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Witchflower, thanks.
I'm going to have to make a point to catch Monk, I do get that channel. Should be interesting.
posted by
Julia.
on November 13, 2004 at 7:36 PM
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lovot, thanks for your comment,
I look forward to reading about OCD in your blog.
posted by
Julia.
on November 13, 2004 at 7:34 PM
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Interesting Post
and interesting comments. I have my keys on one of those plastic hooks so I can hook them to my purse; otherwise, I would misplace them for sure. I make a firm statement in my mind that I have locked the door, turned off the stove, etc. Then I see the locked, turned off, etc., thing in my mind's eye, and I feel confident it has been taken care of.
I don't think I'm a Checker, Washer, or Counter, but I have to have things a certain way or I feel like screaming, like the covers on the bed must be even, etc. I can barely stand the tags in clothing, but leave them in for the laundry instructions (my husband does the laundry). I can feel most tags, and they really bother me. I really can't stand to wear socks. It has to be VERY cold outside before I will consider it. They always end up feeling messed up under my toes somehow, which is unbearable. I remember as a child having to lay out my clothes in a certain order before I could get dressed in the morning.
I force myself to use alternate feet to step into my slacks or put on my shoes, so I don't get stuck doing things the same way. I try to avoid habitual behavior, but still do things in a certain order after a shower, etc.
I find myself becoming more and more claustrophobic as I get older. At a department meeting this week, I thought I would bolt from the room or at least scream when my boss closed the blinds and I couldn't look out the window (even though I cannot see a window from my productivity pod (cubicle).
And, of course, there are people crunching all around me, and I just can't abide the sound. Any ideas about where I fit in? Oh, yes, I like to balance things. Like a pen on the end, or turning anything into a balance scale. I could go on doing that for hours. 
P.S. "Monk" is on USA on Friday nights at 9 CST. Tonight was a re-run; not sure when the new season starts. He's billed as the complusive-obsessive detective. We love it!
posted by
Witchflower
on November 13, 2004 at 12:03 AM
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You guys All definitely have OCD traits-from the Queen of OCD
Ok guys. The stove? the keys? the doors? the tickets? There's a name for this, its' called "Checking." There are tons of random symptoms of OCD but Checkers, "Washers", and Counters are the most stereotypically discussed and written about because they are most common and easiest to fix (though never ever is an OCD symptom EASY to fix.)
im 25 and have had OCD (among a great assortment of mental disorders) since i was 3 years old. Let me tell you that it is one strange strange disease and something that creeps up on you if you don't watch out for it. Below i will list some of the crazy wacky symptoms ive encountered in myself and others (some shocking and involuntarily funny stuff) but first, to address all the people that tend to have these rituals...Don't take it too too lightly because if you are prone to these habits, stress or drugs or illness, many things can set you off to have full blown OCD. Then you can join the club!! i will be writing a lot about OCD and mental disorders in my blog (just started it) so be on the lookout. i've experienced and learned some interesting yet bizarre stuff. ive been hospitalized 5 times yet on most days im fully functional- despite my roller coaster soap opera life w/ wild dating, obsessing over everything of course, being a workaholic with like 7 jobs, and trying to play normal in front of the boyfriend and parental units. (people don't like insanity after awhile boo hoo haha) But seriously, i look and can act like a normal girl in her mid twenties when im not afflicted directly by the OCD and other nonsense disorders.
Man i have so many great stories about OCDers and how desperate we get to do our rituals that we end up doing really ridiculous things to sneak around to do them- OCD is an addiction and like alcoholics need alcohol to quell the DTs, we desperately NEED the satiation that comes from doing a ritual or avoidance. I think from reading your posts many of you will find them amusing and may even relate a bit. I suppose i know now where to start my blog.
OK, just one more thing.
Question for all of you who do some of these "ritualistic" activities... When you put an envelope in the mailbox- and not your own but the big blue USPS contraption- how many times do you pull the lever back to check and make sure it's empty? According to a therapist i once had, if you find yourself "checking" multiple times and also have other minor symptoms, you should try to stop doing the things ASAP especially at the mailbox. He claims one thing can lead to another and it can get out of hand.
Ok i was going to list some wacky unbelievable surreal as hell OCD symptoms but im guessing that its kiind of a faux pas on here to write too much in one post and also im guessing nobody has even gotten this far. So.. i will go to my blog and figure out how to start a new "thread" or whatever you call it with that as the first entry.
Lori
posted by
lovot23
on November 12, 2004 at 11:34 PM
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kathleen, lol and my condolances.
posted by
Julia.
on November 9, 2004 at 11:01 AM
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You are hilarious! I have the same problem, everything that you said that you do, I do also. I know darn well that the keys are in my purse, or that I have enough money to pay for my groceries, or that.....yes, I did lock the front door and I did set the car alarm before I walked away.......yet I'm compelled to double check and triple check sometimes. I do wash my hands a lot. I rationalize it out by thinking that I do have a home daycare and there COULD be germs on almost everything I touch, even though I've cleaned up. I don't wash to the point that my hands are raw, but I'll bet I wash my hands more than 30 times a day. That can't be normal. Anyway, I think we'll be ok......we just gotta learn to chill out!
