How Do You Know If It's Ocd?

[onlyme]

I am wondering whether I need to speak to my dr about this. Since starting my meds 3 weeks ago I have found myself losing control over my thoughts. I just want to know how you know it's OCD and is there help for it? Is OCD something that goes along with depression? I haven't seen my psychiatrist yet, waiting for first appt. Just keep thinking about it, has it got worse since starting my meds or can I just not remember.

Basically this is whats going on in my head. Is this OCD or something related to my depression or just normal?

I check my house doors are locked constantly. Especially before going to bed at night. I check and check and re check. Go up to bed then go and check again. And again. When I leave the house it takes a few checks before I leave the garden. Get to the car then go check door again. Sometimes I get half way down the street and have to turn round, just to check. Writing it down does make it sound strange, but when I'm doing it it feels completely rational.

I also don't like odd numbers. Infact I hate them but I don't know why. They can't be devided and they are ugly and I just don't like them. I can't have the tv volume on an odd number, ever, no way. Or the car radio. I also have to have my computer volume on an even number. I can't have it on number that is someone close to me's age, or they will die. My little boy is 2, so I can't have it on 2 or something bad will happen to him, it has to be on 1, even though it's odd it's better than 3. My other boy is 4, and my niece is 6, so it has to be on 8, if thats too loud (at night when everything is silent) then I will just go without music. I can't have it on 50 cos my Mum and Dad are 50. I just think if its on their age they will die. I know it sounds stupid but I can't help it.

I add numbers together and then break them down until it's 1 single digit. It's mainly car numberplates and road signs when I'm driving. So if I see the numbers 9, 3, 5, 6 and 12 for example, I always do this in my head: 9 + 3 = 12, 1= 2 = 3. 3 + 5 = 8. 8+6 = 14. 1+4 = 5. 1+2=3. 5+3=8. Even number, phew. If that had been odd I would have had to keep adding numbers til it was even. It's doing my head in I don't want to do it all the time but I do it automatically, so fast, without even thinking. How can I not have control over my own thoughts? If I'm driving and there are lots of numbers on a road sign I HAVE to add them all and break it to 1 number, even if it means stopping conversation or switching the radio off to concentrate. I get it into my head that if I don't add the numbers then I'll crash my car. How is that normal? But when I'm doing it it feels fine.

Can anyone relate to how I feel? Is this OCD? How can I stop doing it??? I DON'T WANT TO ADD THE STUPID NUMBERS!!!! :(

[Kay]

Its definitely something to talk to your doctor about. Here is a link that might give you some info: http://www.ocd-world.org.uk/

I have always been told that if it is something that affects your daily life then it can very well be OCD. My Ex husband had it.

[Tray]

Oh my onlyme...we must be related!

i dont do the checking of the doors, mine is the cupboards so that everythin is in line, like sleeping with the enemy, i even do it round other peoples houses if i have to go in their cupboard or fridge, i have to do it, else i dont feel good in myself, like i am bad...its horrid...

but the numbers thing, that is soooo me, except i'm an odd number person. have to have everythin on odd, tv volume, music volume, even have to have odd numbers of thinhs on my dinner plate, roast pots, 3 or 5... yorki puds, 1...slices of meat 3, ect... have to always take odd n umber of biscuets out the packet

and i count to a single number to ALWAYS make it odd, doesnt matter how, i will find a way to, if it turns even, then i'll find a reaon to keep counting to make it odd

i wouldnt buy a house last year cause no matter how hard i tried i couldnt get the number to odd, i brought one at no 21 instead cause its odd, and added together its 3 and three is my fav number,

its not like i think the world will end if i dont or anything, its just i dont feel comfertable being me unless i do it, and then i start stressing...it really does piss me off sometimes

[obsessional]

Oh my onlyme...we must be related!

i dont do the checking of the doors, mine is the cupboards so that everythin is in line, like sleeping with the enemy, i even do it round other peoples houses if i have to go in their cupboard or fridge, i have to do it, else i dont feel good in myself, like i am bad...its horrid...

but the numbers thing, that is soooo me, except i'm an odd number person. have to have everythin on odd, tv volume, music volume, even have to have odd numbers of thinhs on my dinner plate, roast pots, 3 or 5... yorki puds, 1...slices of meat 3, ect... have to always take odd n umber of biscuets out the packet

and i count to a single number to ALWAYS make it odd, doesnt matter how, i will find a way to, if it turns even, then i'll find a reaon to keep counting to make it odd

i wouldnt buy a house last year cause no matter how hard i tried i couldnt get the number to odd, i brought one at no 21 instead cause its odd, and added together its 3 and three is my fav number,

its not like i think the world will end if i dont or anything, its just i dont feel comfertable being me unless i do it, and then i start stressing...it really does piss me off sometimes

[obsessional]

this is a good question because what your having resembles OCD but in some cases is due to depression or schitzophrenia not OCD. To get the answer to this a psychologist would need to determine this.

