Do you have obsessive compulsive behaviors?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Even little ones? I sometimes wonder if I’m not mildly obsessive compulsive. Maybe people can chime in with what they think.

  1. I listen to the same songs over and over again…and I mean in one sitting. Sometimes at night I’ll put on my Ipod and listen to the same song over again about 30 times, and not listen to anything else.

  2. This may sound a little gross, but its the reason I think I have some OC going on. I pluck hairs…usually when I’m tired or stressed. I’ve been doing it in some manner since I was about eight years old. I can’t kick it…I merely limit the damage. I go through good and bad phases.

  3. Eating as well for me can become a repetitive task. I probably could eat more than a full bag of chips if I wanted to. I just keep eating and eating. Again usually if I’m tired or stressed.

2

Obsessive hair pulling is Trichotillomania. My mom does the same thing.

I can’t really contribute otherwise to the OP, I don’t have any OC behaviors that I can think of.

3

I can have episodes of OCD, but it was much worse when I was a kid and early teen. I can clearly remember, as a child, being compelled to count the cracks in the sidewalk, and having to get to a “certain number” before I felt finished. Also, I had to match the use of my hands - ie, knocking with my left would leave me compelled to recreate the action with my right until the two were “even”. I was an odd little thing.

Some OCD behaviours have followed me into adulthood. It doesn’t matter how rational I try to be, I always check all the burners on my stove and unplug the toaster before I leave the house, and, I will frequently lock the door, unlock the door, recheck said items, and then leave. Friends have, in the past, had a great deal of fun with the toaster thing - one, in particular, finding it particularly hilarious to ask me “are you SURE you unplugged the toaster? Really SURE?”, which would result in me either having to go back and check it or think about it all night. Also, when I am really tired or particularly spaced out, I will find myself counting in my head.

4

Am I obsessive compulsive?

Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.

… I mean, well, maybe. :wink:

5

The recycle bin on my computer has to be empty at all times. I don’t know why, but it bugs me if I look at the icon and see that it has something in it. If I delete something, I’ll go to the recycle bin and empty it out right away.

I used to have a lot of these behaviors when I was younger. For instance, once I learned that 666 was the Antichrist’s number, I avoided using the number six as much as possible. If I was bored or stressed, I’d start to count in my head “1-2-3-4-5-7-8…”

6

I can’t look at a digital clock without figuring out if it makes some kind of math equation. Right now it’s 10:36, which bothers me greatly because if it were 10:37, then 10=3+7 and all would be good. But at least it’ll be okay in one minute!

I pick at my skin, which I gather is somewhat related to tricotillomania. It was much worse when I was younger.

7

After I wake up or if I’ve been crying, I tug on my eyelashes. I’m not trying to pull them out - I feel compelled to get the salt off them. Same for eye boogers at the corners of my eyes. I have to get those out first thing in the morning or the thought that someone might see my eyes sticky will bug me all day.

When I’m putting my son to sleep, I count to 100 in my head three times (not to 300 - I have to count to 100 three times), then leave. I think it has something to do with when I used to rock him to sleep. It generally took him about 200 rocks in the chair to put him to sleep and another 100 to make sure he wouldn’t wake up when I put him in his crib. We didn’t have a clock in his room for a long time, and it used to bug me that he had such trouble falling asleep. For some reason, I was obsessive about keeping track of how long I’d been there. I think it was because he would only let me touch him after about 6 p.m. at night, so I was resentful that I had very little time in the evening to do anything for myself. For some reason, I just had to know how long it took - maybe so I could express RO later (though I really tried not to because even then I knew it was ridiculous)? So I’d count. Now that he’s 2 and a half, he always stays awake longer, but for some reason, that’s my magic number for leaving. Fortunately he lets both of us put him to sleep, so we take turns. I’m no longer resentful, but it feels “wrong” if I don’t count.

I also always double-check my alarm clock before I go to sleep. I re-set it before I brush my teeth, then I have to re-check it again before I can fall asleep once in bed.

8

See now, for me 10:36 would be a perfect time. 1+3+6=10. (I always divide it down to single digits)

9

Weird about you guys with the clocks! I always try to use all the numbers to calculate as far as I can go in one minute and then start over when the clock changes. So for 10:36, I would think: 1 + 0 = 1, 3 - 1 = 2, 6 - 3 = 3, 3 + 1 = 4, 6 - 1 = 5, and so on and so on.

I also pick, bite, scissor and nip my cuticles incessantly. My fingers look so gross. Which makes me worry about them more, which makes me pick at them more and it’s a never-ending cycle.

10

I sometimes get a little obsessed with balance on the two sides of my body, especially if I’m thinking about OCD, so now I’m a little twitchy. If I contracted a muscle on the right side of my face, I need to contract the exact same muscle on the left side with the exact same amount of force for the exact same amount of time, which is nearly impossible, so I end up moving back and forth between the sides, trying to ‘fix’ the last attempt. I’ll also do this with my feet, with stepping on a sidewalk crack of the same size with the same part of my other foot with the same amount of force, something I can remember trying to do as a little kid. It’s not disabling, and come to thing of it, until this thread got me going, I don’t think I’d done it in months.

