# Your obsessive/compulsive behaviors **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 10, 2006, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-obsessive-compulsive-behaviors/339319 "2006-01-10T15:48:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-obsessive-compulsive-behaviors/339319/41 "2006-01-12T04:05:39Z")
When I had an apartment, I’d often double (even triple) check to make sure I turned the deadbolt whenever I left because I couldn’t remember if I locked the door or not. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-obsessive-compulsive-behaviors/339319/42 "2006-01-12T04:22:28Z")
I do the double check with my watch too. Very strange how I’ll stare at it and fail to register the time. In college, I would never, ever go into class late. I would skip class altogether rather than go in late. It was a weird obssession of mine. My friends thought I was insane, but I just hated the idea of going in late. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-obsessive-compulsive-behaviors/339319/43 "2006-01-12T04:23:45Z")
> [@ThePCapeman](#): > > When a light is controlled by more than one switch, all switches must be down when the light is off. Otherwise, the light is still somehow on. What if the switches are set up so this can’t be done? ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-obsessive-compulsive-behaviors/339319/44 "2006-01-12T04:26:10Z")
Oh, man, I’ve got the “did I lock the door?” disease, bigtime. How bad? I’ve actually called friends to check my doors a couple of times after I’ve left to go on vacation. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-obsessive-compulsive-behaviors/339319/45 "2006-01-12T04:37:14Z")
This is a great thread. I do the ‘picking at cuticles’ thing and the ‘must read while taking a dump’ thing; well, not both at the same time, at least. In addition to those, I have to check whether the coffee maker is on before I leave, even if I haven’t made coffee in days. This goes both for home and office. And the keys and change go in my right pants pocket, wallet in the left. Has to be that way. Can’t ever be the reverse. That would be wrong and bad. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-obsessive-compulsive-behaviors/339319/46 "2006-01-12T05:50:50Z")
> [@Ice Wolf](#): > > I check, recheck, check again, god knows how many times – that I’ve turned the electric stove off at the wall. Sometimes, if I look at the switch from across the room, I start doubting what my eyes tell me, and I have to look at it up close again. > > Same with locking the front door, checking windows etc. Multiple checks. I try not to think about them as I walk away because it means I go back to check 'em all again. I used to be a little like this. Could be a hundred percent sure I’d turned something off. These days, I rarely recheck, but if I do, it’s only once. I trained myself by simply making a strong mental note as I did it, “I am sane, awake, and sober. I am now making sure I turned off the oven. I’m now looking at the knob and seeing that it’s in the OFF position, and committing that mental picture to memory. I can now go and do something else.” It works. > [@](#): > > I also check I have my wallet with me safe, and my keys, at various points during the day. That’s just common sense. I pat myself down like that when I’m out - probably several times a day. > [@](#): > > I feel like an idiot. ☹ Me too, but for unrelated reasons. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-obsessive-compulsive-behaviors/339319/47 "2006-01-12T06:07:20Z")
> [@Dung Beetle](#): > > I pat my pocket to make sure my keys are in it nearly every time I move across the room. I have one of those cars into which you can lock your keys if you’re not careful. So between the time I park the car at home and actually walk into my apartment, I always keep the key in the little fifth pocket of my jeans, so I can see it as I lock up the car. It reassures me to see it there and know that I’m not locking myself out of the car. ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-obsessive-compulsive-behaviors/339319/48 "2006-01-12T08:29:01Z")
I don’t know if it’s OC but it’s quite anal. When I’m working on the computer I back up what I’m working on after every minor change. I also save stages of my work - especially if I’m working on a music file or data. I’m anal about file names as well. My network directory looks like something like this: filename-2006-01-01-edit01.xxx filename-2006-01-01-edit02.xxx filename-2006-01-01-edit03.xxx filename-2006-01-01-edit04.xxx filename-2006-01-01-edit05.xxx filename-2006-01-01-edit06.xxx filename-2006-01-01-edit07.xxx Picture that for each file I’ve worked on. At work, once the file is complete, I’ll hold on to the edits for a few months and then delete them. In the music studio I save everything. I bet I have a terabyte of music files none will ever hear again (including myself). The thing is, I know where this came from. Around 1982-ish I was working on a electronic music track. I spent hours programming the song into the computer using a basic type language. I had to type in the frequency, duration and volume of each note… in three parts. The track was about 5 minutes long. I completed entering in all the data and it was perfect. As I went to plug in the cassette tape to back the data up, I bumped the AC cable and off went the computer - the entire track was lost. As an IT guy, I’l visit someone elses computer to help them with a problem and I’ll have to close an application they have open. It will have a huge file like a long letter or a big datasheet. I’ll ask them if it’s saved and they say no. They spent an hour working on the file and haven’t saved it once. Eeeegh. If freaks me out. I guess the plus side is if anyone is going to have the duty of backing up the file servers,. I’m your man. I’ve got multiple copies of our files across several machines covering a few weeks back. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![the\_PC\_apeman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac8455/32.png) [@the\_PC\_apeman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_PC_apeman)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-obsessive-compulsive-behaviors/339319/49 "2006-01-12T13:30:31Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > > [@ThePCapeman](#): > > > > When a light is controlled by more than one switch, all switches must be down when the light is off. Otherwise, the light is still somehow on. > > What if the switches are set up so this can’t be done? Imagine a ceiling light that is controlled by two or more standard wall switches. All switches start in the down position and the light is off. Flip up switch A, the light comes on. Flip up switch B and the light goes off. The light is off but there are two switches in the up positions. I can’t rest with craziness like that going on. I guess I could replace the switches with those $$$ [Lutron](http://lampsplus.com/htmls/dimmerstyleselection.asp?category=Dimmer) electronic dimmers. Any other suggestions (besides psychiatry)? ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-obsessive-compulsive-behaviors/339319/50 "2006-01-12T14:35:38Z")
