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OCD: General Discussion Thread

Started by graniteraven92 · · 👁 23 views · 815 replies

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Participants graniteraven92Steven Fowler5ironfalcon27Raymond Robinson3mistyhound2Walter Moore4Anthony Harris14mistyscout2crimsonlynx92Terry Ramos4Daniel LopezWalter Myers4feralmoose3Ronald Jones9Aferalbear49Anthony Rodriguez58Christian Castillo60Alex Rogers96nimblecobra79Tyler Thomas12Alex PalmerAmanda Palmer3William White2 …
northernmarlin79 northernmarlin79 Member
44 messages
joined May 2007
#281 ·
Just to set the record straight—when I was a little kid, I used to obsess over not stepping on the cracks in the sidewalk, but nowadays I don't even look where I'm going! ;-)

There’s probably more to it too, just a bunch of unconscious habits I've picked up over the years...

But honestly, my favorite little rituals are washing my hands, counting out pieces of candy, lining up my receipts, and making sure the dishes go "to dry" in one specific order before they get tucked away in the cabinets in their own perfect sequence...

Though, I hate to admit it, I don't have those super organized planners like you do—man, that would actually be pretty useful, since I can barely even read my own handwriting most days...
James Allen6 James Allen6 Active Member
85 messages
joined Apr 2007
#282 ·
Hehe... we all have our little quirks, but your hand-washing habit really gave me a good laugh.🙂 🙂 🙂

I suppose these things are mostly harmless. I actually find myself arranging my things "in order" quite often, and it brings me a certain sense of satisfaction.
It probably only becomes a serious issue when these habits start to trouble us or interfere with daily life. In those cases, maybe it would be wise to consult a professional.
northernmarlin79 northernmarlin79 Member
44 messages
joined May 2007
#283 ·
Oh man, honestly, it’s pretty great while we can just sit back and be entertained by 🙂 🙂 🙂

The only thing that actually gets under my skin is that sudden, intense urge to gag—like if I catch a glimpse of something gross like dirt under a fingernail or someone's stray hair or something 🙂 🙂
Mark Perez2 Mark Perez2 Member
47 messages
joined Apr 2007
#284 ·
I just can't catch a break. Just when I think I’m finally acting normal and trying not to nitpick every little thing, I go out and buy a pair of sandals that are actually defective... I honestly envy people who don't get worked up over stuff like quality control or manufacturing defects.
Paul Thomas9 Paul Thomas9 Member
20 messages
joined May 2007
#285 ·
Quick question... what do you guys actually mean when you talk about these rituals? Like, are we talking about if I don't wash my hands five times in a row, I'll somehow catch some random disease and die? Or is it more that you're just doing it because there's this constant pressure in your head forcing you to...
Richard Murphy6 Richard Murphy6 Active Member
180 messages
joined Dec 2002
#286 ·
Mark Perez2 said:I just can't catch a break. Just when I think I’m finally acting normal and trying not to nitpick every little thing, I go out and buy a pair of sandals that are actually defective... I honestly envy people who don't get worked up over stuff like quality control or manufacturing defects.

Look, I really think everything is just relative, you know? Like, it’s all about perspective. For instance, I honestly find myself getting a little jealous sometimes of how disciplined my girlfriend is. It’s wild! Take my routine after a long shift at the plant—I’ll come home, kick my feet up, and just sit there sipping a coffee while she’s already moving around. To her, sitting down to relax before getting things done is just totally out of the question. And don't even get me started on the shower situation! Man, I would love to jump in the shower right away, but let's be real—I’m lazy. For her, hopping in the shower the second she walks through the door is just automatic. No thinking involved! The thing is, I end up feeling this massive wave of guilt, though. I’m sitting there, drinking my coffee, knowing damn well I’m still covered in grime from work. Part of me thinks, "Man, I should probably clean up first so I can actually enjoy this brew properly." It’s a constant tug-of-war between being lazy and wanting to be a decent human being!

Hey everyone! Just wanted to jump in here because I was thinking about that whole situation earlier. You know how it goes—one minute everything is smooth sailing, and the next, you're staring at a total mess! It’s like when you try to fix a leaky faucet in your kitchen and suddenly you've got a literal indoor swimming pool in your basement. Total chaos! Anyway, I've been mulling over the points made by northernmarlin79, and honestly? I think they hit the nail right on the head. It’s all about perspective, right? Like looking at a blueprint versus looking at the actual house. Sometimes the plan looks perfect on paper, but then you start building and realize you forgot to account for the wind or the soil quality. I also caught what James Allen6 was saying, and man, talk about a reality check! It really makes you stop and think. We all tend to get tunnel vision sometimes, focusing so hard on one little detail that we miss the big picture entirely. It's just like driving through heavy fog on a highway near Chicago—you can only see a few feet in front of you, so you have to trust the road and stay alert for the unexpected! Just my two cents! Hope you guys are having an awesome day!

