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[AntiEntropy]

I've probably just about hit the limit on this subject, so here's my own little thread.  Feel free to a) comment, b) ignore, or c) throw tomatoes.  I will stop after this, I promise.

OCD girl, as far as we know at this time, smokes, has at least eight piercings (in her ears), counts things for a living, washes her hands a lot, and is fairly open about all this.

She has said to Marten that sex is "yucky" ("too many germs and fluids") but keep in mind this is a guy she knows little about and is inviting back to her apartment.  She could be being honest about her aversion to sex or she may be keeping herself safe -- testing him if you will.  "Yes, I'm OCD.  No, we're not having sex.  Do you still want to see me?"  She also has been listening to Marten talk openly so she knows he's at least a descent guy.

People with actual OCD (like me) can manifest it in many ways, but there are always two parts:

* The Obsession: something that bothers you that is difficult to control.  It could be germs; it could be bridges; it could be unwanted thoughts; it could be webcomics; it could be all of these things.

* The Compulsion: this is want the person does to keep them "safe" or to lessen the anxiety of the obsession.  It could hand washing; it could be swearing; it could be locking and unlocking the door three times; it could be writing a long posting about OCD.

One of the fun things about any fictional literature and especially about webcomic forums is talking about the characters as if they were real.  (I would start talking about something that Bruno had done and my wife would say, "Wait, is this one of your cartoon characters?!)

It is perfectly reasonable a consistent that OCD girl smokes, has piercing, drinks, invites people she just met back to her apartment, and (probably because of therapy) is quite open about her problems.  Yes, she's a fictional character, but it's nice that she's consistent with reality.

That's it.  Comment if you want to talk about it.  Otherwise I'll shut up.

[honest abe]

I don't expect you to be an expert, just give me an IYHO answer...

OCD Girl said that she had been in therapy since she was 11.  Does OCD manifest itself that early in someone's life?

She is now a young 20something.  What sort of hardships and hurts would she have gone through during her high school years?  How might she fare now in a romantic relationship?

Just interested in your thoughts...

[streever]

OCD can manifest at many ages!

and why be in therapy just for ocd? she may have had all types of problems...I was in speech therapy at 6, and it continued till I was 12...

as for OCD, I would like to second anti-entropies words :) I have found, too, that it is something which you as the sufferer REALISE is irrational, but it is NOT open to discussion--you still must answer to it. Though, it is controllable to some degree in public. (but this seems to make it worse later...)

[AntiEntropy]

OCD can manifest at many ages!

Agreed.  I've heard of it showing up as early as 13.  Eleven wouldn't out of the question.  It's early, but I think that's the point: "I've been sick a long time."

And yes, it's something you learn to live with.  You manage it.  It's like being an alcoholic is some ways -- probably more like anorexia, in that you still have to eat but you never have to drink.

SPOILER!

There's a scene in As Good As It Gets where Melvin (Nicholson) steps on a crack accidentally as he's opening the door for Carol (Helen Hunt).  Normally, he'd never do that, but he was distracted.  The fact that is doesn't bother him as much as it used to signify that he's getting better.  He also forgets to lock his door at one point -- another obsession.

These things are pretty accurate.  As you get better you notice you're not doing stuff as much, but you still do it (and you hate it).

I think this has a lot to do with OCD girl's humor about her condition.  It's like, "Let's get this on the table right now.  In fact, let's laugh about it!  I know, it's pretty weird, huh?"  That's a very healthy attitude.

[Inlander]

My (mild) O.C.D. started manifesting itself when I was in primary school (i.e., pre-teen): when I was running around playing soccer I had to run out of my way to step on all the dead leaves on the ground.

As for the smoking, etc. - one possibility is that it's a side-effect of any drugs she may be taking.  When I was first medicated the drugs initially gave me cravings and compulsions to buy the weirdest things - such as cigarettes, even though I'd never smoked in my life, and black felt-tip pens, even though I had always used blue ones.