Ok. If I see a crack in the pavement, a road sign, or anything else that would stand out from the surroundings, I have to look at it and count to 21 so it’s “safe”. Sometimes I have to count several times until it’s safe. This happens more often outside than inside. Anything I touch with my hands is the same, like a tap or door handle. I have to touch it five times to make it safe, and most often that doesn’t work straight away either. Keyboards i’m fine with, luckily, so it doesn’t take me all day to type. Metallic things are especially bad for this. I can’t screw tops on bottles completely - they have to be screwed on tightly, and then released a bit. Then I have to do the five touches thing too. Similarily, I can’t put cds or dvds back in the cases properly - I can’t make them do the “click” thing to keep them in place. I also can’t close the cases totally. I can’t put lids on pens. It’s hard to replace batteries in things, too. I can’t spend coins minted that year. When I put wires for whatever away, they must all have some part of them still visible in whatever they’re stored in. I have to take off my glasses by the sides, but put them on by pushing the nose part. They’re also subject to the five touches thing. Before I turn the page of a book/comic, I have to look at the page number to make that safe. It’s also very hard to actually close a book. But I don’t have major anti-germ problems, thankfully. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-obsessive-compulsive-behaviors/339319/51 "2006-01-12T18:25:33Z")
> [@ThePCapeman](#): > > I guess I could replace the switches with those $$$ [Lutron](http://lampsplus.com/htmls/dimmerstyleselection.asp?category=Dimmer) electronic dimmers. Any other suggestions (besides psychiatry)? [Rotary dimmers](http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=211632-539-D-600PH-DK&lpage=none). ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-obsessive-compulsive-behaviors/339319/52 "2006-01-12T19:12:04Z")
> [@ThePCapeman](#): > > Imagine a ceiling light that is controlled by two or more standard wall switches. All switches start in the down position and the light is off. Flip up switch A, the light comes on. Flip up switch B and the light goes off. The light is off but there are two switches in the up positions. I can’t rest with craziness like that going on. > > I guess I could replace the switches with those $$$ [Lutron](http://lampsplus.com/htmls/dimmerstyleselection.asp?category=Dimmer) electronic dimmers. Any other suggestions (besides psychiatry)? Oh I understand perfectly what you meant. What I was getting at is the following scenario: The light is off. Switch A is in the up position, switch B is in the down position. No amount of switch flipping you do will make it so that light is off and both switches in the down position. zgranted, from what I know of electrical work, this isn’t the standard way to install a three way socket, but it can (and has been) done. Oh, and **Revenant Threshold** , I think you might actualyllbe the only person to respond to this thread who has _actual_ OCD. Far be it for me to diagnose over the internet after a one paragraph description, but the things you describe (having to touch things a certain number of times, counting to a specific number before doing something) are quite indicative of OCD. Not to pry too much, but _if_ (I stress the word if) it bothers you, have you thought about going to a doctor (usually a psychiatrist specializing in things like this) about it? They can be quite helpful. ---
**Author:** ![the\_PC\_apeman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac8455/32.png) [@the\_PC\_apeman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_PC_apeman)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-obsessive-compulsive-behaviors/339319/53 "2006-01-13T18:04:12Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > Oh I understand perfectly what you meant. What I was getting at is the following scenario: > > The light is off. Switch A is in the up position, switch B is in the down position. No amount of switch flipping you do will make it so that light is off and both switches in the down position. zgranted, from what I know of electrical work, this isn’t the standard way to install a three way socket, but it can (and has been) done. > > Oh, and **Revenant Threshold** , I think you might actualyllbe the only person to respond to this thread who has _actual_ OCD. Far be it for me to diagnose over the internet after a one paragraph description, but the things you describe (having to touch things a certain number of times, counting to a specific number before doing something) are quite indicative of OCD. Not to pry too much, but _if_ (I stress the word if) it bothers you, have you thought about going to a doctor (usually a psychiatrist specializing in things like this) about it? They can be quite helpful. Ah, but the problem is _all_ switches must be down to calm my mind. Wiring one “upside down” would be worse for me. And, it wouldn’t work when you have three switches for one light - as in my living room. I am glad you made the point that there are people who suffer from diagnosible OCD and many of our posts could be seen as trivializing the condition. I’m sure no one meant to offend. At the same time, many have shown great trust by sharing such personal stories and I really appreciate that. It part of why I like SMDB. Standard rotary switches would work and be less expensive, thanks for the suggeston, **Lute Skywatcher**. ---
**Author:** ![the\_PC\_apeman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac8455/32.png) [@the\_PC\_apeman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_PC_apeman)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-obsessive-compulsive-behaviors/339319/54 "2006-01-13T18:10:09Z")
So many errors there, especially **SDMB** :smack: . [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-obsessive-compulsive-behaviors/339319.md?page=2)