I hate people who claim to have OCD

[Tyguy]

I have been dealing with OCD for 12 years now and I have gone through quite a lot of anxiety and discomfort. It's created many problems in my life and has completely changed my personality. That being said, I find it extremely aggravating when I hear people say things like "OMG, I totally have OCD...I just washed my hands TWICE IN A ROW!!!"

**** you, twat. Although I don't experience OCD in that fashion, I am appalled at the amount of ignorance surrounding this disease. Let me just clarify...if you sometimes avoid stepping on a crack in fear of breaking your mothers back, you don't have OCD...or rather, you don't have it to the extent that would warrant a label upon yourself. It's not cool to have OCD, just like it isn't cool to have ADD, which also seems like a popular declaration amongst people who have no idea what they are talking about.

I was academically severed from school at one point because of my OCD. I even spent the better part of two weeks in the hospital for this reason. It might seem stupid to the average person. Even I think it's stupid but that does not change the fact that it still affects my day to day life.

Anyone else dealing with this shit too?

 

[AKIRA]

what is your ocd

 

[CptStern]

I wonder if retards say the same thing when normal people call each other "retarded" ...except it sounds like this

"AAARGAHHHHAKKGHHHH"<shitspants>

 

[Tyguy]

I wonder if retards say the same thing when normal people call each other "retarded" ...except it sounds like this

"AAARGAHHHHAKKGHHHHdrool"

This is no joke, in high school one of the special needs kids (downs) said "I'm retarded" when she was having trouble with some homework or something. I couldn't help but laugh even if it's evil and hypocritical.

what is your ocd

My OCD is more of a "if you do this than this will happen" type of thing. Currently my compulsions are minimal but the obsessions are constant and often times debilitating. I find it very hard to concentrate during these times. It's one of the main reasons I started smoking pot, it helped.

 

[Raziaar]

I hate my OCD man. I don't have any of that washing hands shit.

I have other things. Continually popping my fingers(though it's not popping in the conventional sense, it's a problem with my knuckles where there is some rubbing going on. The reason I know it's not conventional popping is that I can do what I do once per second. It just does it almost every time I move my fingers.)

And as a result of that, I have HORRIBLE grip strength in my right hand. Far weaker than my left hand. And I get nerve pain that shoots up and down my forearm sometimes.

I've tried so much to stop it. The OCD often trumps the willpower that I try to bring to the table. Anybody who hasn't experienced the overwhelming urge of OCD cannot understand why it is so difficult to just avoid doing it.

I also have OCD that manifests itself in obsessive compulsive overeating.

And many other things.



I'll give an example of a weird type of OCD problem I have. Say I'm watching a recorded TV show. Or a movie or something on my computer. If I don't hear something correctly, and I make the mistake of wondering what they said. I will not be able to ignore it. I *HAVE* to go back and rewind it. Even if it's 5 minutes later... I will go back and rewind it. The urge is overwhelming. If I'm sitting at my glass... and the random thought of, "I will not touch this <whatever> on my desk." comes up... I have to fight the urge from then on out to not touch the object. And I usually lose.

This is why sometimes I'm afraid of doing things that could put my life in danger. Such as being near the edge of a cliff at the grand canyon or something and the thought comes in my mind to "Jump". I'm worried I won't be able to control it. I have controlled things like that in the past... but the fear is still there.

 

[Sledgehammer]

I have mild dyssocial tendencies (the new, proper name for psychopathy), and it annoys me when people call each other psychopaths as an insult.

 

[CptStern]

it should be used as a compliment


oh that jeffery dahmer, he's such a nice psychopath"

 

[Tyguy]

I'll give an example of a weird type of OCD problem I have. Say I'm watching a recorded TV show. Or a movie or something on my computer. If I don't hear something correctly, and I make the mistake of wondering what they said. I will not be able to ignore it. I *HAVE* to go back and rewind it. Even if it's 5 minutes later... I will go back and rewind it. The urge is overwhelming. If I'm sitting at my glass... and the random thought of, "I will not touch this <whatever> on my desk." comes up... I have to fight the urge from then on out to not touch the object. And I usually lose.

