OCD: General Discussion Thread

I was falling down a Wikipedia rabbit hole earlier today and stumbled upon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsessi...lsive_disorder — or even the simpler version at http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obs...lsive_disorder — and honestly, it left me feeling a little uneasy.

See, looking back on my life, I’ve always had these little quirks or tics. If I touch something with one hand, I feel this weird urge to touch it again with the other. I tend to do everything in pairs—like putting exactly two sugars in my coffee, or biting my sandwich sixteen times, things like that. When I’m walking down the street, I find myself counting my steps in my head, trying to make sure I end on an even number. If I’m using stairs, I usually take them two at a time. And the checking? That’s a thing too. Like, if I lock the front door, I’ll walk back and check it two or three more times over the next half hour just to be absolutely certain. Or I'll glance at my phone or my watch four times in ten seconds just to make sure I didn't misread the time. Even with smoking, I try to keep the number of cigarettes I have in a day even. There’s plenty of other stuff, too, but I won't bore you with a full list.

I never really gave it much thought before, but reading that article has me wondering. Should I actually go talk to a doctor about this, or should I just try to let it go?

I mean, I think everyone’s got their own little quirks or nervous habits—we all do—but what you're doing here? It’s definitely pushing past the usual boundaries...

Oh, I didn't even realize this thread already existed. Big thanks to the mod for merging my post into this one.

It’s fine... unfortunately, the list of topics was originally pinned at the top, but they’ve all been pulled for technical reasons
I hope to have them back up shortly.

So, this is my first time posting on this forum...
and honestly, I picked the perfect thread to dive into.🙂
Yeah, I’ve definitely got issues... been dealing with this since puberty, like ten years now...
Some days are okay, some are total nightmares... right now? I'm in a really bad headspace...
Like, when I wash my hands—which is basically all the time—I have to lather up three times or I just lose it. I try so hard to stop myself from doing the full triple scrub, but I can't help it... then there's the counting things, the symmetry stuff... you know how it goes, it just grips me. But the absolute worst part is my breathing. I have to pinch my nose shut so I can inhale an equal number of times through both sides. It sounds crazy, I can't even explain it properly. Usually, I notice I start doing it while I'm deep in thought, reading, or just watching TV; I start subconsciously, but then I'm hyper-aware and keep forcing it... weird.🙄
Another thing is the touching. So many objects are off-limits because they're "dirty" and others aren't... and that's actually my biggest hurdle. It drains so much of my focus, my energy, and just eats up my whole day...
Then there's this constant, crushing feeling that everyone is staring at me. It drives me insane. I start sweating, turning bright red, it's just impossible...
My boyfriend thinks I'm nuts, and I do a pretty good job of hiding it from my parents, though it's getting harder to keep up the act...
There's more, too, but my brain is blanking on everything else right now.🙂
But if I didn't have these rituals, I feel like I'd have zero control over anything...
Ugh, sorry for the massive rant...

Just checking in, still hanging out here in the group... 😁

I mean, I’m not even officially in treatment or anything. I’ve been taking Lexapro, but honestly? I don't think it does a damn thing for my OCD (and that's not even why I'm on it).

There are way more of us out there than people realize. And man, once you count everyone venting on other forums, plus the massive crowd of people who just suffer in silence without ever posting online...

Seriously, though. In just the last hour, I've already washed my hands about ten times. And the day has barely even started... ☕

-Everything I do has to be done five times over.
-If I turn up the volume on the TV, I have to hit 3, 5, 8, 12, 15, 18, 23, 25, and 28 first.
-The ticking of a clock, running water, teeth chattering, someone typing on their phone, people talking while I'm trying to sleep, or even just the TV being too loud—it all gets under my skin.
-I feel this constant urge to count everything I see.
-When I'm walking down the street, I can't step on the cracks.
-Even when I'm driving, I find ways to make sure my feet cross those lines somehow.
-I have to organize everything according to my own specific rules.
-Basically, almost everything irritates me.
-I have to wash my hair every single day because I can't shake the feeling that I'm dirty.
-If someone mumbles, chews gum loudly, fidgets with their nails, files them, or even just spits while they talk...
-Or if someone bites their lip...
-Everything has to be perfectly arranged, otherwise I can't even stand to be in the room.
-I don't throw anything away; I date everything and store it in boxes.