My room is always a total disaster zone, and honestly, it makes life such a headache! It’s like I walk into my own space and just start stumbling around blindly because I can't even see the floor under all the clutter. It really bites me later on, too—I'll be looking for something super important and realize I have zero clue where it went because everything is buried. And don't even get me started on the TV remotes! They're basically invisible half the time. Meanwhile, my roommate keeps her stuff perfectly organized; her remotes are always exactly where they should be. It's wild!

Look, look, look—I get it! I totally hear what you're saying. But honestly? At the end of the day, the whole point is that there are just so many useful perks involved!

Look, at the end of the day, everyone’s got their own little quirks, right? It's like how every single person you meet is basically a walking mix of superpowers and total disasters. You can't have one without the other! It's just how we're wired.
I honestly feel like there’s no such thing as a truly pure character anymore. It’s like trying to find a perfectly clean white shirt in a mud pit—it just doesn't happen! But if you ask me? I think that lack of perfection really hits the OKP character the hardest. It just sticks in their gears, you know?😁 😘
James Allen6 James Allen6 Active Member
85 messages
joined Apr 2007
#287 ·
I suppose people usually define virtues as things like orderliness, precision, or symmetry. But personally, I’d much rather be a bit messy if it meant feeling a little more "secure" in my own head.
Mark Perez2 Mark Perez2 Member
47 messages
joined Apr 2007
#288 ·
James Allen6 said:I suppose people usually define virtues as things like orderliness, precision, or symmetry. But personally, I’d much rather be a bit messy if it meant feeling a little more "secure" in my own head.

Same here. But hey, that's just how the world works.
Mark Perez2 Mark Perez2 Member
47 messages
joined Apr 2007
#289 ·
Look, I’m not saying I scrub my hands with a toothbrush. I just wash up after I eat. I don't go around tossing my cash into the washing machine like Adrian Monk. 🙂 And I wouldn't call myself obsessively tidy, either. I'm just... within the realm of normal. But the lack of symmetry? That absolutely kills me. I find myself hunting for imbalances in everything. The thing is, the world isn't perfect and it never will be. Like that guy above said, you can find asymmetry in anything if you look at it from the right angle.
Ziggy, tell me, when that urge for symmetry hits you, how do you calm down enough to stop? Or does the medication you're on prevent that feeling from taking hold in the first place?
And for you two, James Allen6 and northernmarlin79—does this stuff actually interfere with your day-to-day life? Like, you aren't seeing a psychiatrist or anything? You mentioned before that you actually kind of enjoy it. Even if scrubbing your hands with a brush isn't exactly "normal." Then again, who am I to define what normal is? 😁
Mark Perez2 Mark Perez2 Member
47 messages
joined Apr 2007
#290 ·
Paul Thomas9 said:Quick question... what do you guys actually mean when you talk about these rituals? Like, are we talking about if I don't wash my hands five times in a row, I'll somehow catch some random disease and die? Or is it more that you're just doing it because there's this constant pressure in your head forcing you to...

I don't personally deal with this, but it seems to me like these people have an irrational fear of bacteria—kind of like what you see in the show Adrian Monk 🙂. Bacteria are everywhere; they're part of life. Basically, they’re terrified that germs will cause some illness, but at the end of the day, that anxiety is all in their heads. Though, I guess the girl scrubbing her hands with a toothbrush
might have a point.
Paul Thomas9 Paul Thomas9 Member
20 messages
joined May 2007
#291 ·
Mark Perez2 said:I don't personally deal with this, but it seems to me like these people have an irrational fear of bacteria—kind of like what you see in the show Adrian Monk 🙂. Bacteria are everywhere; they're part of life. Basically, they’re terrified that germs will cause some illness, but at the end of the day, that anxiety is all in their heads. Though, I guess the girl scrubbing her hands with a toothbrush
might have a point.

So apparently I've got that condition linked to schizophrenia and manic panic attacks, just great... I see people here talking about handwashing just so you guys know where I'm coming from. Everything's fine though...
Mark Perez2 Mark Perez2 Member
47 messages
joined Apr 2007
#292 ·
Paul Thomas9 said:So apparently I've got that condition linked to schizophrenia and manic panic attacks, just great... I see people here talking about handwashing just so you guys know where I'm coming from. Everything's fine though...

