Obsessive-compulsive disorder?

[Tuomas]

I'm sorry to bring this up, but I pick my nose. I think it's because I'm so used to it. I spent so much time with my brother when we were kids, and both of us still do that. I don't think my mother told me not to do it, enough But can't blame her. Anyway, it's not just thumb stuff, but a whole index finger business. I feel distressed if I have anything, or it feels like I have anything in my nose. It's like it has to be completely clean.

I think I've disguised this pretty well. I've only got one remark in the last 6 years. I wish I could do something uselful with this skill. Not the picking, the doing it so that no-one notices.

Oh, but I just feel bad for the people who've grown to never pick their nose. You sometimes see stuff in their noses, like dried snot, or just something that's not supposed to be there, and you feel like telling them to take it off, but you won't because it's not polite. I'd rather be seen cleaning my nose than having stuff in there. when I'm with girls, I only use my thumb for the outer areas, you know, the visible ones, you know, the civilized way

I've always been allergic. when I was smaller I used to have troubles breathing through nose most everyday. So I basically grew accustomed in breathing through my mouth, and would make annoying sounds with my nose. My mother remarked, and I stopped on purpose. My friend does that all the time, it's annoying. Also, when I was growing my hair, I used to blow it away. I did that all the time even though it was not on my eyes or on the way at all. It's just somthing I did without thinking, and couldn't help it.

the thing I hate most about myself is the fact that I crack/snap my fingerjoints. As a guitarist, it really doesn't do any good. My thumb snaps everytime I bend it nowadays. My fingers feel odd if they're on place. I even snap my wrists, which looks painful, and I snap my toes and ancles. It's awful, but I just can't stop doing it. I think the only way for me to stop would be to either get something on my hands all the time, so I didin't have the chance to do it, that or putting steel locks on my joints so that they wouldn't bend enough to crack. It's hellish when I try not to crack them even though I feel like it.

Gheez, I sound really troubled. Well at least I don't wash my hands all the time like some. I do though click my mousebuttons all the time, which leads to silly pastings at IRC and to problems with programs like Opera that react to both buttons

But here's the point. What do you do? I know you're freaks there, the lot of you. So share, and find out that all the people are like you. That or shut it and make me feel awkward being the only one with this.



Wikipedia says:

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder most commonly characterized by a subject's obsessive, distressing, intrusive thoughts and related compulsions (tasks or "rituals") which attempt to neutralize the obsessions. Thus it is an anxiety disorder. It is listed by the World Health Organization as one of the top ten most disabling illnesses in terms of lost income and diminished quality of life.

added there, I can't sleep if my mattress is an inch off the wall. It must be on it, they must touch, otherwise the gap will annoy me. That or the hanging part on the other side of the bed. Also, every electrical device must be off, or I'll feel distressed (I think this is a good thing anyway).

[Domino]

I am also a checker!! I have to make sure the stove is off, that my fridge doors are closed, make sure the toilet seat is down (i always fear my cat will jump in it and drown). I always double check things before i leave for work and on occasion have come back from my car to make sure that i turned all the lights off. Then when leaving again i pull on my door about 20 times to make sure that it is actually locked.

Also like you mentioned, i don't like electric appliances plugged in when i am not home. Except for a few, i unplug my fans and air conditioner, my TV in my bedroom, etc. etc.

It sucks, but with my Anxiety Disorder comes the OCD. These are just minor rituals that i do before i leave for work, but it is something that i have become accustomed too, so it really doesn't bother me that much.

I think everybody has a little OCD in them. Even though they may not realize it.

[Nikolas]

Isn't it the same to have habbits? And the saying "old habbits die hard"?

I always close the computer at night. Can't sleep if I don't.
I sleep with one part of the bed on the wall. I can't sleep in the middle of a room.

And so on...

Sure they are obsessive... but they are simple habbits that are fine to work with and live with really... As mentioned by Domino we all have a bit of OCD in us...

[voh]

Well, heh, I enjoy these topics since they allow me to whine about my OCD.

