Living with OCD

eena_ said:I’ve had those exact same experiences, though my old man isn't particularly obsessed with that kind of stuff. And man, if I happened to leave the iron on before heading out😬 — I’ve realized I can effectively neutralize that anxiety😬 by making a conscious, hyper-focused effort to run through my mental checklist of potential hazards before I walk out the door. If I verify everything is shut off with full intention, then once I'm halfway down the street, the memory of that check comes back to me automatically. It’s only when I’m distracted or preoccupied that I lose track of what I actually verified and what I just assumed was fine.😁

👍 That’s perfectly reasonable; you're actually helping yourself that way, which is exactly how I still handle things today. 😁
I don't view these rituals as compulsive at all—in fact, they're quite the opposite. Whenever I leave my apartment, I make it a point to say out loud, "THE IRON IS OFF."

Look, the Yankees faithful, you could have just shared your side of the story—that’s exactly why I brought this issue up here in the first place—but if you're going to be stubborn about it... fine, whatever.
Johnny Cash, was this actually a massive ordeal or just something minor? Wouldn't it be incredible if we could just wipe this thing from our daily lives entirely?
I’m asking anyone who struggled with compulsive hand washing and actually overcame it to please speak up. How did you do it? Was it through talking to a specialist in Psychology, some personal epiphany, or... something else?

Best to everyone,

-Everything I do has to be done five times over.
-If I’m turning up the volume on the TV, I have to hit specific increments: 3, 5, 8, 12, 15, 18, 23, 25, 28.
-The ticking of a clock, running water, teeth chattering, someone typing on their phone, people talking while I’m trying to sleep, or the TV being too loud—it all gets under my skin.
-I feel this compulsion to count everything I see.
-When I'm walking down the sidewalk, I can't step on the cracks.
-Even when I'm driving, I find myself needing to cross those lines with my feet somehow (it's hard to explain).
-I have to arrange everything according to my own strict little rules.
-Basically, almost everything irritates me.
-I have to wash my hair every single day because I just feel dirty otherwise.
-If someone mutters, chews loudly, snaps gum, plays with their nails, files them, or spits while they talk—if they bite their lip—it drives me absolutely insane.
-Everything has to be organized in a very specific order, or I can't even stand to be in the room.
-I don't throw anything away; I date everything and store it in boxes.
-I often find myself tracing things with my finger, even if I'm not actually moving it... or like when I'm reading subtitles, I "write" out every word with my finger. It's hard to put into words.

And honestly, that isn't even the half of it.

Hand washing—I’m constantly filing reports in my head about how dirty they are. It’s such an intense, overwhelming feeling.
The key in the lock—it has to be turned diagonally to the right, every single time.

I finally managed to deal with the whole light switch thing...
But I still find myself reading license plate numbers off every car I pass. And whenever I walk into a room I don't know, I have to count everything and scout out every possible exit route.

I’ve managed to move past most of that nonsense—except for the handwashing. And honestly? I don't think I need a specialist in Psychology for that part; a regular GP should do the trick, though I haven't quite found the guts to actually lay it all out for them.
I just told myself straight up: this is an actual disorder. You have to stop the constant counting and those mindless little rituals, because nothing bad is actually going to happen. And thank God, it hasn't. It isn't messing with my head nearly as much anymore—it's just the washing and the sanitizing now.

🙄 I’m one of those people who deals with intrusive thoughts. It’s like I take some random fact or idea, twist it into something dark, and lock it in my head—it just won't budge. I wake up with these thoughts, I carry them through the entire day, I work with them, I read with them... it's honestly exhausting. Most of the time, I find myself spiraling into negative scenarios, and no matter how hard I fight against it, nothing changes. I’ve tried medication before and it actually helped quite a bit—I was on Zoloft for two years—but I’ve been off it for a year now and I’m back in the gutter. Those dark thoughts and obsessions are starting to crawl back in again.