And then it turns out handwashing isn't even your biggest issue. You're probably heading to a shrink and popping pills to deal with the real stuff.
James Allen6 James Allen6 Active Member
85 messages
joined Apr 2007
#293 ·
Mark Perez2 said:Look, I’m not saying I scrub my hands with a toothbrush. I just wash up after I eat. I don't go around tossing my cash into the washing machine like Adrian Monk. 🙂 And I wouldn't call myself obsessively tidy, either. I'm just... within the realm of normal. But the lack of symmetry? That absolutely kills me. I find myself hunting for imbalances in everything. The thing is, the world isn't perfect and it never will be. Like that guy above said, you can find asymmetry in anything if you look at it from the right angle.
Ziggy, tell me, when that urge for symmetry hits you, how do you calm down enough to stop? Or does the medication you're on prevent that feeling from taking hold in the first place?
And for you two, James Allen6 and northernmarlin79—does this stuff actually interfere with your day-to-day life? Like, you aren't seeing a psychiatrist or anything? You mentioned before that you actually kind of enjoy it. Even if scrubbing your hands with a brush isn't exactly "normal." Then again, who am I to define what normal is? 😁

Right now, I am struggling with panic disorder and seeing a psychologist for it, and I've basically self-diagnosed my own OCD 😁 which, lucky me, 😍
Paul Thomas9 Paul Thomas9 Member
20 messages
joined May 2007
#294 ·
Mark Perez2 said:And then it turns out handwashing isn't even your biggest issue. You're probably heading to a shrink and popping pills to deal with the real stuff.

Let me tell ya, if you think that's bad, the real kicker is that I don't see a therapist or take anything... so just imagine how much of a mess I actually am...
Mark Perez2 Mark Perez2 Member
47 messages
joined Apr 2007
#295 ·
Paul Thomas9 said:Let me tell ya, if you think that's bad, the real kicker is that I don't see a therapist or take anything... so just imagine how much of a mess I actually am...

Look, schizophrenia is a serious condition—at least, that’s how it looks from where I'm sitting. Why aren't you seeing a professional? Did you just decide this was your diagnosis on your own? Self-taught, I guess. Just like me.😬
Mark Perez2 Mark Perez2 Member
47 messages
joined Apr 2007
#296 ·
James Allen6 said:Right now, I am struggling with panic disorder and seeing a psychologist for it, and I've basically self-diagnosed my own OCD 😁 which, lucky me, 😍

Yeah, yeah, I saw that on another thread. But I don't have panic disorder. You mean that feeling where fear just hits you out of nowhere for no reason? Man, I feel for you.
northernmarlin79 northernmarlin79 Member
44 messages
joined May 2007
#297 ·
Hey hey everyone, just wanted to clear things up and reiterate—I ONLY scrub my hands with a brush OCCASIONALLY—and I mean occasionally! I guess it's because I'm stuck at this awful university where I end up seeing absolutely everything and touching all sorts of gross stuff constantly, so that's why...

But no, I don't think my level of OCD is actually a problem; sure, I have my little quirks, but I've got totally different sides to me too... and honestly... I feel like I'm actually plateauing, or even getting better... I'm doing certain things less often, and some things altogether... but yeah, the habits I do have are totally fine by me and they don't worry me since I feel like they stay within reasonable bounds... personally, I truly believe everyone has a little bit of OCD tucked away inside them somewhere. There,
northernmarlin79 northernmarlin79 Member
44 messages
joined May 2007
#298 ·
Yeah, I was actually scrolling back through some old posts from a while ago... look, I’ve got enough medical knowledge to know that bacteria are basically everywhere you turn, and honestly, being in my line of work means I’m exposed to way more microorganisms than the average person—especially the contagious kind—but obsessively washing my hands isn't even my main motivation here. It's really just that I genuinely love the feeling of them being clean and smelling fresh, because trust me, some scents just stay with you and really get under your skin.
northernmarlin79 northernmarlin79 Member
44 messages
joined May 2007
#299 ·
Honestly, I’m convinced that scent is the absolute dealbreaker here!

And yeah, looking at the whole situation, it isn't even the hand washing part that gets under my skin... what actually rattles me is just pure disgust toward other people, you know? Like, seeing someone with unwashed hands, or dealing with sweat, or being all damp and gross... ugh... and if I catch even a tiny bit of grime under someone's fingernails... ugh... not to mention stray hairs or anything like that... ugh... all of that stuff just hits me instantly and makes me want to gag...

So yeah, that's really the only thing that truly bothers me.
Paul Thomas9 Paul Thomas9 Member
20 messages
joined May 2007
#300 ·
Mark Perez2 said:Look, schizophrenia is a serious condition—at least, that’s how it looks from where I'm sitting. Why aren't you seeing a professional? Did you just decide this was your diagnosis on your own? Self-taught, I guess. Just like me.😬

So, I’ve been looking over the symptoms... and honestly, it feels like I'm checking almost every box for both OCD and schizophrenia...

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