Do I have OCD?: Hello. I was wondering if I... - OCD Support

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Do I have OCD?

Tarantass profile image
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Hello. I was wondering if I could get some advice from some people on this forum on whether or not I should see a GP based on my symptoms. I've always been an organised person, and in fact people do make jokes about me having OCD, but it is only now that I am starting to see how ritualistic and irrational my behaviour can be.

So, the first thing that concerns me is the ritualistic part. Quite a lot of my routines have to be done in a certain order/way. For example, before I go to bed at night I have to close my door once, reopen it and turn the hallway light off before closing it again, when doing this I have to make sure the main light in my room is off first. Another example would be when I hang my school clothes over the radiator. My trousers must go on first, facing backwards, then my shirt, facing forwards, and finally my jumper, facing backwards. I do these routines because I feel that if I do not do them like this I tend to have a bad day.

The second thing that is concerning me is the need for things to be constantly perfect. At school we were doing a controlled assessment and I needed everything to be uniform to feel like everything was going well. I had a specific word template which I wanted to use and put everything into separate pages so I could add a contents page and staple them together (the task should've just been put into one document). However, when it came to printing it went wrong and came out double sided, while another page came out the way I wanted it to, thus messing up the way I wanted things to be. The margins were also wrong on another one I printed. I didn't want to speak to my teacher about reprinting it because it was embarrassing. However, for the other tasks I felt extremely depressed and demoralized, which lead to the rest of my tasks being sloppy and leading to a far lower grade than I was expected to get. However, I'm not sure if this is to do more with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.

The third thing is the standard thing that is typically associated with OCD which is mess. I cannot stand it. Living amongst clutter and with things out of place gets me extremely, extremely depressed. The slightest thing can irritate me. Whether it be a few pens on the floor or a couple of sheets of paper strewn on my desk.

I'm currently 14 (closer to 15) and have read that OCD typically starts in teenage years. If this is the start then hopefully I can get it nipped in the bud.

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Janjis profile image
Janjis

Hi, If you were my child I would be getting you help. As you said it's better to nip things in the bud sooner rather than later. Good luck just tell them all that you have said in this post.

Hello there Tarantass,

I am so sorry that you're having such a difficult time right now.

Although I am not a medical expert, so please take my response with a pinch of salt, I think I understand enough about OCD to be able to comment. What you describe do sound like OCD type symptoms, although that is not necessarily a full blown OCD disorder. If those things you describe happen every now and again for a moment or two, I don't think it would be diagnosed as OCD. But if all those things you describe happen most days and the combined time of it bothering you is at least a hour each day then I think it may be diagnosed as OCD.

But you describe enough for me to recommend a formal assessment and diagnosis from a trained health professional, your GP should be able to make a referral through the NHS to a member of your CAMHS service.

Do you feel able to talk to your parents about it? Perhaps one of them can go to the GP with you? The fact it upsets you so much to take the time to email us also suggests it is not just a mild thing for you, but something very upsetting, and for that reason it is important to ensure it is correctly treated.

The important thing to remember is that if it is diagnosed to be OCD then yes, it can be treated and people can overcome OCD.

Ashley :)

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