There's a million other things I can't get rid of, and it’s exhausting. This has been going on for years. Some people claim it'll eventually taper off, but man, for me, it just keeps getting worse.

Heh, and who's supposed to help me?
Medication and psychiatrists are completely out of the question.

There’s a million other things I can’t seem to shake, and it’s honestly exhausting... it’s been going on for years now. Some people tell me it’ll eventually taper off, but man, it feels like it’s just getting worse.

heh, and who’s actually going to help me?
medication and a psychiatrist are completely out of the question...

Then go screw yourself. Seriously, keep counting everything until you finally lose your mind.
I’m kidding. I deal with OCD too—well, I used to. I was exactly like you, counting everything in multiples of five.
Finally "met" another human being who counts everything up to five.
What’s weighing on you so heavily that you won't even try a couple of Prozacs a day? If you stick with it for a few months, the symptoms will almost certainly dial back. For what it's worth, I was crushing three Prozacs a day for a year, but it was worth it; I don't feel the need to count everything anymore, and I don't have this obsession with everything being perfectly symmetrical.
Besides, the side effects from the meds aren't even that bad.

I honestly have no clue... I just can't bring myself to wade through all this garbage. But damn, isn't this almost over? I feel like I'm losing my mind. It's just total nonsense, pure nonsense...

Oh, and don't go assuming I'm even human. Maybe neither you nor I actually are.😁

wanderingbadger51 said:I honestly have no clue... I just can't bring myself to wade through all this garbage. But damn, isn't this almost over? I feel like I'm losing my mind. It's just total nonsense, pure nonsense...

Oh, and don't go assuming I'm even human. Maybe neither you nor I actually are.😁

Medication isn't the only way to fix things.

Psychotherapy works too.

-everything I do has to be repeated five times over.
-if I turn up the volume on my Sony TV, I have to hit specific increments: 3, 5, 8, 12, 15, 18, 23, 25, then 28.
-the ticking of a clock, running water, teeth grinding, someone tapping on their iPhone, people talking while I’m trying to sleep, or the TV being too loud... it all gets under my skin.
-I feel this constant urge to count everything in my line of sight.
-when I'm walking down the sidewalk, I can't step on the cracks.
-even when I'm driving, I find myself worrying about how my feet cross those lines.
-everything has to be organized according to my own rigid set of rules.
-almost everything irritates me.
-I have to wash my hair every single day because I just can't shake the feeling of being dirty.
-the sound of someone mumbling, chewing gum loudly, playing with their nails, filing them, or even just spitting.
-or if someone bites their lip.
-everything has to be perfectly arranged, otherwise, I can't even stand to be in the room.
-I don't throw anything away; I date everything and tuck it into a box.

God damn it, I can't believe I'm swearing like this on Easter Monday.

Read back what you wrote; that sounds like a serious struggle. Doesn't it make it impossible to live a normal life?
The counting happens because your brain chemistry is off—probably some imbalance with serotonin or whatever. Prozac is a solid option for treating OCD. I've dealt with this crap myself, so I know a few things. These disorders often overlap; if you aren't ready to go see a psychiatrist, you might be dealing with depression, or if you're too anxious to even ask for a referral, you're likely looking at anxiety or social phobia too.

You really should talk to a professional to get this sorted out. What's so hard about taking a Prozac before bed?
The side effects won't mess with your job or your studies. There aren't many. For me, the only issue was a drop in libido—basically, nothing was working for two weeks.