[Laurie]

I think OCD tends to be a trait of intelligent to highly intelligent people. I've observed this in a lot of people. Smart kids do really weird things. I don't consider myself OCD as such, though. I just have my superstitions.

Me, I have issues stepping on cracks because it causes an imbalance in the feelings between my two feet, so I have to step on another to even it out, and so on. When I was little I used to get into pattern fits if I accidently pressed my face to hard, and then had to balance it out, and then had to balance out the "well, that side was first last time so this side is first this time" kind of thing...

I also have to do things in odd numbers, because they seem more balanced that way. I mean, they have the lever in the middle on which to balance, as opposed to empty space. But it even goes out to candy and bubble gum and stuff. Odd numbers are comforting.

But sometimes I purposely deny myself, just to prove I can. So there. *grins*

On a similar note, I was watching Monk last night. Man, that show is excellent.

[Orchid]

I wouldn't consider myself OCD, but I recognize a lot of the symptoms and behaviors described here. I'd never presume to diagnose myslf but a few of them are kind of familiar to me, which is neat. Though, I suppose most mental "disorders" are things everyone does, just taken to extremes. I've never met anyone who didn't have an odd little habit or tic, but if any of them were actually OCD they hid it from me pretty well.

*babbles*

[Inlander]

I think OCD tends to be a trait of intelligent to highly intelligent people. I've observed this in a lot of people. Smart kids do really weird things. I don't consider myself OCD as such, though. I just have my superstitions.

I don't know about intelligence, but I think there's a definite correlation between having an active imagination and being O.C.D.  Not that I think every highly imaginative person is likely to get O.C.D., but it does take imagination to think up every tiny little thing that could possibly go wrong if you don't wash your hands, or make sure the door's locked, or whatever.  Although having said that it's also important to remember that O.C.D. is not a psychotic illness: the sufferer is always aware that his or her actions are irrational, it's just that the agitation that builds makes the compulsions extremely hard and stressful to ignore.

[cacahuate]

I'm either minor, minor OCD, or just highly neurotic.

It's more fun to say neurotic. Gnu-wrought-ik.

It's good to hear that Jeph is writing believable things. I wouldn't have known whether or not this character was realistic. Good of you to verify!

[AntiEntropy]

Laurie: you have classic OCD tenancies, you just don't need medication or therapy to control them.

OCD is not a good predictor of intelligence or retardation.  I've worked with retarded children that were OCD and many OCD sufferers are inelegant.  Obsession plus compulsion that interferes with your daily life is about all the diagnoses you need.

[Laurie]

Oh, I didn't mean to sound as if OCD identified intelligent people-- my observations say that the intelligent people exhibit OCD tendencies.

I'd have to agree with you about me, though. I usually stick with the term "anal retentive."

Of course, even that is a psychologically unsound diagnosis-- ah, what vernacular does to the English language.

Heh. Sorry, I like big words. And shiny things.

[honest abe]

Obsession plus compulsion that interferes with your daily life is about all the diagnoses you need.

It's been some years now, but I seem to remember that after the publication of the DSM IV, that "interferes with daily life" observation became critical to the diagnosis.  My memory, as a nonprofessional, was that previous editions (I think it was the DSM II) didn't stress that at all and many things now considered to be within "the normal spectrum of human personality" were being diagnosed as personality disorders.  I specifically remember the diagnosis decision tree in the older edition.  It didn't allow for any evaluation of "no disorder".  Back in the late 90's, if you walked into a therapist's or psychologist's office, it was almost as if you couldn't walk out without a diagnosis of some disorder.

So, how do you think that OCD may have interfered with this girl's life as she was growing up?

[Laurie]

I feel bad for posting so much, but... yeah. Oh DSM-IVR, with your wacky ideas about PMS. You don't cater to the insurance and medication companies at all, do you, lovely.