[Lily-Bee]

I dont have the numbers thing but I am a checker too.

I can only suggest what others have said, speak to your doc about this, He/she wont find it weird a lot of people experience symptoms like this. And there are meds for instance that can help you but also therapy. It all depends on what your doc thinks is right for you.

You might want to mention you wonder if your meds have caused it so that he°she can look into that.

Lilly

[wotswotpink]

I am wondering whether I need to speak to my dr about this. Since starting my meds 3 weeks ago I have found myself losing control over my thoughts. I just want to know how you know it's OCD and is there help for it? Is OCD something that goes along with depression? I haven't seen my psychiatrist yet, waiting for first appt. Just keep thinking about it, has it got worse since starting my meds or can I just not remember.

Basically this is whats going on in my head. Is this OCD or something related to my depression or just normal?

I check my house doors are locked constantly. Especially before going to bed at night. I check and check and re check. Go up to bed then go and check again. And again. When I leave the house it takes a few checks before I leave the garden. Get to the car then go check door again. Sometimes I get half way down the street and have to turn round, just to check. Writing it down does make it sound strange, but when I'm doing it it feels completely rational.

I also don't like odd numbers. Infact I hate them but I don't know why. They can't be devided and they are ugly and I just don't like them. I can't have the tv volume on an odd number, ever, no way. Or the car radio. I also have to have my computer volume on an even number. I can't have it on number that is someone close to me's age, or they will die. My little boy is 2, so I can't have it on 2 or something bad will happen to him, it has to be on 1, even though it's odd it's better than 3. My other boy is 4, and my niece is 6, so it has to be on 8, if thats too loud (at night when everything is silent) then I will just go without music. I can't have it on 50 cos my Mum and Dad are 50. I just think if its on their age they will die. I know it sounds stupid but I can't help it.

I add numbers together and then break them down until it's 1 single digit. It's mainly car numberplates and road signs when I'm driving. So if I see the numbers 9, 3, 5, 6 and 12 for example, I always do this in my head: 9 + 3 = 12, 1= 2 = 3. 3 + 5 = 8. 8+6 = 14. 1+4 = 5. 1+2=3. 5+3=8. Even number, phew. If that had been odd I would have had to keep adding numbers til it was even. It's doing my head in I don't want to do it all the time but I do it automatically, so fast, without even thinking. How can I not have control over my own thoughts? If I'm driving and there are lots of numbers on a road sign I HAVE to add them all and break it to 1 number, even if it means stopping conversation or switching the radio off to concentrate. I get it into my head that if I don't add the numbers then I'll crash my car. How is that normal? But when I'm doing it it feels fine.

Can anyone relate to how I feel? Is this OCD? How can I stop doing it??? I DON'T WANT TO ADD THE STUPID NUMBERS!!!!

Hi,

When i read your post it made me smile, not because i think its funny but i just realised that i'm not alone and neither are you. I too hate odd numbers especially the number five. It has an element of negativity around it which i can't explain. I too used to check absolutely everthing in the house or a little voice in my head would tell me that my mum would die. This carried on for years undiagnosed but finally I met a community psychiatric nurse at my gp surgery and we worked on cognitive behaviour therapy, it was hard and challenging (I had to wait before checking things for 1 minute then two until I could cope with the anxiety for up to 10 minutes) after this time the compulsion had gone or i could control my feelings with breathing exercises and distraction. I also had to wash myself all the time and couldn't have my family come to my house for fear of contamination (long story). As a marker of my progress i recently went away for the weekend and my sister lived in to look after my cats. This wasn't easy for me and i did get upset intially but i did it. I'm not trying to show off but instead instill some hope that with a correct diagnosis and treatment it can get better. I wouldn't say its gone away but dispersed in its intensiveness. You may not find the right counsellor or therapists intially (i saw many - some who i clearly didn't like) but with the help of my cpn and an amazing psychologist (who helped me accept and voice my feelings - she says you have to feel to heal, we realised that my ocd stemmed from a lack of control as a child and teenager- another long story) i got better and it doesn't affect me half as much. You might find that once you've tackled one obsession it gets replaced with another but this is quite normal so don't worry. And yes OCD and depression do go hand in hand my therapist didn't know which came first but i suppose it doesn't matter. Go and see your Gp and ask for a referral to a psychologists (long waiting list) or community psychiatric nurse (normally short waiting list) and see whether they feel you have OCD, although you have the same behaviours as me there maybe a different trigger or reason for it. Good Luck and please remember that there is light at the end of the tunnel.