David Nelson74 said:-everything I do has to be repeated five times over.
-if I turn up the volume on my Sony TV, I have to hit specific increments: 3, 5, 8, 12, 15, 18, 23, 25, then 28.
-the ticking of a clock, running water, teeth grinding, someone tapping on their iPhone, people talking while I’m trying to sleep, or the TV being too loud... it all gets under my skin.
-I feel this constant urge to count everything in my line of sight.
-when I'm walking down the sidewalk, I can't step on the cracks.
-even when I'm driving, I find myself worrying about how my feet cross those lines.
-everything has to be organized according to my own rigid set of rules.
-almost everything irritates me.
-I have to wash my hair every single day because I just can't shake the feeling of being dirty.
-the sound of someone mumbling, chewing gum loudly, playing with their nails, filing them, or even just spitting.
-or if someone bites their lip.
-everything has to be perfectly arranged, otherwise, I can't even stand to be in the room.
-I don't throw anything away; I date everything and tuck it into a box.

God damn it, I can't believe I'm swearing like this on Easter Monday.

Read back what you wrote; that sounds like a serious struggle. Doesn't it make it impossible to live a normal life?
The counting happens because your brain chemistry is off—probably some imbalance with serotonin or whatever. Prozac is a solid option for treating OCD. I've dealt with this crap myself, so I know a few things. These disorders often overlap; if you aren't ready to go see a psychiatrist, you might be dealing with depression, or if you're too anxious to even ask for a referral, you're likely looking at anxiety or social phobia too.

You really should talk to a professional to get this sorted out. What's so hard about taking a Prozac before bed?
The side effects won't mess with your job or your studies. There aren't many. For me, the only issue was a drop in libido—basically, nothing was working for two weeks.

hehe.. alright, alright, calm down.. it's a bit hard to take Prozac "in the morning before bed" since I wake up in the morning..
btw, I took some online test and apparently I'm in a deep depression and showing symptoms of anxiety.. but I feel fine 😁
music moves the world

I was actually wondering just yesterday if a thread like this even existed!
It’s honestly kind of wild reading through everyone's posts and seeing my own symptoms staring back at me from other people's stories.
I had no clue that drawing things was such a widespread issue for people.🙂
For me, those obsessive behaviors really started kicking in around 5th grade—I can't point to one specific moment, but I'm almost certain it all traces back to doodling and lines.
Maybe it’s tied to the fact that I’ve always been a total perfectionist? I had this weird obsession with the number 5, which I think was just my way of trying to chase better grades in school. And 7 played a big role too! Every year, one number would get swapped out for another depending on how old I was.
I remember being 12 was probably the absolute hardest time for me.
Back then, the disorder made life so difficult and it totally messed with how I communicated with everyone around me. I became incredibly withdrawn.
I have a question for you guys, since I haven't seen it brought up yet: has anyone here dealt with major family issues alongside their OCD?
I definitely did, and honestly, I still deal with some stuff. But things have changed quite a bit for me. My obsessions have thinned out, which I think is thanks to some big decisions I made. I basically decided to stop letting family drama bleed into my life outside the house. To tackle the compulsions, I started intentionally breaking my own rules. I started small—like, I'd purposefully step on lines while walking. At first, it was brutal. I’d feel so guilty afterward and lie awake at night terrified that something terrible would happen because I didn't do what I "had" to do.

Reading this thread has actually brought back thoughts I hadn't thought about since I was a kid. They were uncomfortable, scary, and so hard to shake off. I vividly remember feeling like such a different, broken person when I was little.