I imagine she was terrible at math. Excellent at counting, yes, but bored or maybe irritated at anything that included irrational numbers. She probably had 200 digits of pi memorized.

In the style of the early Jews, she probably counted every step she took, and not only on Sundays. Depending on if she had an odd- or even-number fixation, or any at all, that would have led to some odd leaps or stumbles.

She probably got dizzy from staring at the ceiling fan, trying to count the blades while it was turned on. And if she had a brother, you can bet he made her life hell.

[AntiEntropy]

Well, she also has a hand-washing complusion, so she's probably obssesed with germs on he hands.  A normal person gets something icky on their hands, wahses, and feels pretty much normal.  Maybe a little "yuck".  An OCD person can't get that "I'm clean" feeling so they keep washing.  (I say OCD person but that's just one of many complussions.)  What would it be to grow up having to count everything and wash your hands constantly?  Not too fun.  She's extreamly well adjusted, considering.

(BTW, I know a guy who memorized pi to 100 places.  When I was five I wrote every Roman numeral from one to 500.  I still "doodle" by writing out the prime numbers or factoring every natural number.  I don't count "1, 2, 3, 4, 5...", I say 0 is zero, 1 is one, two is prime, three is prime, four is two squared, five is prime, six is two time three... etc.)

[Laurie]

Heh. When I got bored during standardized tests, I would play word games, one example being:

S_A_E
or
_I_E

And make a list of every word that fit that particular pattern, alphabetically. I would have hated to be the person looking through some of that stuff. Or I'd tear the edges of the practice book in even fringes while the other kids finished up.

But yeah, I'm surprised a germaphobe (even a minor one) would go to a bar with someone like Jimbo roosting there. She's definitely dealing. Could be the sleep-deprivation, though.

[Luke]

On a similar note, I was watching Monk last night. Man, that show is excellent.

Yes it is.

[practicality]

OCD girl might also just be irrational in her fears. I walk in flip flops all year (with all the disgusting things that could get on my feet), but I can't handle eating something that someone has just touched. Just because people are OC doesn't make them rational. It's not unthinkable that OCD girl would smoke.

[AntiEntropy]

Many OCD compulsions are irrational.  What's wrong with stepping on a crack?  Why are odd numbers more "balanced" than even?

You don't eat with your feet, but you do with your hands.  It makes some sense that your feet can get dirty but not your hands.  Some compulsions make sense and some don't.  I yell or swear when an embarrassing though enters my mind.  That in itself can cause an embarrassing moment in a public place.  But it makes some sense.  It's a way to get the thought out of my mind quickly.

For what ever reason the compulsions helps the obsession, rational or not.

[honest abe]

For what ever reason the compulsions helps the obsession, rational or not.

So, typically, in a subject diagnosed with OCD, one observes obsessions followed by compulsions which relate to or are driven by those obsessions.

Is that a fair statement?

(Random aside:  OCD Girl is such a sweet and sympathetic character that she really can't go much longer without a name.  If Jeph doesn't give her one in the next couple or three days, somebody will probably start a thread or poll to come up with one.)

[streever]

i think, textbook wise, that is a great definition abe :)

typically--the subject KNOWS that this is irrational but only feels okay after doing the compulsion. People like "rain man" are Obsessive-compulsive PERSONALITY disorder--very different--are not self-concious of disorder & can not hide it in public/etc.

[JasonF]

Okay, time for me to put in my $.02

I'm not OCD, but I dated a chick for 3 years who was, and has somewhat errie similiarities to the one in the comic. Seriously.

Here's our conversation the other night:

Me: http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=521
Me: that comic made me think of you when I read it
Me: (the girl is OCD, hence the comment about icky sex)
Her: yes, I get it
Her: and she likes to win at scrabble
Me: oooh, I didn't think about that
Her: made me laugh
Her: good that I can laugh at myself
Her: I'd much rather kick ass at scrabble than have sex

So yeah, it's irrily similar. Even down to the "sex is dirty" stuff.