Kathleen
posted by
Kathleenwrites
on November 9, 2004 at 7:10 AM
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I'm a mix of Carrie and Miranda I think. Maybe a wee bit of hopeful
Charlotte. Am built like her anyway. except the bust maybe. Definitely not Samantha.
posted by
Hollee
on November 6, 2004 at 6:54 PM
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Hollee,
My condolences re "the clothes thing." I thought I was the only weirdo who did that.
And I would be Carrie, the writer, of course! Definitely not Samantha.
posted by
Julia.
on November 6, 2004 at 6:51 PM
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OMG - I do that clothes thing!!! And hey Rachel was pretty hot from what
the guys all say. sheesh. But Monica got Chandler and I love a man who makes me laugh. And Wham is definitely Phoebe on most days--hehe
Ok - what Sex and the City girl are you? - I think Whammie did a post on that.
posted by
Hollee
on November 6, 2004 at 6:41 PM
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Spitfire, haha.
No dear, I am not. Thanks for asking.
posted by
Julia.
on November 6, 2004 at 6:37 PM
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Whambo,
Haha. If Hollee is Monica and you are Phoebe then YAY! I get to be Rachel. Hey I didn't come out so bad on that one did I?
posted by
Julia.
on November 6, 2004 at 6:35 PM
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Hollee,
Thank goodness I don't have those behaviors as well...although I do like my clothes to be arranged in the closet by color, and it has to go from light at one end to dark at the other. Whoops, I'm worse than I thought, thanks a lot!
posted by
Julia.
on November 6, 2004 at 6:34 PM
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scoop,
yeah, I'm sure it does everyone else batty to witness these perplexing behaviors. Thanks for sharing.
posted by
Julia.
on November 6, 2004 at 6:31 PM
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katray,
yep...repetitive counting is classic OCD.
posted by
Julia.
on November 6, 2004 at 6:29 PM
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Alf, ROFL.
That whole sock/rock/stick thing is pretty funny. Now I don't feel quite so bad about my own wacko behavior, lol.
posted by
Julia.
on November 6, 2004 at 6:28 PM
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Oh, QA, you're fine. (I didn't say '"normal", but fine.)
Seriously though, OCD is more severe when the person has to do things over and over subsequentially a certain amount of times. Like, before you leave the house, you'd have to check all the locks on every door in the house as if "making rounds" 4 or 5 times. Counting is big with OCD. Patterns are big and absolute panic sets in if distracted or unable to fulfil those urges. You're just careful and cautious. I think what you are "obsessing" about is a good thing. At least you're not counting your hair brush strokes and the even or odd number of toilet paper squares you use.
Are you? 
posted by
SpitFire70
on November 6, 2004 at 5:22 PM
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Hollee, Quirky, I have been told that I am like Phoebe......
So that explains how we all became Friends, we each have our own role in this Quirky thing called Life!
posted by
WHAMENATOR
on November 6, 2004 at 8:50 AM
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Quirky - I was diagnosed in 2000 with a mild form of OCD - so when I
kid about having to have everything clean and in a certain spot and can't leave dishes in the sink or shoes on the floor instead of the closet - it is true. I am like Monica in Friends. I alphabetize my spices. I always thought that I was just extremely oganized until I was shown how disruptive it is to my life and how I can make people uncomfortable. I have to physically restrain myself. And take a low dose anti-anxiety med. And get drunk every night, so I can't see the shoes on the floor.
posted by
Hollee
on November 5, 2004 at 7:58 PM
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Quirky, boy did you open my memory
my mother, who died this past spring was like that, she would check the stove, the iron, the hot water heater, the locks on the doors, etc anything, my god the women drove us kids crazy when ever we went out. You are not alone, go quietly into the night.
Scoop
posted by
scoop
on November 5, 2004 at 7:51 PM
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Kay,
I think that's on HBO, which I don't get. Maybe you could make me a tape?
posted by
Julia.
on November 5, 2004 at 7:40 PM
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Ben,
no offense, but OCD is not much ado about nothing, and doesn't have anything to do with being relaxed (or not).
posted by
Julia.
on November 5, 2004 at 7:39 PM
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loanlady,
your checking of the stove is probably anxiety induced from the fire memory. I just check because my brain says I "have to."
posted by
Julia.
on November 5, 2004 at 7:37 PM
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mary x,
it's a chemical thing I believe.
posted by
Julia.
on November 5, 2004 at 7:36 PM
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word.smith,
well we can be strange together then, hehe.
posted by
Julia.
on November 5, 2004 at 7:35 PM
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Quirky
I think we all have quirks (hehe) and eccentric little issues to deal with. I think if they become life intruding in major ways instead of just annoyances, then perhaps it's time to consider treatments. I used to take forever doing laundry because I was so obsessed with the sorting and preparations. And then the counting. Yep, had to count how many loads of dirty clothes were stacked and waiting. More than once. OCD probably, but I worked my own way through it and the piles by yelling at myself: Just throw the damned things in the washer and get on with it!! I finally started listening.