Anyway, a lot has changed since then.
I've become more social, more confident... but honestly, the thing I'm most proud of is that I managed to work through this on my own. Even if I haven't totally conquered it. I was just thinking—this post feels a bit like one of those cheesy infomercials you see on TV. Like, my life has completely transformed! Now I sleep normally, go on family picnics, and just... enjoy being alive. 😉

I never actually went to a psychologist; I was just way too embarrassed to tell anyone what was going on.

fadedmarlin27 said:I was actually wondering just yesterday if a thread like this even existed!
It’s honestly kind of wild reading through everyone's posts and seeing my own symptoms staring back at me from other people's stories.
I had no clue that drawing things was such a widespread issue for people.🙂
For me, those obsessive behaviors really started kicking in around 5th grade—I can't point to one specific moment, but I'm almost certain it all traces back to doodling and lines.
Maybe it’s tied to the fact that I’ve always been a total perfectionist? I had this weird obsession with the number 5, which I think was just my way of trying to chase better grades in school. And 7 played a big role too! Every year, one number would get swapped out for another depending on how old I was.
I remember being 12 was probably the absolute hardest time for me.
Back then, the disorder made life so difficult and it totally messed with how I communicated with everyone around me. I became incredibly withdrawn.
I have a question for you guys, since I haven't seen it brought up yet: has anyone here dealt with major family issues alongside their OCD?
I definitely did, and honestly, I still deal with some stuff. But things have changed quite a bit for me. My obsessions have thinned out, which I think is thanks to some big decisions I made. I basically decided to stop letting family drama bleed into my life outside the house. To tackle the compulsions, I started intentionally breaking my own rules. I started small—like, I'd purposefully step on lines while walking. At first, it was brutal. I’d feel so guilty afterward and lie awake at night terrified that something terrible would happen because I didn't do what I "had" to do.

Reading this thread has actually brought back thoughts I hadn't thought about since I was a kid. They were uncomfortable, scary, and so hard to shake off. I vividly remember feeling like such a different, broken person when I was little.

Anyway, a lot has changed since then.
I've become more social, more confident... but honestly, the thing I'm most proud of is that I managed to work through this on my own. Even if I haven't totally conquered it. I was just thinking—this post feels a bit like one of those cheesy infomercials you see on TV. Like, my life has completely transformed! Now I sleep normally, go on family picnics, and just... enjoy being alive. 😉

I never actually went to a psychologist; I was just way too embarrassed to tell anyone what was going on.

I’m with you on that. 😍

I actually found out recently that an old friend from school is dealing with pretty much the same stuff.

Anyway, I saw some people mentioning Prozac on here. Does anyone actually know how that stuff works? And do you need a prescription from a doctor to get it?

Yeah... I’ve actually noticed that exact same thing happening with my brother. It just keeps reinforcing my theory that this whole thing really stems from family dynamics.
I'm pretty sure you're going to need a recipe for this one

Honestly, I was too embarrassed to say anything at first. My family back home already knew about this kind of stuff... I was joking around with a friend recently, and somehow we ended up talking about it. Turns out he deals with the same "things." I don't even think he realizes it's actually OCD, and I didn't either until just the other day. It’s... well, let’s just say it’s a relief to know I'm not the only one. Not that it's a good thing, but at least I know I'm not losing my mind. People might think I'm just making excuses because I have too much downtime, or maybe they're right... who knows.
Anyway, I wanted to say I'm done being ashamed. I can laugh about it now, and I'm trying to work through it, even if it's a struggle. It's getting pretty exhausting, though. But whatever.
I lost it last night because my sister wouldn't stop tapping away on her phone. I absolutely hate that sound; I felt like I could have punched a hole through the wall in that moment.
God! 😳

Anyway, someone mentioned Prozac on this thread. How does it actually work? And do you need a prescription for it?

Prozac isn't something you just pick up at a CVS for $6.75......I mean, come on, you know how this works. You can't just grab it off a shelf; you obviously need a prescription from a professional, like a psychiatrist. If you're dealing with OCD, that's likely what they'd put you on, and honestly, it’s incredibly effective at managing those symptoms.