I do the same thing. I have this need to know everything that is going on so I will often find myself rewinding movies just to hear a single word that has no major bearing on the plot. The tough part about my particualr OCD is that it isn't a single problem like handwashing. It can be anything that my mind can come up with. For instance, I always reset my alarm clock twice at night...If I don't, the anxiety hits and I obsess about being late for work in the morning. This isn't particularly troubling, especially compared to my earlier compulsions.

It's quite easy for an outsider to say "well, just don't listen to yourself" but what they do not understand is it's not that simple. Anxiety is brutal in terms of OCD and it's the main culprit behind the disease. Not only that, it's a physical problem just as much as it is a mental problem.

 

[Sulkdodds]

Raziaar, no offence, but has a doctor or psychologist or other medical professional actually diagnosed you with OCD because otherwise I think you might be falling into the category of people which the OP hates

 

[VirusType2]

I think I'm neurotic.

..anxiety, sadness or depression, anger, irritability, mental confusion, low sense of self-worth, etc., behavioral symptoms such as phobic avoidance, vigilance, impulsive and compulsive acts, lethargy, etc., cognitive problems such as unpleasant or disturbing thoughts, repetition of thoughts and obsession, habitual fantasizing, negativity and cynicism, etc.

Interpersonally, neurosis involves dependency, aggressiveness, perfectionism, schizoid isolation, socio-culturally inappropriate behaviors, etc.[4]


I have all of those problems rather severely.

On topic, I agree with you, and felt the same frustration before.

 

[Vegeta897]

Raziaar, no offence, but has a doctor or psychologist or other medical professional actually diagnosed you with OCD because otherwise I think you might be falling into the category of people which the OP hates

I was thinking this before I even entered the thread because I knew Raz would be posting about his rather minor OCD affliction (compared to the OP)

 

[Krynn72]

Thread made me lol.


Thread title: "I hate people who claim to have OCD"
First sentence: "I have OCD"

 

[Raziaar]

Raziaar, no offence, but has a doctor or psychologist or other medical professional actually diagnosed you with OCD because otherwise I think you might be falling into the category of people which the OP hates

Do I have to go out and pay money to get ****ing diagnosed with it in order for you to believe I do have it? I haven't even begun to describe the shit I do man.

I don't know why vegeta is talking. He knows some of my pointless OCD habits... like my ctrl-g one.(which is admittedly incredibly minor compared to some of my others)

If I didn't do things that make me, and my family believe I have OCD, I wouldn't ****ing say I have OCD.

Do you think I pop my fingers the way I do to the point that my hand feels crippled for the rest of the day, resulting frequently in weeks of aggrivatingly painful nerve pain that shoots up and down my arm seem like something I would just ****ing do for fun? Or simply to claim I have OCD?

You give me the money to go to a psychologist or doctor and I will guaran****ingtee you they will diagnose me with obsessive compulsive disorder, among a few other obsessive compulsive habits, such as my OCOE.

 

[xcellerate]

yea it's the same way with ADD also. My cousin gets so pissed off about people who claim to have ADD, then she goes off about how she has ADD and nobody understands it. Yea, I know that some people really do have real cases of these disorders, but like 5%-10% of people actually have it, while 80% of people you ask will claim to have ADD.

Slightly off topic but it reminded me of this quote from a sudoku article:

People like to believe that they're undiscovered super-geniuses because they can outwit the back page of a daily newspaper, which is why Sudoku are carefully crafted to:

a) Look smarty-pants because they have numbers in them.

b) Actually be about as difficult as writing down your credit card number.

They enable thousands of mobile office chair-weights to go about their day with the smug secret knowledge that they're actually pretty damn smart.

 

[Warped]

a friend of mine said he had it because he'd buy a console or PC and like 2-3 weeks later he'd go back to the store and trade it in. he said he could never make up his mind on things and was never satisfied. i think he was lying because he made stupid choices

 

[Farrowlesparrow]

Golly, you sure told us.

 

[kazsymonds]

I hate people that say this too.

I once watched my neighbour check her car was locked over 30 times returning to her car 5 or 6 times. If it wasn't for her husband she'd still be there now...