Geesh, that sounds so crazy, lol....
posted by
Katray2
on November 5, 2004 at 6:52 PM
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Quirky, fascinating stuff...
I agree, the mind is a wondrous thing. I used to want everything to be with like objects. Like if there was a sock on the floor, instead of picking it up I would go get another sock to put by it so it would not be lonely, same with rocks, sticks, whatever. The only OC behavior I still have is I play with whatever is in front of me, usually until it breaks, makes my parents crazy still so when I go to their house they just move everything off the table. Your syptoms are not debilitating like some peoples are, thank goodness for that! It was brave of you to share this post, congratulations...bravery is good.
posted by
A_Norseman
on November 5, 2004 at 6:33 PM
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You ever see the show, "Monk"? It is my favorite show, because I'm just like you and Monk makes me feel better about myself.
posted by
Kay-Ren
on November 5, 2004 at 4:06 PM
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Sounds more like insecurity and habits.
Much ado over nothing.
Please relax.
Ben
posted by
A-and-B
on November 5, 2004 at 1:52 PM
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I resemble most of those. I got a clicker machine that clicks when the stove is on and a carbon monoxide sensor for the kitchen. I was often checking the gas stove thinking the kids had used it ( but then I also had a fire in 2001 caused by the neighbor) I check the door locks more than would be the norm. I don't know a fix for that one. I do loose my keys and have several sets with a clapper response. When I am super busy overloaded I tend to make errors and then overcompensate with the checking on stuff behavior.
Try just to slow down a little it will reduce stress and make it a little easier.
posted by
the-loanlady
on November 5, 2004 at 1:41 PM
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Quirky,
Just out of curiosity, do you feel that this is more chemically related or did it stem from some anxiety from childhood events?
posted by
Blanche.
on November 5, 2004 at 1:01 PM
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Quirky....
I know all about checking to see if the gas if off and if my keys are still in the handbag. 
Your post brings me back to the one I wrote some time ago on this subject. That one made me realize just how strange I am.
posted by
word.smith
on November 5, 2004 at 12:55 PM
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groucho,
believe me, it is OCD. I've been to several "official" OCD websites that say it is.Although, OCD is complicated, and this is just one facet of it.
posted by
Julia.
on November 5, 2004 at 12:37 PM
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quirky
i m not sure that's ocd. well, let's put it this way -- i do some of that stuff and it's just me being scatterbrained.. tg
posted by
tbgroucho
on November 5, 2004 at 12:29 PM
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Ariala,
I might try your affirmation as it is slightly different from what I have used, thanks! In truth I usually just check the stove or whatever, as it's mostly a minor annoyance and not a major life disruptor.
posted by
Julia.
on November 5, 2004 at 12:25 PM
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Quirky, yes, I know...I just wanted to see how it affected you personally
when you tried to talk yourself out of it. Thanks for answering my question. A good friend of mine, from the past, took Prozac for his condition and got over it. Each person is different. I get compulsive thoughts only during PMS, but I found Kava Kava helps me. Hope you find something that helps you. Good post, as always.
posted by
Ariala
on November 5, 2004 at 12:20 PM
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Wilds,
While I agree that
you would benefit from checking more,
I'd have to disagree about it not being so bad. You haven't had to look in your purse every 30 seconds to see if your keys are (YES!) still in there since the last 30 seconds when you checked. LOL.
posted by
Julia.
on November 5, 2004 at 12:15 PM
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Ariala,
I've tried variations of that...typically it results in anxiety, inner turmoil, that sort of thing; it's a compulsion, you can't stop thinking about it even though rationally you know it doesn't make sense.
posted by
Julia.
on November 5, 2004 at 12:13 PM
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That's not so bad, Quirks. I'd benefit from checking more myself. I've locked my keys in my car more times than I care to admit.
Have left my curling iron on.....have burned potatoes to coals. Yeah..........
posted by
Wildwoman_Laloba
on November 5, 2004 at 11:45 AM
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Quirky, just curious...what happens if you tell yourself, "I know
rationally there's no reason to check. Everything is alright and by not checking I am taking one step towards normality?" My favorite movie about this condition is
As Good as it Gets.
I bet you make a good editor!
posted by
Ariala
on November 5, 2004 at 11:16 AM
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