But hey, wanderingbadger51, why bother with all that when you could just smoke three joints a day, knock back a few shots of whiskey, and just LISTEN TO MUSIC? It makes everything feel irrelevant. Depression, anxiety, obsessive tendencies—it all fades. By the way, everything is technically "curable," but people go through life with much heavier disorders every single day. Why reject medication and professional help that could legitimately raise your quality of life and clear out the mental clutter?

Later.

David Nelson74 said:Anyway, someone mentioned Prozac on this thread. How does it actually work? And do you need a prescription for it?

Prozac isn't something you just pick up at a CVS for $6.75......I mean, come on, you know how this works. You can't just grab it off a shelf; you obviously need a prescription from a professional, like a psychiatrist. If you're dealing with OCD, that's likely what they'd put you on, and honestly, it’s incredibly effective at managing those symptoms.

But hey, wanderingbadger51, why bother with all that when you could just smoke three joints a day, knock back a few shots of whiskey, and just LISTEN TO MUSIC? It makes everything feel irrelevant. Depression, anxiety, obsessive tendencies—it all fades. By the way, everything is technically "curable," but people go through life with much heavier disorders every single day. Why reject medication and professional help that could legitimately raise your quality of life and clear out the mental clutter?

Later.

Prozac isn't something you just pick up at a CVS for $6.75......I mean, come on, you know how this works. You can't just grab it off a shelf; you obviously need a prescription from a professional, like a psychiatrist. If you're dealing with OCD, that's likely what they'd put you on, and honestly, it’s incredibly effective at managing those symptoms.

But hey, wanderingbadger51, why bother with all that when you could just smoke three joints a day, knock back a few shots of whiskey, and just LISTEN TO MUSIC? It makes everything feel irrelevant. Depression, anxiety, obsessive tendencies—it all fades. By the way, everything is technically "curable," but people go through life with much heavier disorders every single day. Why reject medication and professional help that could legitimately raise your quality of life and clear out the mental clutter?

Later.

Prozac isn't something you just pick up at a CVS for $6.75......I mean, come on, you know how this works. You can't just grab it off a shelf; you obviously need a prescription from a professional, like a psychiatrist. If you're dealing with OCD, that's likely what they'd put you on, and honestly, it’s incredibly effective at managing those symptoms.

But hey, wanderingbadger51, why bother with all that when you could just smoke three joints a day, knock back a few shots of whiskey, and just LISTEN TO MUSIC? It makes everything feel irrelevant. Depression, anxiety, obsessive tendencies—it all fades. By the way, everything is technically "curable," but people go through life with much heavier disorders every single day. Why reject medication and professional help that could legitimately raise your quality of life and clear out the mental clutter?

Later.

You don't just pick up Prozac at a CVS for $6.75......Look, you know how this works. You can't just grab it off a shelf; obviously, you need a prescription from a professional, like a psychiatrist. If you have OCD, that's likely what they'll prescribe (and it's 100% effective for managing OCD)

And you, wanderingbadger51 just take three joints a day, get high, knock back six Bud Lights, and LISTEN TO MUSIC. Suddenly you don't give a damn about anything. So you have depression or anxiety and you start counting everything around you. By the way, everything is treatable, but people still live with much more severe disorders. Who gives a damn about medication and professional help that could actually improve your quality of life and clear up your symptoms!

Later!

👍 🙏
.. and I keep on living...

What can I really tell you? Who actually has the willpower, the drive, or enough life force left to go out and try to heal from this garbage? Then there are those who are so completely broken that even making it to a doctor feels like an impossible task. What am I supposed to offer? I’d love to help, but I see some people have already lost the will to even fight for recovery.
You know that concept of Stockholm syndrome? It’s when a victim eventually starts feeling a connection to their aggressor, almost coming to love the very situation they're trapped in—like during a kidnapping.
In this context, it’s like depression or OCD; a person just accepts their condition as part of their identity. They might even reach a point where they can't imagine life without the illness. It crawls under your skin until you start loving it, and then you're left wondering what you'd even do with yourself if it were ever gone.

Cool! 😎