You guys have completely confused me with all these stories... honestly, I think we’re all a little OCD in our own way. For instance, I find myself counting every living thing I see and can't seem to stop at certain lines—though not always. Sometimes it just happens, and I don't really care. And yeah, occasionally I'll double-check if the door is locked, usually right after someone else locks it, just to make sure they actually did it.😬

The human mind is one giant, messy knot, and we're probably never going to fully wrap our heads around it.

Christian Castillo60 said:I’ve moved past most of that crap, except for the hand washing. Honestly, I don't think I need a specialist in Psychology for that—just a regular doctor, though I don't quite have the guts to bring it up to them.
I just told my therapist straight up: this is an OCD issue. You have to stop all the counting and those stupid rituals because nothing bad is actually going to happen. And thank God, it isn't. It doesn't mess with my head anymore, just the constant washing and sanitizing.

Given how much we touch stuff and handle things with our hands, I don't even see this as a real problem...😉

I honestly think these issues stem from unresolved life stuff—frustrations, depression, or maybe even old trauma... Everyone deals with it differently, but I feel like it hits the most sensitive, intelligent people hardest. Those who are just way too aware of everything happening inside and out.

You might think some quiet guy is just worrying about minor details, when really he’s dealing with a stomach ulcer or all sorts of psychosomatic symptoms.

And honestly, everyone I know seems to have a little bit of OCD. It’s wild, but once you start looking closer, you see it everywhere.

If OCD is actually making it hard to get through your day, you should definitely talk to a psychiatrist. You need to find someone good, maybe even someone who specializes specifically in this disorder.

Heh, here’s another one for the books...
Washing my hands: gotta lather up three times, no exceptions.
Then there's the breathing thing—I think I mentioned this on the forum before, but basically, I have to flare my nostrils just right so every inhale is perfectly even.
And the dirt? Man, the filth around me is just unbearable. Everywhere I look, everything feels impossibly, endlessly dirty. Just... everywhere.
There's also this specific way I have to touch things.
Oh, and the laundry situation. If I haven't worn something since the last time it was washed—even if it's clean, pressed, and sitting neatly in the closet—but then I accidentally brush against it with my elbow? Boom. Back in the wash.
Checking the stove, too. Making sure it's actually off, over and over.
There's plenty more where that came from, honestly. Tons.
I've been treated for hypochondria, but I don't think I ever truly got "cured."
And those two? They're like the perfect match. 🙂
The anxiety is huge. Constant intrusive thoughts.
I try to keep my weird little rituals and needs under wraps, though it’s pretty much impossible to hide stuff like obsessively re-washing clean clothes from the people I live with.🙂

Ugh, I totally blanked... I’ve got this weird, non-stop obsession with reading license plates on cars passing by. It's like my brain just won't shut up about it.

What are the early warning signs of this disorder?
I know things like obsessive cleaning fall under that umbrella.
Like, if someone just can't stand a house that isn't spotless—if seeing shoes left in the hallway instead of on the rack drives them crazy, or they're constantly scrubbing hair strands out of the sink, or they flat-out refuse to drink from a glass someone else has already used...
Or even if you were raised by parents who were total neat freaks, and now as an adult, you've taken that discipline way too far and feel like everything has to be surgically clean at all times...

Can all that stuff actually trigger OCD?

I don't have OCD, I just can't stand human hair 🤣. Animal hair is a different story, but fine...

And I refuse to drink out of someone else's glass..

I wouldn't call these symptoms or say they cause the disorder to develop. If you're actually worried about whether you have it, go see a psychiatrist first. There's no shame in seeking help—certainly not more shame than what you're typing here.. 🙏

Jeffrey M. Schwartz’s “Four-Step Method” for OCD

(When it comes to tackling OCD and finding actual relief, Jeffrey M. Schwartz is basically the gold standard globally.)