 

[Sulkdodds]

Do I have to go out and pay money to get ****ing diagnosed with it in order for you to believe I do have it? I haven't even begun to describe the shit I do man.

I don't know why vegeta is talking. He knows some of my pointless OCD habits... like my ctrl-g one.

If I didn't do things that make me, and my family believe I have OCD, I wouldn't ****ing say I have OCD.

Look, I'm not saying you can't possibly have a problem and if you're showing very obvious symptoms then I'm sure something's up. But half the internet claims it has some disorder or other, and public education about mental health is minimal, so I tend to be skeptical of such claims unless the person making them has had a serious enough problem that they have gone and got it checked out. I have just about the most minor disability I can think of but it's diagnosed by an accredited professional, procured and recognised by my university. That recognition means I can have it taken into consideration when necessary. If not for that I simply wouldn't venture to claim I had it.

Of course, that's all assuming a framework where people can go "oh I have a problem, I shall see the doctor about it". I guess I forgot you live in a country where the medical infrastructure is ****ed all to hell and basic services practically unavailable to large numbers of people.

 

[alpha incipiens]

I do not have OCD, but I hate people who freak out and tell me I do when I ask them not to touch my stuff (usually art supplies). I do not have a medical condition just because I don't want you rubbing your grimy fingers all over the bristles on my $40 yarka squirrel mop brush thank you sir

 

[Raziaar]

Look, I'm not saying you can't possibly have a problem and if you're showing very obvious symptoms then sure, something may be up. But half the internet claims it has some disorder or other, and public education about mental health is minimal, so I tend to be skeptical of such claims unless the person making them has been serious enough about their problem to have gone and got it checked out. I have just about the most minor disability I can think of but it's diagnosed by an accredited professional, procured and recognised by my university. That recognition means I can have it taken into consideration when necessary. If not for that I simply wouldn't venture to claim I had it.

Then again, I guess I forgot you live in a country where the medical infrastructure is ****ed all to hell and basic services practically unavailable to large numbers of people.

The fact of me not going to get myself officially diagnosed has nothing to do with me not feeling it's severe enough for me to get it officially classified. I don't do it, and haven't done it, for a plethora of reasons.

First of all, what is it going to accomplish? I can get medical papers saying I have it. Big whoop, what's that going to accomplish? I can receive medical treatment for that. What does that ****ing matter if I won't be able to afford it?

There's also the issues of my severe difficulty in operating functionally in the outside world. If I have difficulty going to the store and being around people, or any other place in the public, why am I going to spend the time being in a cramped doctors office with people up in my personal space which I have severe problems with?

I have other medical problems that we have not been to the doctors to fix. It hasn't exactly been a tactic of my family throughout my life to go to the hospital or the dentist or any other medical care practitioners to get things diagnosed.

I haven't been to the dentist once in my entire life. I can guarantee you I have cavities. But would you not believe me unless I did go to the dentist?

I mean, there's the whole other issue of my mother suffering from severe bipolar disorder. And me suffering throughout my life with varying levels of depression, usually severe. But I have no reason for others to believe I actually suffer from chemical imbalance of depression because I haven't been to some ****ing expensive doctor to diagnose it? That's total bullshit.

 

[Farrowlesparrow]

Mental illness isn't quite as clear cut as tooth decay.
However, I think we're missing the serious issue here. Squirrels are dying in the name of art. How many more must be killed before we realise what is going on?

 

[Tyguy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBkveiaKfBk

^Great example of what goes on a lot of the time, Except for me, I associate something bad with the compulsion and the anxiety increases if I don't give in.

I used to rip out pages from my notebooks after or during class to satisfy some obsession...pages full of notes gone for no reason but to feel less anxious.

 

[Raziaar]

Mental illness isn't quite as clear cut as tooth decay.
However, I think we're missing the serious issue here. Squirrels are dying in the name of art. How many more must be killed before we realise what is going on?

Yes, I know it's not as clear cut. But unless somebody has observed me throughout my life and seen me during all my times of incredible depression, and seen that it's clearly not just a case of cabin fever, can see that I have some sort of problem.

