OCD
Obsessive-Compulsive and Ritualistic Behaviors are when the person feels that something must be done over and over and/or in a certain way.
Obsessions consist of repetitive unwanted or bothersome thoughts.
Obsessions
Being concerned with symmetry, exactness, cleanliness, order
Needing to know or remember things
Overfocusing on minute details
Having to have "JUST RIGHT" feeling
Overfocusing on one idea or action
Overfocusing on moral issues (right/wrong, fairness)
Focusing on specific numbers
Being concerned with colors of special significance
Needing to experience sensations (skin cut or burned)
Having a preoccupation with knives, scissors, blood
Worrying about harming self or others
Worrying that something terrible might happen (fire, death)
Being concerned about dirt or germs
Thinking about hoarding or collecting
Thinking about food and eating
Thinking about forbidden behaviors
Engaging in mental coprolalia (sexual thoughts, images, impulses)
Having aggressive thoughts, images, impulses
Compulsions
Adjusting/readjusting clothes to feel just right (socks, sleeves)
Evening things up (touching with one hand then the other)
Overfocusing on one idea or action
Counting or grouping objects
Counting objects over and over again
Excessively ordering and arranging objects
Touching objects an exact number of times
Constantly fiddling with objects or clothes
Checking and rechecking (doors, locks, windows)
Repeating actions (in/out door, up/down from chair)
Needing to say or do what told not to say or do
Needing to finish verbalizations if interrupted
Needing to start over if interrupted
Repeatedly asking the same question
Having to respond to verbalization even when unnecessary
Persevering on a task
Not being able to change to a new task or activity
Echopraxia (repeating the actions of others)
Copropraxia (making obscene gestures)
Repeating sounds, words, numbers, music to oneself
Playing computer video games over and over in mind
Pallilalia (repeating aloud own words)
Echolalia (repeating others' words)
Coprolalia (uttering obscene words)
Touching objects, others, self, wounds
Sexually touching self
Sexually touching others (breasts, buttocks, genitals)
Picking skin/sores
Cutting or burning skin
Sucking thumb
Cracking knuckles
Vomiting
Sniffing or smelling hands or objects
Licking or biting others
Excessive handwashing, bathing, cleaning
Erasing repeatedly
Writing and rewriting until paper looks perfect
Stealing
Biting nails
It isn't a matter that we all do many of these things...it's a matter of to what extend these thing effect the daily lives of the sufferer.
I posted this b/c most people don't know of all the possible compulsions there could be....
Obsessive compulsive disorder is an Anxiety Disorder characterized by complaints of persistent or repetitive thoughts (obsessions) or behaviors (compulsions). The person feels compelled to continue despite an awareness that the thoughts or behaviors may be excessive or inappropriate, and feels distress if they stop them. (This is in contrast to "addictive" behaviors which produce pleasure or gratification.)
Diagnostic criteria for 300.3 Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
(cautionary statement)
A. Either obsessions or compulsions:
Obsessions as defined by (1), (2), (3), and (4):
(1) recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses, or images that are experienced, at some time during the disturbance, as intrusive and inappropriate and that cause marked anxiety or distress
(2) the thoughts, impulses, or images are not simply excessive worries about real-life problems
(3) the person attempts to ignore or suppress such thoughts, impulses, or images, or to neutralize them with some other thought or action
(4) the person recognizes that the obsessional thoughts, impulses, or images are a product of his or her own mind (not imposed from without as in thought insertion)
Compulsions as defined by (1) and (2):
(1) repetitive behaviors (e.g., hand washing, ordering, checking) or mental acts (e.g., praying, counting, repeating words silently) that the person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession, or according to rules that must be applied rigidly
(2) the behaviors or mental acts are aimed at preventing or reducing distress or preventing some dreaded event or situation; however, these behaviors or mental acts either are not connected in a realistic way with what they are designed to neutralize or prevent or are clearly excessive
B. At some point during the course of the disorder, the person has recognized that the obsessions or compulsions are excessive or unreasonable. Note: This does not apply to children.
