Can loss/waste aversion be an OCD subtype?

[deValentin]

I’m wondering why loss/waste aversion is not classified as an OCD subtype. Let me give you some examples. If I misplace an object, I feel compelled to spend a disproportionate amount of time, given its economical or sentimental value, trying to relocate it. Actually, I can’t rest until I find it, at the expense of more valuable tasks or activities. I don’t feel “complete” otherwise. I feel like the shepherd in the gospel story who left his flock of 99 sheep at the mercy of their environment in order to find one lost sheep, not knowing whether his search would be successful, how long he would spend searching, or in what state he would find the other ones upon his return. Likewise in regard to waste. If I make a cake, I’m compelled to scrape every bit of dough off the bowl. If I drop a piece of fruit on the floor, I can’t bear to throw it in the garbage. If a fruit starts to spoil, I feel I have no choice but to carve out what’s blemished and eat the rest.

I decided to apply Response Prevention principles to those compulsions, that is, to set a specific amount of time (proportionate to the item value) for the search for a lost replaceable item, not to fret if some bits of dough are left in the bowl, and to throw away a fruit if the spoiled part contaminated somewhat the taste of the whole fruit. It works, but it’s not easy and I have relapses. I experience the same feelings of incompleteness as in other types of recognized OCD subtypes, like when things are not symmetric or in perfect order. Can anyone relate?

[SLEAO127]

Wow. I absolutely can relate to this, and I've never talked about it!

If I accidentally break something, or if anyone breaks something in my home, I feel profound anxiety over the loss similar to the "incomplete" feeling you described. I think about it constantly and often save broken items until someone convinces me to discard them (or does so without me knowing). Also, if I can't find something or assume something is lost, I can't rest until I find it, just like you said. You are not alone!

[deValentin in reply to SLEAO127]

Thank you for your encouraging words. It’s nice not to feel alone. Likewise, if I break something, I feel more devastated than the average person would in the same circumstances. I watched on TV people getting used to a life with a missing limb. I feel that it would be extremely difficult for me to get over it and to focus on other matters. It’s like with a missing piece of a puzzle. I would be constantly gnawed by it and I would be ready to move mountains to find it. To feel intrigued by something missing or a mystery is good. It’s how scientific knowledge is progressing. It’s what drives detectives to solve a crime. However, I often need to practice Response Prevention in order not to feel obsessionally intrigued by something out of place or something I don’t understand.

[Natureloverpeace]

Yes, this could be a subtype if you’re doing physical or mental compulsions to deal with the distress from the obsession. Subtypes or themes of OCD aren’t diagnoses. They are not listed as such in the DSM-5 or the ICD-10. They are symptoms of the same illness. They’re used to make it easier for people to talk about their symptoms. One of the issues when trying to categorize symptoms into themes is the overlapping symptoms. Does someone who washes excessively, having to do it until it feels just right to avoid getting a loved one sick, have contamination, harm or just right OCD? OCD is OCD. OCD is like ice cream, it comes in an infinite number of flavors but it’s still ice cream. New flavors keep coming out. Not everyone’s OCD matches a theme that’s been mentioned. OCD can attack anything that a person values, therefore, the potential number of themes is endless.

[deValentin in reply to Natureloverpeace]

You're right. The basic OCD feature "I won't rest until a certain source of discomfort is removed" is common to all subtypes, but it expresses itself in multiple ways with fluid borders. Thank you for your comment.

[Sallyskins]

I have similar problems - I'm not concerned with symmetry or anything like that, but I hate throwing things out!

It's partly the way I was raised - my mother wouldn't let us get away with leaving stuff on our plates - it all had to be eaten up! Fortunately there was usually a dog or two lurking under the dining room table waiting for bits of fat off my chop to be secreted below!

I cut the manky bits off fruit and vegetables and use the good bits - I think that's all right, as long as you don't obsess over it. I have a compost bin in my yard, so kitchen waste goes in there.

I do have a problem with papers etc - less so now that so much is online, like paying bills, but I still have heaps of paperwork to sort and dispose of.

And that makes it difficult to locate things I need or want! I've found that it helps to get rid of stuff you don't need or want immediately so it doesn't build up so much. The problem with buying another of something because you can't find the original is that you then have multiple copies of the same thing. 'A place for each thing, and each thing in its place' is a sensible motto, but I've not been much good at putting it into practice!

[deValentin in reply to Sallyskins]

I can totally relate to what you're saying. I remember my parents telling me “You can’t leave food in your plate when people are starving in some parts of the world”. What they were saying is true to some extent as long as it doesn’t become a compulsion.

It’s not surprising that some connections may exist between hoarding and OCD. I guess it requires a decision to clear things out in a sensible manner, and tolerance to accept a loss. If one suffers to some extent from anxiety and depression, it’s not easy either to make decisions or to be flexible.