Except my chick was a redhead, but still.

[AntiEntropy]

JasonF: Good for you for dating someone for three years who'd rather win at scrabble than have sex.

steever: Yes, "Rain Man" was different.  The person he's based off of (Kim Peek) is an autistic savant.  OCD often pops up with autism; no one knows why exactly.

Abe: The obsession may not be observable, but the compulsion almost always is.

[est]

i think that i used to have mild OCD, but not really even the "Disorder" part as defined by Abe, as it didn't really impact my life negatively.  i had the crack thing, would worry and odd/even steps going somewhere, would have to take an even number of steps going up stairs, or would count the stairs as i went up them.  things needed to be tidy/evenly stacked.  spaghetti, pens & pencils, matches, toothpicks, whatever, they needed to be lined up properly.  i'd spend ages arranging my desk at school so that things were in line, or at right angles.

i was (and still am, i guess) obsessed with "truth" and logic.  loved logic puzzles, and would pull people up on semantical errors almost without thinking about it, because they made a "mistake".  some people interpreted this as me being a smart-ass, but it was more of a compulsion than anything else.  eg: my teacher was giving us a lecture about drugs.  he said something like "take a look around the class.  from the statistics, ten years from now one of you won't be here anymore".  i immediately rebutted with "but sir, none of us will be here anymore, we'll all have graduated".  as soon as i opened my mouth i knew it was the wrong thing to say, but i had to say it.

i am mostly over all of this, but sometimes in times of stress i'll revert back to things akin to this that i know are dumb.  stupid little things like making sure all my windows are lined up neatly when working in Access, even when they don't need to be.  things that help me feel more in control of myself when a deadline is looming and i feel like things are getting out of hand.  i'm not sure if this is a common theme, but i have a feeling that my little quirks are mostly compensations for feelings of things being out of my control.  i am kind of a control freak sometimes, especially when nervous, so little things like that give me the illusion of control and help me calm down.

[Luke]

When I was young, I had lots of OCD-related obsessions, but lots of kids have them too. I've grown out of them.

My favorite one involved the tiles on our kitchen floor. Now, all the tiles are grey, but I would imagine that the tiles were checkerboarded, and that the tiles of only one of the colors were the ones I could step on. This developed into the rule that forwards or sideways, I had to skip one tile, but diagonally, I could step on any of them.

"take a look around the class. from the statistics, ten years from now one of you won't be here anymore"

He must not have had high hopes for his students passing his class. That's a stupid way to word that sentence anyway; he should've known better. That's the kind of sentence where I maybe wouldn't say anything (depending on the teacher), but I'd probably crack a smile.

[est]

oh man, you just reminded me about tile patterns.  i would totally freak out over tile patterns on our front porch and in our bathroom and in my nan's bathroom, and over carpet patterns and so forth.  sometimes i'd sit and count (and recount) the tiles between everything to make sure that they were (still) even.

[Laurie]

It drives me crazy in bathrooms when the tiles aren't arranged in any particular pattern. I mean, when I was growing up my family's kitchen had these hideous greenish-yellow broken-looking linoleum tiles, but at least they were perfect squares.

I never thought about my smart-assishness being a manifestation of my compulsive tendencies... hmmm...

[Somethingfake]

I have an even number fixation I dont like to think about odd numbers, but I'd hardly count it as interfering with my life so whats does it make me?

[JJMitchell]

oh man, you just reminded me about tile patterns.

My thing with patterns is to try and get my feet to fit in with them if I'm sitting down.  Failing that I like to somehow make my feet block out part of the pattern so that it looks like it fits.

Mini blinds bother me, not enough to think I'm OCD but having one little blind out of order with the rest tends to make me get up and fix it.