- I have to double-check whether I locked my door. On multiple occasions I've arrived late for something because half way there I started to wonder if I locked my door. So I biked back and checked them.
- I cannot sleep without music. I need to have music while I sleep, but not music I've not listened to death, since if I don't recognize the song immediately I'll be entirely awake in an instant, wondering what it is.
- When I do anything on my computer which takes a long time, I have to have something else to do or I get annoyed. Most retarded example is when I'm emptying my recycle bin and it takes too long, I'll cancel it, start emptying it again, cancel it again when the bar reaches a certain point, repeat ad nauseum until it's finally empty.
- When I write I have to be sitting on my couch, lights off, candles on, incense and a new (not already opened) pack of smokes. Otherwise I feel uncomfortable and will be unable to write due to it.
- When I wear a sweatband, I only wear one, and it's on my left wrist. I wear a black thick shoelace on the right, never on the left. I tried it once and it felt wrong.

And the list goes on with smaller things, but I don't see my OCD as a problem, I see it as a part of me. I can control it most of the time and most of its manifestations are fairly minor. My friends joke around with it and I'm fine with that, since I've accepted the weirdness that is OCD and just try to not let it get to the point where it starts to adversely affect my life.

I'm very much a habit-forming kind of guy, and I enjoy traditions/habits. I'm not good with change, but I'm working on that. Going on my first solo-vacation in a week's time, and I'm terrified. No red thread, no plans, just going to Paris on my own for 2 weeks and roughing it by myself without someone to fall back onto at all.

*shivers* 

[TerranRich]

Heh, I guess I have mild OCD.

I pick my nose as well. I do it constantly, only if there's something in there. It bothers me. I feel it lodged against the inside of the nose, and it irritates me and I have to pick it out. My wife constantly yells at me to not do it, at least not in front of her.

A very peculiar one: in Photoshop, everytime after I switch back to it, I compulsively press "V" (to select the arrow) just in case I forgot to do so before. I do it way more than I should, and there are times when I try to let it go, but find myself doing it anyway. I can't help myself really.

I can't think of any more at the moment.

[Evil]

The only case of OCD I have, is I obcessively want an OCD.

[Haddas]

Actually Tuomas, I caught you doing it at Visys place. But that's okay, I do it too. Takes a ninja to spot a ninja.

[Raggit]

I do have OCD, and it got to be a bit serious after a while.  Mainly I am concerned about contamination and such.  Like, I don't wash my hands obsessively, but I was on the verge of getting there before I started learning about what OCD is and how to cope.

If any of you have really bad OCD, there's a book called Brain Lock that you oughtta read.  Definately helped me out.

[Hudders]

Has anyone noticed that virtually every girl in the world is terrified of fire.

Like obsessively so.

Some are even convinced that placing something vaguely hot on a wooden surface will instantly make it burst into flames.

[Vince Twelve]

Has anyone noticed that virtually every girl in the world is terrified of fire.

I know, every time I lit one of my girlfriends on fire, they'd get really angry at me.  Girls are so weird.  AMIRIGHT?

[space boy]

No OCD, but a little obsession of mine is to press keys even though I don't have to. For example when I work on a document or picture I constantly press "ctrl + s" even when I made no changes. That's also the first thing I do after opening an existing document. Also when I play FEAR combat(or any other fps) I keep pressing "r"(reload) and "f"(use medikit) even though my clip is full and health is 100%(or I have no medikit). That's kind of like blinking.

EDIT: stupid txt-style spelling check. When I write "r" I mean "r". -_-

[Babar]

I pick my nose! You pick my nose! Everybody picks there nose! Pffft...I don't see anything wrong in the slightest with clearing up the nasal passage! I'm sure it's healthy. If I'm really, really, troubled about it, I head to the bathroom, otherwise I also just sneak and scrape. Or extend the "normal" nose rubbing action surreptitiously to remove boogers.

I have OCD as well, although I'd like to think it's relatively mild. Part of my list of odd things:

I bite my fingernails, or use my teeth to scrape underneath them. Not because of tension or anything, I usually catch myself doing it when I'm bored.