C. The obsessions or compulsions cause marked distress, are time consuming (take more than 1 hour a day), or significantly interfere with the person's normal routine, occupational (or academic) functioning, or usual social activities or relationships.
Diagnostic criteria for 300.3 Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
(cautionary statement)
A. Either obsessions or compulsions:
Obsessions as defined by (1), (2), (3), and (4):
(1) recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses, or images that are experienced, at some time during the disturbance, as intrusive and inappropriate and that cause marked anxiety or distress
(2) the thoughts, impulses, or images are not simply excessive worries about real-life problems
(3) the person attempts to ignore or suppress such thoughts, impulses, or images, or to neutralize them with some other thought or action
(4) the person recognizes that the obsessional thoughts, impulses, or images are a product of his or her own mind (not imposed from without as in thought insertion)
Compulsions as defined by (1) and (2):
(1) repetitive behaviors (e.g., hand washing, ordering, checking) or mental acts (e.g., praying, counting, repeating words silently) that the person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession, or according to rules that must be applied rigidly
(2) the behaviors or mental acts are aimed at preventing or reducing distress or preventing some dreaded event or situation; however, these behaviors or mental acts either are not connected in a realistic way with what they are designed to neutralize or prevent or are clearly excessive
B. At some point during the course of the disorder, the person has recognized that the obsessions or compulsions are excessive or unreasonable. Note: This does not apply to children.
C. The obsessions or compulsions cause marked distress, are time consuming (take more than 1 hour a day), or significantly interfere with the person's normal routine, occupational (or academic) functioning, or usual social activities or relationships.
I did so much of that stuff growing up it's scary! Some of it into adulthood. I used to tell people, though, that I was a self-diagnosed obsessive/compulsive. LOL!
Tater, as usual, you passed on some very interesting info. You should start your own website.
I think my husband would agree, by the way, that my obsessive/compulsiveness with this website for the last few days gives reason for concern. LOL! I'm sitting on the sofa next to him with this laptop while he's watching the news. I've been going to various websites for info on the whole neurotransmitters topic we've been discussing, but I keep checking back in here. Okay. I'm signing off for good now. Thanks again for the info Tater. Night!
Make sure you share what you find out about those pesky neurotransmitters! 
Because most people don't have just one diagnosis (naw, that would be WAY too easy, right?) my diagnosis list is bipolar II, GAD,panic disorder and OCD, but NOT the type where you do rituals. OCD is a very uncomfortable feeling. You can't get a thought out of your head or be distracted from it. With me, the worst of it was I'd think I had a disease, like, say, cancer and no doctor could make that fear go away and I'd obsess about it to the exclusion of all else and make myself literally sick. I hated it. The doctors hated ME. THe paramedics knew me..lol..we exchanged pleasantries when they came to the house. "How are the kids?" etc. Everyone has some things they worry about. OCD is way over-the-top and dominates your life completely. If you think you have it, the SSRI antidepressants are GREAT for OCD for lots of people, however, some that also have bipolar can't take SSRI's. What a merry ride....lol. I was lucky that Paxil both helps me and doesn't make me manic. Don't worry about OCD unless you or your chld is really stuck on something and can't forget about it. Autistic kids are VERY OCD. They may stack cars for hours or never be able to pass a lightswitch without turning it on or off or have a total obsorbtion with one interest, like dinosaurs, however I don't believe they feel the anxiety discomfort that we, without autism, feel with the rituals. In fact, I was told obesessions are part of autism. OCD without autuism, which is all I know first hand, absolutely dominates your life and must be treated for any piece of mind. If you can go on with your life, but have a few quirks, I really wouldn't worry about it. Well, knowing me I'd worry anyways...lol...but you shouldn't :)
[QUOTE=psm0904] OCD without autuism, which is all I know first hand, absolutely dominates your life and must be treated for any piece of mind. If you can go on with your life, but have a few quirks, I really wouldn't worry about it. Well, knowing me I'd worry anyways...lol...but you shouldn't :)[/QUOTE]
Thank you for your input on this topic. And thank you for discussing it outside the realm of autism.
My son has always had to have noise in his life...either the TV or a radio has to always be on. He says that he hates silence. I believe these are a distraction for him...to help stop the constant thinking.