[alameda]

I actually registered specifically because of OCD Girl and her "fluids are icky" bit... I'm always a bit iffy about characters with personality disorders because quite often they aren't portrayed correctly at all. Unfortunately, I can more than verify it's correct in THIS case.

[rawrXskittles]

I have this thing about the floorboards in my house. I have to test them before I step on them. If they creak at ALL I will not step on them. I guess it's just an old childhood habit, but still...

Also, if there is a lighter, I will play with it. I was never able to make lighters work, so I'll just flick the wheely thing idly until my ma takes it away.

I stomp in puddles whenever I can help it. It doesn't matter if I go in halfway up my shin in mudwater, I just charge up and go "STOMP!" It pisses all my friends off really bad, but I can't help it.

I have this other thing about watching the oven when it's on. I'll just sit in front of it and watch it like it was a TV. I don't know why. The light on the inside just is nice to watch, and the kitchen is always warm, so I guess that might be why.

I am also a spelling nazi. I also have to say Nazi like "nah-zee".

[spizzletrunk]

I had some very OCD tendencies as a young child that have since gone away, but others are manifested in their place.  I had an obsession with mail order catalogues.  I couldn't turn a page until I had come up with a feasible real-life situation in which each item for sale could be used.  I was also obsessed with each of my hands and each of my feet feeling the same--once I stapled a finger by accident, had a panic attack, and stapled the other.  This sort of thing has since gone away.

These days, I organize coins by date.  More than one coin from that year?  Alphabetized based on whether they were minted in Denver or Philadelphia.  More from one mint?  Organized in descending order by condition.  I also often find myself muttering and swearing involuntarily in stressful situations or when recalling stressful situations.

The one tendency that has stayed with me is walking in circles around the house in a sort of pattern or course.  I have this run, which goes down the hallway and around the coffee table and into the kitchen and back.  I actually do it a hell of a lot.  Of course, when I lived elsewhere I had different routes. . .

YAY FOR OCD!

[nescience]

I have an even number fixation I dont like to think about odd numbers, but I'd hardly count it as interfering with my life so whats does it make me?

A number theorist?

I dunno, am I the only person here who finds it entirely possible that the girl just smokes because she wants to smoke?  I used to attend an OCD group therapy session and me and this other guy (who described himself as "severe" and of the cleaning type) would take smoke breaks all the time.  It seems perfectly reasonable to me that force of habit or nicotine addiction could override any "need for cleanliness" that an OCD sufferer could have.  Often, this compulsion to clean doesn't even necessarily relate to getting everything objectively CLEAN; rather, it can be a compulsion to regain order and visual appeal.  Or it could be the desire to destroy every bacterium, microorganism or piece of waste in the vicinity.  As an aside, smoking does tend to heighten levels of anxiety (and thus the severity of OCD symptoms), as does drinking copious amounts of coffee (as Hannelore's speculated alter-ego, Pizza Girl, does in her QC debut).

I was afflicted for about a year with obsessions, but no compulsions.  I would get a random terrible thought in my head and carry it with me for months at a time.  For example, I got this thought in my head that I was going to kill my roommates and I was really freaked out that I was going to do it, and I felt like I would need to convince myself not to do something that I obviously wasn't going to do.  That sucked.  That went nicely hand-in-hand with my panic disorder.  Luckily both subsided at the beginning of 2005 (the panic disorder for the first time in years).  Anxiety disorders: they're a bitch.

[crazybritishsteve]

I think i may have little (but by little, i mean tiny) bit of OCD. The radio volume has to be set to an even number. 10, 12, 14 are all good. Any odd number volumes sound wrong. They make the music sound flat. I can tell just by listening to a radio if the volume is set to an even number. My girlfriend annoys me sometimes by changing the volume to an odd number, right infront of me, cuz she knows i'll have to change it.
Also, i can't sit with my back to a door. If i do that, i'm constantly looking over my shoulder. I had my work put in a new desk and computer in the server room so i could sit facing the door while working
Finally my hands have to be doing something. I can't just sit still, my hands have to be doing something.
I used to do the whole cracks on the pavement thing as a kid, but i stopped that years ago.
So yeah, what do you think? Am i OCD?

