? and I would check A LOT... and it's not unwarranted because once I did actually leave the (gas) stove burn late into the night and didn't realize it until I woke up to go to the bathroom and saw the flame still burning on my stove...

Is OCD such a bad thing then? Is it so bad to constantly check to make sure I turned off the stove?

It's a coping mechanism if you benefit from it. If it causes problems for you in the functioning of your life, then it is ocd and probably needs to be addressed as a serious issue.

For example, I tend to check the door locks a lot. Fine, it makes sure the door lock is indeed locked....that is beneficial. But after 3-4 rounds of checking the lock it becomes obvious that it is locked and that further checking is pointless. If I resist the impulse to check the lock, I have anxiety and discomfort. That is OCD.

I sometimes have obsessive, intrusive thoughts.
Once I was thinking about cutting a piece of paper with scissors. The thought that I might accidentally cut myself in the process entered my mind and became so vivid that I cringed in pain. The thought persisted and made it impossible for me to get it out of my mind. Needless to say the paper did not get cut.... That is an example of how ocd can interfere with your life. In very severe cases it can take over and imprison you and make your life miserable.

Me :D

When are things considered a coping mechanism (like doing things in a certain order, having a short checklist to make sure you have your keys/wallet/phone, etc.) and when is it considered OCD?

There was a time when I wondered about this a lot. I was mid-20s before I was in a position where it became a serious inconvenience to keep losing track of my keys. For the first time, I was living in a big city, commuting several miles through heavy traffic and often working until very late at night. I had to make sure I had my purse and keys and did not lock them in my car - it was no longer just a matter of convenience, but safety as well. I don't know how long I did this before I noticed, but at some point it became obvious that something was compelling me to check locks and keys three times before I could continue with whatever I was doing. For instance, on leaving the apartment I'd lock the door and place my keys in my purse (in the same exact pouch - I cannot buy a purse if it doesn't have a separate compartment where I can isolate my keys) and head to the exit, feeling for my keys on the way. I'd stop short of the exit, turn back, check my apartment door to make sure it was locked then head out again, feeling for my keys. Rinse and repeat. 3 times, every time. Same with my car door after I got to work, and so on. It wasn't something I did consciously, I don't know why three times. I often wondered if it was OCD, but as time passed (several years) and I never again forgot my keys or left a door unlocked, I grew out of the habit. (Remote-controlled car locks also helped.) Looking back, I am pretty sure it was a coping mechanism. The reason for repeating it 3 times? Probably on average what it took for me to remember I had checked. :p

I admit I am completely ignorant about OCD, and I definitely do not want to offend anyone, but another reason I think it was just a coping mechanism is that it was situational and didn't really interfere much in my daily routine. It was a little annoying to be slowed down by it at times, but definitely not something I ever considered seeking help over.

Yes, but it's not like I don't have a reason to worry. I used to worry DID I LOCK THE DOOR? TURN OFF THE STOVE? and I would check A LOT... and it's not unwarranted because once I did actually leave the (gas) stove burn late into the night and didn't realize it until I woke up to go to the bathroom and saw the flame still burning on my stove...

Is OCD such a bad thing then? Is it so bad to constantly check to make sure I turned off the stove?

Not necessarily.

Glad Speedo came on board, as he knows his OCD stuff and gives the best advice.

I have always thought that my touch of OCD perfectly compensates for my ADHD. When ADHD forgets or looses or forgets to schedule, OCD kicks to prevent those things from occurring, and puts the systems in place, and it releases my worry, going through the check systems. I don't think it a bad thing. I've learned to embrace both aspects of myself, and laugh at myself as much as possible.

Honestly, I think that even mild OCD ought to be taken seriously.
The reason why is because OCD can get worse over time and you can suddenly find yourself facing a new suite of serious problems that are not going to go away anytime soon.

I don't know if there is any research that shows ocd getting worse faster if it is neglected. I seriously doubt that it does. But It can get better if you deal with it. Typically a combination of medication and therapy is used to treat OCD. It can get better but it won't if you don't act, so be proactive and seek the proper medical care.

Me :D

I always have to finish my school work/assignments/projects and turn them in ON TIME always. If I don't do something like say math homework, I start becoming all depressed, my heart rate sky rockets, and I turn red as hell. And I become completely worried and fearful what the teacher thinks of me once I forget to turn in that assignment.

What I described just now, is that OCD or not? I just become deathly paranoid if I did not do my homework and ALL OF A SUDDEN I remember I have something due. I just feel like im about to die or something.

I always have to finish my school work/assignments/projects and turn them in ON TIME always. If I don't do something like say math homework, I start becoming all depressed, my heart rate sky rockets, and I turn red as hell. And I become completely worried and fearful what the teacher thinks of me once I forget to turn in that assignment.

What I described just now, is that OCD or not? I just become deathly paranoid if I did not do my homework and ALL OF A SUDDEN I remember I have something due. I just feel like im about to die or something.

I think that that's more anxiety than OCD. For me, I USED TO (prior to medication) sit there and think about all the things that I have to do, when to do it, etc. etc. and then I would stress out because I couldn't organize my time optimally and then I would worry until my head imploded with nonstop worries about everything...

Not sure if your anxiety is as bad as mine was. In any case, thank goodness my brain learned to chill out.

When I get up in the morning, I do the same thing in this order: put in contacts, brush my teeth, use the bathroom. I don't feel like I HAVE to do it, but it's become a habit for me.