11

I hesitated to mention this in the other thread for fear that I was too strange. :wink:

My body balance thing involves my hands, elbows, knees and feet. I will get the compulsion to ensure that 4 of these 8 parts are on either side of my center. So crossing the ankles is ok, but if I just cross one foot onto the other knee, then one hand needs to cross over to keep the balance at 4 on each side. Fortunately as an adult I’ve controlled it to the point that I can mentally ‘cheat’ and just picture it as being in balance.

12

Definitely weird! I’ve never heard of anyone else having clock math obsessions before. (I’m very glad I don’t have yours - I’m pretty bad at math and that would take me forever.)

13

I do the same thing, by changing the length of my stride so that I will step on a crack with the equivalent spot on the other foot. I also try to avoid stepping in the exact center or on the diagonals (think laser beams coming from the corners) of a tile. If the floor tiles are too small to achieve this, I have to step on the longer (and therefore more dominant and common) cracks an equal number of times, and the steps must be aligned in the same direction as the longer cracks.

Same for me, but I include my wrists, forearms, upper arms, shoulders, and feet.

14

When you make a sandwich, do the pieces of bread have to be in the same order and orientation in the sandwich as they were in the bag, or can one of them be upside-down, backwards, or sideways relative to the original position?

15

Oh, totally.

When I eat any kind of meal that requires me to eat it with my hands – hamburgers are a good example – I MUST wipe my fingers on a napkin in between every single bite. Then I sort of wring my hands for awhile as I chew, as if wiping off any remaining grease. I’ve tried to control this in public places, like restaurants, but it drives me bonkers not to do it, so I’ve given up and fully embraced this part of myself.

Also, ditto on Samm’s cuticle thing. I’m better than I used to be, but I still pick at them, and it isn’t pretty.

16

Amazingly, this is one neuroticism I’ve avoided in my lifetime. I compulsively ask my husband if he locked the door every single night, but that’s about it.

17

I just can’t stop checking this thread…

18

Oh! Well if we’re counting the internet then yes, I’m a compulsive lunatic!

19

Do I have any obsessive/compulsive behaviors (O/CB)? Sure…but it’s not clear to me how to differentiate them from other, purposely cultivated behaviors (it seems odd to me to characterize chosen behaviors as O/C). And it’s something I’ve been thinking about quite a bit recently. While this may be a little in-depth for IMHO, let me explain:

I’m a computer scientist/programmer, particularly in A.I. Due to my programming training, I look for ways to create “optimized behavioral procedures” – for instance, keeping the dishes and silverware orderly. Each item needs to be in its proper place; that way, I never have to search for a utensil, dish, pot, etc. (The fact that, for instance, the knives hanging on the wall have to be evenly spaced and as close to vertical plumb as I can get them is an example of why it’s difficult for me to differentiate.)

In a related way (to preserve the orderliness of the kitchen), I always unload the dishwasher the same way: the silverware rack is removed and placed on the counter above the drawer, then the bottom rack is emptied (from front right to back left corner), then the top rack, then the silverware is put away and its rack is returned.

So, there are innumerable behaviors that I have/do that I’ve actually put some thought into, come up with a certain set of steps, and have adopted as habits. This way, I no longer have to think about them – they’re automatic. I always button my shirts (assuming a button-down shirt) from the collar down; I never end up with misaligned buttons/holes. My keys are always in the front left pocket of the pants I’m either wearing or wore the previous day. Furthermore, there is always a “spacer” (bottle opener, extra ring) between my house and car key. And even further, all the teeth of one sided keys face the same way on the keyring. Similarly, all the bills in my wallet (which is always in the back right pocket of my pants) are oriented and face the same way, ordered from lowest denomination to highest. Again, it’s not clear to me how much (if any part of these behaviors) can be classified as O/C.

The one thing that makes me think a good portion IS O/CB is the level of agitation I experience if something isn’t quite right. For instance, if my wife doesn’t squeeze the toothpaste tube from the bottom – I need to “fix” it. To be honest, I don’t know whether I’d dwell on such a thing if I just left it alone (surely, a mark of O/CB) – the fact is that I don’t just leave it alone. On the other hand, there are certainly innumerable other things that I don’t consider; I can’t really give any examples…because I don’t consider them. :slight_smile:

All in all, it seems to me that most (all?) people have some level of O/C behavior, even if it’s limited to one particular thing.

On preview: I do the clock/numeral thing AND the sandwich bread orientation. And it occurs to me that another O/CB of mine is to write long-winded posts on the SDMB in an effort to make sure I’m fully understood. :smack:

20

I do this fairly often too. But the only other compulsive thing I do is needing to watch certain things every Christmas. When I say “need” I mean I get depressed through mid-January if I skip any, like I did one movie last year.