I used to crack my fingers, then moved on to the wrist, now I usually just crack my neck. As far as I know, despite rumours to the negative, it doesn't do any harm. I used to be told off with warnings of future arthiritis.

I have this phlegm clearing sound that I have to do when my throat feels constricted, brought me many disgusted looks. I try doing it in private now. About throat constriction, I absolutely refuse to wear turtlenecks and scarves as well as sweaters.

There is the habit of checking and rechecking, again and again- to see if I locked my door, my alarm is set, my mobile is on silent, etc.

I also randomly spout out long lines of nonsense, thankfully I'm usually alone when this happens. It sort of reminds me of speaking in tongues. Occasionaly, it's something I heard before, that I liked, like "hachebsut" or "phat phat" or "ingenious chimpanzee"

[DoorKnobHandle]

Mike Portnoy has it, makes him work wonders when it comes to music.

[Afflict]

I saw on discovery somewhere along the line that, children that pick their noses built up a stronger immune system.
Getting sick less than other kids... Since the other kids got sick from the nose picking activities Ok just kidding but not kidding about the immune system thing.

[Erenan]

My wife obsessively picks my nose.

[jetxl]

Apearently, picking and eating snot is healthy, or so I read.
It cleans your nose of dirt and what not, and builds up your imune system like mentioned earlier.
It's like cleaning your ears with a quetip.

Isn't OCD more like superstitiuos behavior?

[TerranRich]

No OCD, but a little obsession of mine is to press keys even though I don't have to. For example when I work on a document or picture I constantly press "ctrl + s" even when I made no changes. That's also the first thing I do after opening an existing document. Also when I play FEAR combat(or any other fps) I keep pressing "r"(reload) and "f"(use medikit) even though my clip is full and health is 100%(or I have no medikit). That's kind of like blinking.

EDIT: stupid txt-style spelling check. When I write "r" I mean "r". -_-

That's what I'm talking about with my Photoshop "V" key thing! I have the obsessive need to press the key even though I'm SURE the arrow is already selected! But I need to do so anyway. It's weird, isn't it?

I also realized I press Ctrl-S to save anytime I'm working on a document in Notepad (Metapad) or MS Word or something like it. I developed this obsessive need to save because of many accidents where my computer crashed and I lost everything, so I guess that's not so bad.

[Jon]

When I stroke, or pet my dog or cat; I can't help doing this symetrically so that the fur is perfectly alligned  I also have an obsession with nose-picking and eating almost every meal in a sandwich.

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is signified by anything that you feel a driving, unreasonable compulsion to do, often things as simple as turning a doorknob three times every time you open a door or avoiding cracks on the sidewalk.  In your mind it feels necessary for the world and everything in it to be at ease, and people with OCD who resist their compulsions often feel as though something bad will happen as a result.  That's one of the primary difficulties with treating and overcoming it.  My older brother has been a long time sufferer and, unfortunately, being exposed to someone with OCD for a long term can actually make it manifest in a loved one's daily routine as well.  At it's core, most OCD behavior isn't all that different from a phobia; most people do it because of a fear of what will happen if they don't, just like people with hypochondria (like me) try to avoid situations and people with dangerous illnesses for fear of what will happen.  Both are driven by some underlying fear, which is what distinguishes OCD from common habits.  Make sure you can tell the difference before you slap the OCD label on something you do, because there is a very real difference between the two.

[TheJBurger]

No OCD, but a little obsession of mine is to press keys even though I don't have to. For example when I work on a document or picture I constantly press "ctrl + s" even when I made no changes. That's also the first thing I do after opening an existing document. Also when I play FEAR combat(or any other fps) I keep pressing "r"(reload) and "f"(use medikit) even though my clip is full and health is 100%(or I have no medikit). That's kind of like blinking.

EDIT: stupid txt-style spelling check. When I write "r" I mean "r". -_-

That "ctrl + s" thing... I do that all the time (in MS Word and Photoshop). It must have something to do with the few times I forgot to save my files and then my computer accidently crashed or something, causing me to lose hours of work. Since then, I press "Ctrl + S" constantly, even when I didn't really do anything to the picture.

I also do that reload thing, but I'm not so obsessive about it.