Maybe I do have OCD after all

[Fuzzy12]

When I went to my GP to speak about my mental health problems he casually asked me if I "repeatedly check up on things" and I said yes. I later realised that he had entered in my records that I suffer from OCD. I was pretty annoyed that he'd slap me with an OCD diagnosis based on one simple question but then I've been suspecting for years that I've got at least obsessive compulsive tendencies. More than other people. Well, normal people. NTs

There are two aspects to it: 1. Repeated checking (e.g. house/car doors, oven, hair straightener, etc.) 2. Abnormal fear of dirt, in particular human organic material.

I thought (1) was just because I'm so used to forget things, am always absent minded that I just don't trust myself any more. But then my dad has the same problem so maybe I either inherited it or learnt it from him.

(2) is the bigger problem and it's getting worse. The strange thing is it's only human organic stuff that troubles me. For example, I've got no problem with dog or cat hair but human hair freaks me out. Similarly, I don't mind sheep or rabbit droppings or cow dung. I never feel this way in the countryside. It's only human, urban matter that troubles me. Enormously. I just feel so uncomfortable in my skin. Sometimes, when I think of all the dirt in the world I just despair. I think, "How can I live with all this dirt???". I know, it sounds incredibly stupid but it's true.

Right now, I'm travelling a lot. I love travelling. Love, love, love it but I hate staying anywhere that's not home. I don't know what's clean or not, everything seems icky, I don't know where to put my feet and I'm just not comfortable in general. I chose the B'n'B I'm staying in this week because it's newly refurbished and I'm the first or second guest staying in this particular room. I'm still not comfortable. Mainly because there is some kind of velevty carpet runner next to the bed. I'm ok with carpets but I hate carpet runners. I always worry that they trap dirt (or hair). I can't step on it so I need to climb into the bed from the foot end. I wonder if I can tell the owner to remove it or would that be rude? Or stupid? Maybe I should just force myself to step on it a few times and then I'll be fine. Once something seems familiar to me or homely, I don't bother so much. I wonder if I need to nip this in the bud and just force myself to face these irrational fears rather than indulging them. Uggh, I want to be at home. My bed, my bathroom. Everything mine!!

[Fuzzy12]

Uggh..second BnB and my skin has started itching again and I can feel things crawling down my back. Uughhh..brain shut up

[silivrentoliel]

i hate that feeling- i still have paranoia about bugs, it makes me twitchy. i'm sure i look like a meth head or something, lol. i swear i'm not though

[Fuzzy12]

.....

[anonymouslyadd]

OCD is not uncommon in ADD and Barkley discusses the location of the brain in connection with ADD/OCD and ritualistic behaviors in his videos.

I remember my career coach suggesting that ADDers need a sense of certainty, not checking as in OCD. I started a thread on it here. Do my needs for certainty make me look like a checker? Maybe. I don't have OCD though.

[Flory]

hey fuzz what meds are you using at the moment...i used to be on 60mg fluoxetine when i had my ED and obsessiveness/anxiety...how long have you been using it ? x

[Fuzzy12]

Originally Posted by Florence1989

hey fuzz what meds are you using at the moment...i used to be on 60mg fluoxetine when i had my ED and obsessiveness/anxiety...how long have you been using it ? x

Sertraline. Have been taking it for more than 6 weeks now. It definitely killed my appetite. It's supposed to help with OCD actually and I've noticed that I brood less and have fewer obsessive thoughts. The OCD (apart from brooding) is getting worse though.

Uggh, I just took out three insects. THREE. Thankfully, this time they all (and me) survived the operation. Now I'm so scared though of what other insects might be lurking. I hate summer!!!

And now I've started itching all over again, my back is tingling as if things are crawling down and I keep seeing stuff from the corner of my eyes. Uggh.

[neetah]

i always thought it was ironic that my mom has classic OCD, she checks doors and windows and is afraid of dirt ect...where as im messy and likely to leave doors unlocked . But over the years and with taking adderall for my ADHD i have noticed OCD symptoms comming out in me. Skin picking for one. and secondly focussing on really stupid little things and getting locked in on those things rather than whats important. For example wasting the good half of the day at uni looking for the perfect spot to study only to get up and move because i can smell someones tuna sandwhich from 15 meters away :/
thinking of trying a low dose of fluoxtetine in conjuction with my adderall, i know adderall is exacerbating the OCD but i depend on it for study. will let u know how it goes

[ana futura]

It seems like there is a trend of over-diagnosing OCD. Like anything, it's only a disorder if it impairs you in some way. People with real, true OCD know they have a problem. They wash their hands 30 times in a row, check the stove and door 10 times exactly before they leave the house, and have very odd obsessions and compulsions. If you can't tell if you have the disorder, you probably don't have it.

I do many of the things you mentioned. I always check my front door at least twice to make sure I've locked it. I always double check the stove if I've been using it. I check my bag throughout the day to make sure my wallet is still in it. These are behaviors directly related to my ADHD. I'm anxious about these things because I know I forget things. I'm more aware of these behaviors on medication, because medication makes me more self aware.

I'm also repulsed by human hair. I don't know why, but I always have been and always will be. Many people are. I also will not rent an apartment with carpets, mainly because I know myself well enough to know that I can't keep them clean, but I'll admit that used carpet grosses me out a little. None of these behaviors are problematic for me in any way. If they got in my way, I would know. People with OCD cause themselves great harm with their behaviors, you don't sound like that to me.

I saw a psychiatrist (once) who claimed to specialize in ADHD. He seemed compelled to diagnose me with OCD, depression, or some other disorder in addition to my ADHD, even though I had undergone 4 hours of neuropsych testing and had my diagnosis in hand. He spent maybe 2 minutes looking at my 10 page evaluation. I got out of his office as quickly as I could and never went back. I found a wonderful neurologist who treats me like an actual human being, and my treatment is going great.

One of thing you need to be aware of as an ADD'er is that you are probably not very good at self observation. ADD makes my mind run with suggestions.
If someone asks me "do you dislike large crowds?" my mind will immediately think of that one time I was trapped in a huge rush of people on the subway after a baseball game, and I'll say "gee, yeah, I think I do have a problem with crowds." I'll completely ignore the 99% of the time I'm at concerts or whatever and don't mind the crowd at all.