Back from taking the kids out. Sheri, that's so cool you got that far in gymnastics. An unbelievable fear of the uneven parallel bars kept me from going that far. Oddly enough, I did quiet well with the balance beam. Looking back, THAT'S way scarier now. LOL! I know a little about eating disorders. I can remember the start of it, too. GYMNASTICS and BALLET! I remember my gymnastics coach telling my group that if we wanted to be pros we needed to look like one of our teammates. She was EMACIATED!!!! I struggled throughout my teens with eating. And let me just say, I was very small anyway. I've never been overweight. When I was an adult (early twenties), I went through some depression. I had a horrible, horrible job in advertising sales that I hated. I felt like I had let go of all my hopes and dreams from years gone by, so I became so frighteningly obsessed with my weight and exercise that I began running and treadmilling at least two hours a day. I would count how many minutes I had worked out, write it down and figure out how many more I had to go (if I needed to continue later). I counted every calorie and became obsessed with eliminating fat from my diet. I ate, though! And I never threw up (that's a phobia of mine...LOL!). Anyway, after a while I was down to like 92 pounds (I'm 5'4"). I wore a size 0 and could easily wear kids clothes. I thought I looked great. CRAZY!!!! I figured, at the time, if I was eating three meals a day, I didn't have a problem. I saw myself as a "health nut." Talk therapy helped a little, but things didn't change for the better until I got a job I loved. I'm not 92 pounds anymore. I'm around 115, and I look back at photos of myself during that horrible time and wonder how I didn't pass out daily from weakness. Gosh. Thanks to this site (and all the talk of our pasts), I'm beginning to think it's a miracle I turned out half normal.
I have always suspected that I am borderline OCD. Time used to be a MAJOR issue for me. I would constantly check my watch, and I would have panic attacks if I was running even a minute late. I had to stop wearing a watch completely ten years ago to avoid this. My husband bought me a watch one year. He thought I didn't wear one because I didn't own a nice one. He quickly returned when I explained why.
I'm a bit OCD over numbers, especially the numbers 3, 6, and 9 or multiples of. I would have to chew my food a specific number of times, or count to these numbers as a gymnast before I could preform a skill or routine.
I think as I have gotten older and become more in control of my life, it is easier to control these feelings. My adolescence was a horribly stressful time for me. I hardly do any of this anymore. I am mildly concerned for neatness and symmetry. Times of stress are when it comes out, so I have learned to decompress as a coping mechanism.
I so understand you on the number and symmetry things, Sheri. As a kid, if someone touched one side of me (say on the left arm near the shoulder, for example), I'd have to touch the exact same place on the other side to make it even. That kind of thing went on throughout my whole childhood. I would also obsessively erase letters on my homework that didn't look perfect and often had to start over from the start, tearing up the page I was on, to make it look right. Most of my life, I have had a thing against odd numbers. This should make going from age 39 to 40 (next year) a cinch! LOL!!!!!LOL! I think you are one of the only ones excited to turn 40!
Yeah.....see? Some OCD symptoms can work FOR you!
LOL!!! Gymnastics and OCD...I think it is a sport that either breeds OCD or attracts people with it. I watch those kids and think, how can they do the same thing over and over? It's kind of like eating disorders and ballet or ODD and boxing. OMG! And I was a competative gymnast, too! I'm so seeing a major pattern now (thanks for pointing that one out, Lillian). I have to sign off. My kids are begging me to take them somewhere. I have to be out of the house before the 1:00 hour (that's an odd number, you know) LOL!Lillian---I have PTSD also, and I think I've had panic attacks from it. I used to always clean like mad too!!!!!! Now you guys got me thinking!!!!!!!!!!!
BUMP for JOEMOM
My son is dx'd as GAD(general anxiety disorder) w/ OCD tendencies and tics....and ADHD of course!
I know it's been said many a time before...... Cool, Tater!
You commented once on ocd, as it might pertain to my dd. She HAS to finish/restart a verbalization if interupted. I said it was a little scary. Well, reading this list....lol! I still love my dd.
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