 

[alpha incipiens]

Mental illness isn't quite as clear cut as tooth decay.
However, I think we're missing the serious issue here. Squirrels are dying in the name of art. How many more must be killed before we realise what is going on?

I like to use their blood as paint too

 

[Unfocused]

I used to have OCD (or perhaps something resembling it, in fear of the OP yelling at me) somewhere around junior high. Avoiding stepping on cracks, or certain patterns on the floor, stepping in and out of my room x number of times (usually 4, 7 or 8 IIRC), touching stuff in a certain way and then touching them again because I let go of them in the "wrong" way etc. Of course something bad would happen if I didn't perform these rituals. It was annoying and so liberating when I finally let go of these irrational thoughts.

I still rarely do some stuff that someone could say are OCD-induced, but that would probably be the wrong sense the OP is talking about. Like when I'm sitting in front of my PC, I'll sometimes take my hand of the mouse and stretch my wrist even if there's no discomfort in it. Or I'll double check if a light switch is completely switched to an off position, cause I don't want something to burn - the light flickers if the switch is halfway between on and off, but you can't really accidentally leave it in this position.

 

[kazsymonds]

The fact of me not going to get myself officially diagnosed has nothing to do with me not feeling it's severe enough for me to get it officially classified. I don't do it, and haven't done it, for a plethora of reasons.

First of all, what is it going to accomplish? I can get medical papers saying I have it. Big whoop, what's that going to accomplish? I can receive medical treatment for that. What does that ****ing matter if I won't be able to afford it?

There's also the issues of my severe difficulty in operating functionally in the outside world. If I have difficulty going to the store and being around people, or any other place in the public, why am I going to spend the time being in a cramped doctors office with people up in my personal space which I have severe problems with?

I have other medical problems that we have not been to the doctors to fix. It hasn't exactly been a tactic of my family throughout my life to go to the hospital or the dentist or any other medical care practitioners to get things diagnosed.

I haven't been to the dentist once in my entire life. I can guarantee you I have cavities. But would you not believe me unless I did go to the dentist?

I mean, there's the whole other issue of my mother suffering from severe bipolar disorder. And me suffering throughout my life with varying levels of depression, usually severe. But I have no reason for others to believe I actually suffer from chemical imbalance of depression because I haven't been to some ****ing expensive doctor to diagnose it? That's total bullshit.

You do post like a retard admittedly...

 

[CptStern]

heh I find it funny that you're trying to PROVE you have a mental illness...you're like HL2.net's Corporal Klinger

 

[Raziaar]

You do post like a retard admittedly...

Oh **** off.

heh I find it funny that you're trying to PROVE you have a mental illness...you're like HL2.net's Corporal Klinger

Well, because it's like saying that the problems I have with my OCD don't exist. That I'm somehow just making shit up or I somehow just have some other problem and I think I have OCD.

My problems are very real. And they're very much the definition of OCD.

 

[Sulkdodds]

But I have no reason for others to believe I actually suffer from chemical imbalance of depression because I haven't been to some ****ing expensive doctor to diagnose it? That's total bullshit.

Well, I guess so. Read my post again - I admitted I was (fallaciously) assuming that you could, as in the UK, be diagnosed for free (or anyway for tax). Were you in education there might also be some kind of grant available as with the DSA.

I don't doubt, if what you say is true, that you have a problem. Again, don't take it personally. I just don't trust people's own assessments of their mental landscapes. I don't trust my own assessment of my mental landscape. When it comes to brains people seem so quick to say "goddamnit, I know my own mind!" Really? Few people know their own lungs, their own hearts, their own cancer tumours. Why should I believe they can effectively examine their own tools for examination?

 

[alpha incipiens]

I used to have OCD (or perhaps something resembling it, in fear of the OP yelling at me) somewhere around junior high. Avoiding stepping on cracks, or certain patterns on the floor, stepping in and out of my room x number of times (usually 4, 7 or 8 IIRC), touching stuff in a certain way and then touching them again because I let go of them in the "wrong" way etc. It was annoying and so liberating when I finally let go of these irrational thoughts.

