Obsessive compulsive disorder...

Hi
I know that this has been a topic on here already but I was wondering if anyone would mind telling me some of the routines that they get into and the problems that they have. I myself have suffered with this since I was about 12. A lot of it centres around the number 4. I hate it. I can't do anything that involves it. I can't wear 4 items of jewellery, I can wear any other amount. brushing my teeth for example: I can't spit out the toothpaste just 4 times, make up - if I put on foundation then I have to squeeze the bottle 5 times. Cooking - I can't cook for 4 people, I can't use 4 utensils. Basically what I am trying to say is that I have to count everything I do.
My GP thinks I'm crazy and I was just wondering f anyone else has "counting" or "number" issues? I have other OCD issues too like, continually praying or being convinced my actions cause completely unrelated incidents.

Not crazy

Hey there, you are not crazy at all!, what a complete a*#hole he is lol.
I have ocd not in the counting way, but in anything that bothers me, most of this happens in my realtionships. Or if i dont understand somthing first time,i get really anxious and go over and over and over in my head, its so hard to let go somtimes, is really scary, but when i do let go, i tend to think what a waste of time!Or if a boyfriend says somthing i diddnt like ill go over it, i think i am a control freak and somtimes beat myself up for it and it makes me worse, SO DONT DO THAT! Read lots of books, some are so good! one once said-
'it is a thought that sticks with fear too that starts off an obbsession.'

Subtle ocd

I have touches of OCD, but mine is quite subtle I think. I have the traditional type - both sides of my body must be equal. Not all the time, but sometimes, say I brush a material with the fingers on my right hand, I must brush the same material with the same fingers of my left hand in exactly the same place. It can be quite annoying! I also have a weird thing that I picked up from my dad - sometimes, if I'm sitting at a desk of something, I rearrange all the objects so they are perfectly alligned and neat-looking. It's very strange!
Your insecurity with the number 4 sounds quite common. I've known people with strange number obsessions as well. I've never fallen into it, but I think it a bit strange that your GP thinks you're crazy. It sounds typically OCD-ish to me!

I count too - and am sane - i think

Yep same, i count, or look for patterns , my mum does and so does my daughter....we found this out at Christmas...we just laughed at how similar we are.We have never been diagnosed with OCD, its a sign of a smart intellegent woman who might be a bit of a control freak but thats better than living life like a daddylonglegs! I have wierd litle 'luck' things to do when walking over tripple manhole covers, but I am happy and feel lucky so stuffem , makes life interesting.You seem to have an issue with the number 4...so what... my colleague hates 7..and he's ok. We all have our things...its a comfort blanket thing. True you can let it take over, so as you are aware of it..thats half the battle.oh and i think I'm in something like the truman show (being watched) and that people can hear my thoughts (I'm able to make people turn to look at me just by thinking at them) scary but true..I have made my friends scream with laughter - its my party trick.And ..(jeesh you have started me off now)I have proved in front of my friends that wheneve someone is playing with a football, if I wait a few minutes , it will roll towards me - burn the witch!!
Anyway I see this as a gift, and I am very accurate when I feel someone is lying to me...v useful in my job(ful time , high paid legal-ish). I recommend you channel your feeings into something like spiritualism...oh god another wierd thing, but I love to hear how they justify people with special gifts...and I think you may have a talent waiting to get out. Most cities have a christian spiritualist church and FREE evenings for readings and healing...nothing to loose have you?They are v friendly & welcoming.yep I pray...never did anyone any harm.
good luck...oops there i go again !)
H

Wait theres more!!!

goodness there must be mobs of us!!! i can do the make people turn around thing too-ive done it all my life...must try the football...can do it with smoke from a campfire and numbers-well it shocks me to think there are people who can use the first 2 slices of bread...the loaf only starts at slice number 3!!! i can find lost things for people-got a text recently from a young friend-need you to do your spooky thing-lost mp3!!! we got it 1st time...my daughter and my mum are the same...my daughter and i both work in mental health -we meet many people with "diff-abilities" as opposed to"dis-abilities-so celebrate "different abilities" its all good!!!

Hair cutting

hi, this is my first time on anything like this, but my problem involves obsessive hair cutting. this is something i have done for years but thankfully it comes and goes.at its worse it is extremely time consuming and stressful, my GP said it was a stress related problem and not a OCD. however, after reading other forums i am convinced it must be a OCD.
since it appears a while since you were last on, i will continue this conversation if you happen to pick this up!!! kate

Counting!!!

ok while we are talking about counting....have you seen the australian movie "the castle"?? probably have to be australian to get the humour...but the point is i live near the movie set and no matter how many times i drive over the bonnie doon bridge...i have to count the bumps!!! im here to tell you there are 22 bumps on the bonnie doon bridge...an a surprising number of people could tell you this!!! we are not crazy ok??? xxx

Attempting to answer

Hi my name is miles (male 34 years old), I am somewhat cotroversial and believe that everyone can be so too. I spend alot of time studying human behaviour in my own way but certainly heavily inspired by other peoples work too. The thing about doing things compulsivly is that they happen to live their own life, these habbits I mean or rituals if you want. In a sence you are intelligent and your problem is not intellectual. Someone said "its normal to count things" I say "YES", but what we or you are dealing with is not wether you dislike the number 4 or not, you are dealing with the fact that something you feel the need to do is actually interrupting the process of you being content happy and or socially functioning.

The way our mind works is simply amazing, and this is good news. I have no doubt whatsoever that I can help anyone with "OCD" to overcome given the fact that you will work with me. Im not licenced anything so I can not legally charge anyone for anything of this nature, but I have in reality been able to talk people into better ways of living and changing their overall feelings and habbits, you may call it what you will.

If you dont wish to contact me, then just hear this, there is nothing wrong with you, you just need the key, and there is never A key for all ocd'ers, everyone has their own solution to their own problem and I wish you find it, I just happen to be talented at this kind of thing, forget freud and chat me up if you want.

osrock29@hotmail.com

All the best
Miles Herman