i was reading a story in Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul about a girl that had Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and it reminded me of a LOT of stuff I used to do when i was little, even a couple of things i do now. Like when I was little, if I was laying in bed at night, no matter HOW tired, I would get back up to go brush my teeth if I hadn't already b/c i was afraid God would get mad at me and punish me for it, like something bad would happen. (strong catholic)..anyways..Obviously that wouldn't happen, God could prolly care less! *L* Of course I don't do that anymore...And, I used to ALWAYS have to wash my hands if I thought they were dirty b/c I hate getting sick, ESPECIALLY throwing up!! I would never eat anything that looked the slightest bit rare and for a LOOOONG time I wouldn't eat hamburgers from any resteraunts, hardly even at home b/c of that time at Jack In The Box when a LOT of people got Ecoli from it. I had like a germ phobia for real! I wouldn't eat anything I dropped anywhere's outta my hands or off my plate, if it hit the table or floor I wouldn't pick it up and eat it..I've grown out of all that now, I'm still a LITTLE weery of eating some stuff and dirty stuff, but I'm SOO much better about that! I don't even hardly wash my hands sometimes *LOL* Even though that's not necessarily a good thing. And one more thing, that I still do, I've played softball since I was 5, and if I touch or scratch myself anywhere on my head or neck or somewhere that would REALLY hurt if I got hit there w/a softball, I HAVE to like touch my leg or somewhere's that wouldn't really hurt so bad..Like if I dont' do that, I'm just ASKING to get hit there...I dunno WHAT that's about! *L* It's just become a habit! I guess b/c I'm gotten hurt a lot of times! *LOL* ANyways, if anybody has any ideas about all this, PLEASE lemme know!

[This message was edited by Sherasi on 07-21-02 at 10:51 AM.]

Try to break up your routine and do things just for the sake of being spontaneous (except for crimes, of course!). Find out how much fun it is to try new things.

When we learn the symptoms of a disease, it's natural to wonder 'Do I have that?' Well, we all have strange symptoms from time to time. Lots of disorders have vague symptoms, and lots of 'symptoms' are not associated with a disease. This is true whether it's physical or mental illness. Among older people, I bet 70% think they have Alzheimer's. Every time they forget something, they say, "Oh boy, that's how it starts, you start forgetting little things." It's true forgetting things is a symptom of Alzh. but everyone forgets things every day!
Sometimes I'm obsessive about checking my email, I'll check it every time I pass the computer. Then other days I just check it once in the evening. I'll get obsessive about keeping my finances straight. Then I have a good talk with myself and say, 'What's the hassle? Everything's under control,' and then I relax for a month or so, but I always obsess around tax time. I get obsessive about cat hair sometimes, and want to get ALL OF IT, every hair, cleaned up. Then I relax, and so does the cat. I think I'm pretty normal. I don't think you're obsessive, but Mahal gave you good advice. To answer your question, yes, people can change their outlook and habits, and 'grow out of' some, and consciously train themselves out of others.

At what age are most people diagnosed with OCD? I tend to get obsessive at whatever I do, diet and exercise are my worst, but I also find myself washing the floor 3 times a day, just bored? I also count 1234 over and over again usually while I'm busy with something (the floor or exercising) it can actually drive me nuts.

I have a friend who is OCD, and what she tells me is that you never grow out of it, it can be controlled, and it can change from one compulsion to another. Sort of a progression in life. As a child she was, among other things, a hand washer. Then she lost several jobs because no matter how far down the road she got on her way to work, no matter how many times she left home and came back to check the doors to make sure they were locked, she was never convinced they were locked. Then she would be driving and she was sure she'd hit something or someone, so she'd have to pull over several times to make sure she hadn't. As she conquered each thing, it would be replaced by another. No it is her OC to take care of her dead beat boyfriend. She is also ADHD, which compounds her OCD. She does go to counseling and is getting better, much better. But from my understanding, it doesn't go away,it just changes, and you learn to recognize it and control it.

I think we all do some OC things once in a while. I once drove 16 miles to town and back SEVEN times in one evening trying to find my husband who was out drinking. My mother, when going off on a trip, could never be convinced she hadn't left the oven on. It's a matter of degree. Also, "forgetting things" isn't necessarily a symptom of Alzheimer's. I have read several books by people who had Alz and the consensus seems to be, if you forget where your keys are, don't worry. If you forget where your house is, worry.

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Originally posted by kittypal:
I also count 1234 over and over again usually while I'm busy with something (the floor or exercising) it can actually drive me nuts.

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I count steps-- up and down the stairs (so does my mom), through the parking lot, down mall mezzanines, it is very annoying.