I did all of these as a child. I don't know if they are OCD-related or not, since I've stopped those habits as well. I'm probably pulling this out of my ass and I really cannot be bothered to go find a link, but as I recall OCD has been thought to be caused by damage in the brain linked to the strep virus (or **** maybe that was just heart disease or maybe both, that strep virus is a jerk), so I'm kind of hesitant to say that you can just stop having OCD.

 

[jimbo118]

I used to think my mom had this coz she hated any time I changed anything in the house, if I was cleaning up/using the oven/using the dish-washer/washing machine/dryer etc she'd be hovering around near me saying 'wat r u doing?' in a kind of irritated tone. Then I just remembered she's a woman.

 

[Asknoone]

Well, as it happens, I do, and I take medication for it – which is to say I was diagnosed with it by a specialist. But it’s not obsessive physical routines, rather obsessional ruminations, and they're quite annoying.

 

[Farrowlesparrow]

Everyone knows that if you step on a crack, you'll be knifed in the back. Stand on a line and you'll be thrown through time. Although I recall that rhyme continued with something kissing about an old lady. This was probably to compensate for the fact that being thrown through time would invariably be a fantastic experience.

 

[The Monkey]

I must check that the door is locked at least 10 times before going to bed. I know with 100% certainly that the door is locked, but I still feel an urge to check. Don't know if that qualifies as OCD, though.

Earlier I also had a thing where I had to check the contents of my pockets in a regular order combined with a system of blinking, although that urge has disappeared almost completely during the last year or so.

You do post like a retard admittedly...

Who the fuck are you?

 

[AJ Rimmer]

I hate this too. On a forum I used to frequent there would often arise a thread about OCD every year or so (usually brought on by a documentary on TV) and everyone would start talking about their "compulsions", like stepping on cracks or checking the door is locked a number of times. Usually accompanied by a comment like "My friends think it's a bit weird, but it doesn't really bother me." Well guess what, if it doesn't bother you- IT'S NOT OCD!

My sister has OCD, the wash your hands type (and scrub the house clean, wash your clothes, make your kids shower immediately after school etc). She used to have incredibly bad skin rashes, she spends about as much money on washing liquid as I do on food and her water use is through the effin' roof. She can't let anyone into her house without having to clean the whole place afterwards, apart from her kids and a few other people (not me, my brother or our parents however. We're 'dirty'). She got help about ten years ago, she used to be a lot worse, but cognitive behavioural therapy really helped, and medication.

So I join the OP in his rage.

 

[Minister]

I'm just anally retentive. I like order. Colour coding, even numbers, straight lines, symmetry and so on and so forth.

For example, in my house we have mugs that are in pairs, so when they're in the cupboard the pairs should be next to each other. Common sense if you ask me.

 

[Sheepo]

I hate people.

 

[Deleted member 56031]

Well, as it happens, I do, and I take medication for it – which is to say I was diagnosed with it by a specialist. But it’s not obsessive physical routines, rather obsessional ruminations, and they're quite annoying.

Exactly the same for me although I don't need medication and I also do ALOT of mental checklisting. I've had it since I was young and I want to smack people when they say they have it cos they checked their front door was locked twice or something stupid like that :flame:

 

[Dekstar]

Well, as it happens, I do, and I take medication for it – which is to say I was diagnosed with it by a specialist. But it’s not obsessive physical routines, rather obsessional ruminations, and they're quite annoying.

Stop taking it out on us!

And I'd just like to take the rest of this post to say I'm relatively well adjusted. No mental disorders or physical disorders, but I still agree with Tyguy's rage that people saying "Oh I have OCD" at the most minor of things is ridiculous. Also, Monk is awesome.

 

[Tyguy]

One of the major obsessions I endure is constantly adding up numbers that I see. It's mental gymnastics and it's tiring. The only good that has come out of it is now I can see a group of numbers and have the sum almost instantly...

Then there's the "what if I can't stop thinking about something" or I'll pronounce dash marks in my head when reading. I also tend to count syllables in random sentences so reading a book can be quite hard. This isn't just a few times a day either. If the OCD is particularly bad one day I'm lucky if I can even make it out of the apartment.