The thing is, maybe I HAVE to do it in this order, otherwise I get thrown off. Once, I put in my contacts and I noticed that my eyebrows needed a bit of a tweeze, so I went off course and tweezed. Later, when I was driving to work, I realized that I forgot to brush my teeth...

So now, I need to do it in this order, otherwise I'll not get things done...

When are things considered a coping mechanism (like doing things in a certain order, having a short checklist to make sure you have your keys/wallet/phone, etc.) and when is it considered OCD?

I don't really have any other habits... usually wing-it a bit...
I always have to do things in the same order in the morning, if not I'll forget something. I've even walked out of the house without my glasses when I've changed my order. I even left my coffee mug on the kitchen island one day and left for work without it. I drove back home cause I need my coffee. All I know is interuptions in my morning routine disrupt it and something gets left out.

Interesting question..... really interesting.... now I know more about OCD I can see I had alot of apparently OCD traits when I was younger... however I did not get high anxiety levels if I was prevented from doing the ritual itself....because I only remembered I'd gone off track when I got the pain of realising I'd ballsed up and forgotten x, y, or Z

Now I think it was more coping mechanism......and my big problem is I can't develop any routines/coping strategies because I'm firefighting and dealing with the randomness of kids.

However..... I do notice that I get stressed when the kids knock me off track but is that latent OCD or just despair that I just can't get the simplest thing DONE if they're around.

kilt

My dad has a very exact routine in the morning and he gets distressed if anything is not done the way he's done it for years and years. (not crazy distressed mind you, more like uncomfortable/angry distressed)

I don't think it's OCD but perhaps some sort of ADD brain boot up sequence instead. My Dad has ADD for sure so like lots of us has problems getting going in the morning. It's almost like he's on auto-pilot :p and doesn't interact until he's +4 coffee's and +1 paper.

I haven't lived at home for a few years but I still remember his exact routine. Too bad I could never learn my times tables off by heart but I keep fairly useless information like this :(

Untill i started taking stuff for anxiety i used to be like this. A certain routine in the morning or everything would fall apart. Forgetting something and having to go back would make me late for class and i just couldn't go. Then come the tears and the overwhelm and i'd get stuck.

I also used to do the same thing as you shakepurmake and i think it was a coping mechanism to deal with the adhd, causing anxiety. I am certain that the only reason i managed to do as well as i did in highschool was because of serious anxiety. It gave my messy brain something to organise itself around and i couldn't forget things or put them off untill tomorrow because i couldn't relax untill they were done.

Now that i am being treated for the anxiety i am showing a lot more of the adhd traits, which i think is because i was so anxious about them before and under so much pressure from myself that the adhd was kind of 'treated'.

Now that i am being treated for the anxiety i am showing a lot more of the adhd traits, which i think is because i was so anxious about them before and under so much pressure from myself that the adhd was kind of 'treated'.

Offtopicish-

You could be totally right about that..but just incase: Something to remember is the meds used to treat anxiety (benzos) tend to make ADD symptoms worse anyway.

It's awesome that you found some worthwhile treatment for your anxiety though :) it must be a relief.

Make sure you read up on the anti-anxiety med your taking. It's probably a benzo. Here's some good information that you should probably know if you don't already - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzodiazepine_withdrawal_syndrome

Anxiety has been a great motivator for me in the past too. I think some anxiety is great - too much and it stops you from doing the things you want/need to do though, which sucks to say the least.

The bit that should not be overlooked is that OCD has two components: (1) obsession and (2) compulsion to act on the obsession. IF the compulsion is not followed there is anxiety.
Satisfying the compulsion brings temporary relief from the anxiety.

Another component of OCD that is often (usually/always?) present is the intrusive or obsessive thought.
A thought gets stuck in your mind and won't go away. It may be vivid, it might be awful, and you definitely want it to go away, but it won't....etc...

Myself, I'm more prone to intrusive and obsessive thoughts than O/C rituals, but I have my moments. :eek: :faint:

Me :D

Is OCD such a bad thing then? Is it so bad to constantly check to make sure I turned off the stove?

My Mum has had OCD for a long time and its now very bad. She wasn't much of a Mum to start with but now I don't have any relationship with her at all. Because she has always justified and rationilised all her rituals and habits and denies having a problem, its untreated and has become a full blown mental illness which has erased her entire personality. If you think you might have a problem go see a proffessional, just in case.

Maybe next time you feel the need to do something like check a stove or lock etc, don't do it and notice how much stress its causes you - that might be a good way to check if its become ritualistic? (Question mark because i'm no proffessional!) By the way OCD is a coping mechanisim - when people with this disorder play out thier habit it realeases endorphines and makes them feel better. But its not a healthy coping mechanisim. Also i read its also one of the best MI's to respond to treatment.
Believe me you don't want to end up like my Mum so if you do have a problem, it would be better to get it identifed as soon a poss. Hope this helps.
(Of course you could just be developing really great ways to manage ADD. I have to wonder if the line between managing and disorder is actually quite thin, and therefore makes ADDers more vunerable to OCD. I've noticed there's a lot of people here with it.)

I have never had an official diagnosis (except from my friends) of OCD. I have 3 things that I do on a regular basis.
My shower routine is the same. I start with washing my hair, then my face etc; If I don't go in that order I might forget to wash my face. I don't get anxious if I don't do it that wasy.
I check the door before I go to bed to make sure it is locked. Sometimes I check it 3 times or just once.
The last is my alarm clock. I can check that over and over for a good 2-3 minutes.
I have heard that by taking a shower with your eyes closed or mixing up your routine a bit you are able to heighten your other senses or help with memory or something like that. Has anyone heard that before?