[TrueNeutral]

I have minor OCD, I think. Few examples:

When I was a kid, I would sometimes open the car door when my dad was driving us somewhere simply because I couldn't resist opening it.

Glasses need to be on coasters, precisely in the middle. I'll get incredibly annoyed if someone puts it on the side of the coaster, on the table, or on anything else (I didn't speak to my brother for a day once after he put his coffee mug on my notebook).

I freak out if I have stuff under my fingernails. I will never put my hands into dirt or whatever.

When writing something in my notebook, if I make a spelling mistake or think of a better way to say it, I never cross anything out. I rewrite the entire page. Same when I'm drawing with a pencil, I'll get a new piece of paper instead of erasing. The leftovers from whats erased drive me insane.

Okay... maybe that's not so minor.

[starkruzr]

I think it's really only considered OCD - disorder - if the behavior is a detriment to your life somehow.

I think we can safely say it probably detracts from Raccoon Girl's life in a variety of ways we haven't seen clearly yet.

[mooface]

a friend of mine can only do things in evens.

when she eats fries, for example, she eats them 2 at a time so she can keep track.  if there is an odd number of fries, she can't bring herself to eat the last one left.  when she smokes, she takes two drags from her cigarette at a time.

it's actually a really cute quirk :)

[Luke]

I have minor OCD, I think. Few examples:

When I was a kid...

You gave what I think were some current examples later, but here's a reminder: OCD isn't really based on just childhood quirks. I had dozens of them, to the point of where it took me a lot longer to walk short distances than it should have. I don't have these anymore, as I grew out of them.

Most of the OCD in this thread is pretty mild. Serious OCD is where, for instance, you obsess about germs to the point at which you wash your hands until they're raw & red. I don't know anyone who has serious OCD, but I took college-level psychology SO I KNOW EVERYTHING.

[TrueNeutral]

I really can't tell you if it's a childhood quirk because I haven't been in a car for years. Biking is for yes! For all I know it's still there. It was last time I was in one.

[ChaoticEvil]

I hate long tonenails and finger nail. I cut them right down to the pink.

I also have a thing for odd numbers..

That and binary.

[Storm Rider]

One of my friends has mild OCD. He washes his hands in between EVERY class.

[Laurie]

My girlfriend annoys me sometimes by changing the volume to an odd number, right infront of me, cuz she knows i'll have to change it.

That sucks. Girls are so mean. My boyfriend thinks my odd number-thing is cute, and is in fact trained to kiss me odd numbers of times. Sometimes I'll pretend that I didn't notice, and he'll make me kiss him again just to evenodd(?) it out.

Ditto on the back-to-the-door thing, and the hands. I find knitting to be an excellent pasttime.

Glad to see, from someone else, that I'm not alone on the "equal sensations" thing, although I've never stapled myself.

I'm going to be getting my ears pierced a third time soon, and a tattoo in the center of my back, and a cartilege piercing on the top of my right ear, to balance out the tattoo on my left hip.

Why does everyone have a thing with even numbers? I'm telling you, they don't balance!

Also, doors should usually be closed, but closet doors must always be. The room I'm in now has a door that's held open by mounds of junk, and I can't sleep well.

I don't know if this is related, but on the topic of strange problems: does anyone else with OC-tendencies have sleep disorders? I tend to have very vivid dreams (bad ones-- the gore is too frequent to call them nightmares anymore) and bouts of sleep paralysis. Both contribute to some of my nighttime OC behaviours.

[Alyxz]

Dont forget also, that this is all conversational 20's.

Keep in mind two things: almost no one ever exhibits textbook symptoms and only textbook symptoms.

and two: it's a conversation between people in their 20's which means she could be anywhere from unable to walk down certain sidewalks all the way too: she likes her hands clean.