If you're constantly battling those intrusive, obsessive thoughts—and the compulsions that follow—you really ought to know that there has been massive progress in how we treat this... it's not hopeless. Over the last two decades, behavioral therapy has proven itself to be incredibly effective at managing OCD symptoms... truly life-changing for many.

Dig deeper into the details here: www.obc-treatment-resources.com

Amy Young12 said:What are the early warning signs of this disorder?
I know things like excessive cleaning are involved.
If someone just wants their house tidy—it bothers them if shoes are in the hallway instead of the rack, they hate seeing hair in the bathroom and clean it constantly, or they can't stand sharing a glass with someone else...
Or maybe if you were raised with strict standards of tidiness and eventually take it way too far, feeling like everything must be surgically clean...

Could that lead to OCD?

Only if it becomes excessive—obsessive, really. If a person repeats the exact same cleaning task dozens of times, or feels a surge of anxiety when something isn't perfectly placed, triggering a frantic urge to clean. There’s a massive distinction between being organized and having Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

What you described sounds like simple neatness. You won't develop this disorder just from being orderly. Don't worry about it.

Go over to the Psychology section—there’s a massive thread dedicated to OCD there. 😉

Amanda Gray77 said:It really only counts if it becomes excessive, meaning it borders on obsessive—like when someone feels compelled to clean the same spot over and over again, or if they experience this deep sense of anxiety whenever something isn't perfectly in its place, triggering a frantic urge to tidy up everything immediately.

I think that’s a bit inaccurate, if I may say so. Obsessions are those distressing, intrusive thoughts that plague a person (for instance, the belief that they must complete a specific task to prevent something terrible from happening), whereas compulsions are the actual physical actions taken (which is that repetitive behavior you mentioned). While these obsessions and compulsions often go hand in hand, they don't necessarily have to occur together. A person might exhibit compulsive behaviors, such as washing their hands excessively or constantly checking if they locked the front door, without being haunted by specific intrusive thoughts like "if I eat this chocolate right now, I'll end up walking into traffic"... and it works the other way around too.

Amy Young12 said:What are the early warning signs of this disorder?
I know things like excessive cleaning are included in it.
If someone just wants their house to be spotless and tidy—if they get bothered when shoes are left in the hallway instead of on the rack, if they can't stand seeing hair in the bathroom and feel the need to clean it constantly, or if they find it repulsive to drink from a glass someone else has already used.
Or perhaps if you were raised with a heavy emphasis on being neat, and over time, you’ve taken that to heart to the point where you feel everything simply must be excessively clean...

Could those tendencies lead to OCD?

Maybe try a quick Google search... though those aren't necessarily symptoms of OCD; they might just indicate that a person is exceptionally tidy or a perfectionist.😬
In actual OCD, as I mentioned before, we're looking at obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors, which don't always have to happen simultaneously.

But if what you're actually interested in is Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder, then it looks more like this:
"Individuals living with Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder tend to be inflexible and unadaptable, clinging rigidly to strict routines, schedules, and patterns of behavior; they are overly preoccupied with rules, order, organization, cleanliness, details, and maintaining absolute control over others. They demand that everything follows their specific way because nothing ever feels quite good enough; they often express only negative emotions and constantly seek reasons to criticize, no matter how trivial the matter. Another symptom of this disorder involves the unnecessary hoarding of old or worn-out items.

I would truly appreciate it if anyone could share their experiences regarding this disorder—whether it’s how you managed it, the treatments that worked, or just anything at all... I feel as though I am on the verge of losing my mind 😢🙂

I used to have this weird little ritual—after spending way too much time just lounging around, reading, or getting lost in a Netflix binge, I felt this strange compulsion to stub my toe on something solid, like a wooden table leg or a plastic bin, just to snap myself back into reality. People used to give me some pretty confused looks when they saw me doing it. Breaking the habit took a while, though—eventually, I just stopped doing it as often, mostly because life got busy with work and I started picking up enough productive habits to keep my mind occupied.