Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Support

Hi. I'm a 43 year old married mom of four who was dx'd with OCD back in 1998. Back then my OCD manifested itself in me as an obsessive cleaner. My apartment was always spotless and I could not leave the house unless the bed was made.

I was also obsessed about the time and HAD to have a watch on at all times. Everything in my cabinets had to be ordered and facing front, my clothes was hung according to length in my closets, and my hangers always matched.

These days, I do very little cleaning although I am obsessed about doing the laundry EVERY time there is enough for a load and then folding it the minute it comes out of the dryer, while it's still hot. I will not allow anyone in my family to wear wrinkled clothes.

I count certain things and always have to do things an ODD number of times. My cabinets are still ordered and my hangers all match, but my clothes can be in any order.

I have obsessive thoughts about things, especially when it comes to a family member getting hurt. I also have bipolar II disorder and when I'm in depression I obsess about dying and different ways to do it.

I have Social Anxiety and have been dx'd with PTSD, so as you can see, I'm quite a mess! I find it interesting how my obsessions/compulsions have changed over the years. Have any of you experienced that also?

Anyway, thanks Roy for inviting me to join. I hope I can get and give support to those like myself.

Hi Debiski,I have the whole range of symptoms you have, I had particularly bad OCD when I was a child and absolutely everything I did was controlled by number etc, counting whenever I did anything, often up to about 50 so took a completely ridiculous amount of time to do anything. It was unbelievably difficult and distressing, especially as it started when I was about 7 so I didn't understand it at all. I have progressed to having the whole range of anxieties, social phobia, agraphobia, just about all you could name. I have also suffered really debilitating depression (seems now to be diagnosed as bipolar II) most of my life. I also completely obsess about ending it all, like today(!). So..... you are not alone and it always makes me sad when I hear of others because I know how difficult it makes life, although it does help to know I am not alone in my problems. Do your kids notice your OCD and other symptoms. I try really hard to hide mine from my kids although of course it is not easy. Can I ask what meds you are on and if they help.

Thinking of you.

Jenny

My kids know about my "sorting" thing, as a matter of fact my oldest son does it too. As far as the counting thing goes, I do that in my head so no one really notices. I don't count as high as you--actually 7 seems to be my favorite number so it doesn't take me so long to do things.

I am on nothing for OCD, unless you count the Prozac I was on until last month. My bipolar moods started swinging badly last month so I quit taking my Prozac because I felt that being on two antidepressants (I'm on Wellbutrin also) could be triggering my manic episodes. My pdoc prescribed the Wellbutrin for my Seasonal Affective Disorder (doesn't seem to be helping). I am also on Xanax daily for anxiety (it does NOTHING for my social anxiety). I also take Lyrica and Soma for Fibromyalgia (they work great!) and Synthroid for hypothyroidism (must be working good because my TSH levels are down to where they are supposed to be now).

I just called my pdoc today and asked for a script of Lamictal (mood stabilizer) to help with my mood swings. He called in the script for me but the roads here are all icy today and I'm too afraid to drive, so it will have to wait until tomorrow. Oh well, what's one more day on the swing??

I use to have to constantly clean my house when my daugheter was younger. I would not want anything of the flint falling of of stuff animals, to any thing being on the floor, to always constantly cleaning the bathroom out, and just about anything else that had to be perfect with cleaning. Now that my daughter is older i am constantly having to go in the bathroom and make sure the toilet paper is just right and that it is not torn a certain way and that it is going in a straight way instead of it being torn, I have this wood stand that hast to go in a certain way and if it gets moved then i will keep making sure it is put in the right direction untill i am satisifed wiht it. i havent meantioned much of this about my ocd untill i read your post. I have to have knifes in my cupboard going in a certain direction and all having to be even together going into the same direction. I dont fold my laundry so I am somewhat the oppisote. It use to not bother me to fold laundry but now I wont do that at all. I hang up things on hangers and the clothers have to be hanging just right and i decied to do that instead of putting clothes in drawers because i got so obsessive of folding. Socks dont bother me of folding them but my undwear i dont fold them i just put them in the drawer with the others but they have to be on top of eachother and matching in the same direction.

Welcome Deb.