Come to that, I like my hands clean too.  Obsessively.  It really bothers me when my hands are dirty and I must wash them at the first available oportunity.  BUT: this has never stopped me from grabbing something dirty if it needed to be grabbed (I can wash my hands after)...it never stopped me from becoming a painter (ever see a painter whose hands were clean?  My sink was well used) and it's never effected my sex life.

Probably I would not be diagnosed by any competent proffesional as legitamate OCD.  On the other hand, when going to wash my hands a second time in five minutes after getting a bit of beer spilled on them, I might easily say conversaitonally to a friend "Heh, gotta wash my hands again...damn OCD acting up."

Of course, it's also highly unlikely that my friends would start several threads on the internet to discuss what I meant by that comment...

[Paper Beats Rock]

Man, I was really hoping that Marten got it together with OCD girl, it seems like he hasn't been laid in, like, forever.  Or is he just like Ross from Friends and he's banging hookers the whole time but Jeph just doesn't bother showing it?

[AntiEntropy]

Man, I was really hoping that Marten got it together with OCD girl, it seems like he hasn't been laid in, like, forever.  Or is he just like Ross from Friends and he's banging hookers the whole time but Jeph just doesn't bother showing it?

It's called "sexual tension".  And dude, start your own thread or stay on topic!!!  

I mean it!!1

LOL!!11!!1111

[jmrz]

I'm enjoying this thread... I agree with the OCD being a result, or a component of an intelligent or highly active mind, and in my case, that probably explains my tendencies, even if they are somewhat minor...

Kindergarten: I measured the spaces between my words, so they were all perfectly even. When every other kid drew a house, they'd draw it free hand, i wouldnt even touch the paper unless i had a ruler... this is when i was 5/6 people.

I was taken to a shrink when i was about 4 (or earlier) and i told him his office was messy. He then told my mother that i wasnt sleeping cause i had an overactive mind... So its not suprising that OCD people have sleep problems.

My tendencies now, aren't that huge, although revolve highly around routine, things have to be done a certain way, and if they aren't perfect, im not happy....

OCD, can benefit some people, which is probably the case with me, although the constant need for perfection screws things over sometimes...

[Fate]

Doesn't everyone have those things they do that have to be done a certain way though? People just get so set in their ways after so much time that things just become like that naturally, yeah?

[AntiEntropy]

They do.  People all have there little quirks.  "We're all weird in our own way."  OCD happens when these things get in the way of normal living.

Let's take hand washing.  Many people think about washing there hands before they ate or after they go to the bathroom.  Then they feel okay and go out with their lives.  What if the hand washing didn't make you "feel okay"?  You still felt like you had just taken a dump and needed to wash your hands.

Or maybe you shake hands with some.  Many of us (especially in the flu season) think, "Hmmm, maybe I should wash my hands at some point."  What if right after you shake hands with someone you get an intense feeling that you must wash your hands NOW.  You try to suppress it but you start to sweat and panic.  You excuse yourself and run to the bathroom.  That goes over really well in a business meeting with a new client.

The first part is "normal".  The second part could be OCD.

[edit to repair spelling.  obessive?]

[est]

Stickying this, because there seems to be a few people bringing up certain things about OCD who only have knowledge of the cliches of OCD, not the reality of it.  Leaving this here for a while as a good "Hannelore reference post".

[Boomeringue]

I don't think issues with numbers or tiles, etc, are problems with OCD as much as they are typical human behavior. Our brains are meant for pattern-matching, and especially with intelligent people, when those patterns become more and more abstract, we start counting or looking for patterns in stupid things like tiles on the floor/ceiling/walls. I used to count the number of steps to get a particular place, and I'm sure it was more of a way to keep my brain occupied more than anything.

[AntiEntropy]

The sickness comes when these things interfer with your everyday life.