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Author Topic: The OCD Soapbox  (Read 92310 times)

Luke

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The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #50 on: 20 Mar 2006, 09:04 »

Yeah, as far as all the OCD-related speculations out there go, most of you don't have OCD. Watch the show Monk (on the USA channel, perhaps others) and you'll see what OCD really is.
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The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #51 on: 20 Mar 2006, 15:00 »

Is that actually a decent reference, though?  I saw a couple of episodes of that series and was like "Ok, this is an awful show".  Granted I don't have OCD, but it just seemed like they were going out of their way to be all like "he has OCD! look at how wild and crazy he is with the OCD and the cleanliness and the wackiness!"
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Inlander

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The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #52 on: 20 Mar 2006, 20:08 »

Yeah, I've only watched snippets of that show but I don't see any evidence of frustration, anger, diminished self-esteem and self-confidence, or self-harm used as a distraction mechanism.

For a better televisual depiction of O.C.D. watch the episodes of Scrubs in which Michael J. Fox guest-starred.
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AntiEntropy

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The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #53 on: 20 Mar 2006, 22:09 »

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Luke

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The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #54 on: 22 Mar 2006, 10:36 »

There was an episode of Monk where he got arrested because he mistakenly walked into his (deceased) wife's house, which had long been owned by different people by then.

Monk really is a good example of OCD, but he also suffers from other stuff. It's more of a situation where he took a huge psychological hit when his wife died, one of the results being some OCD-ish tendencies.



I personally am a much better example of OCD because I like even numbers better than odd numbers. </huurrrr>
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Cartilage Head

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The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #55 on: 29 Mar 2006, 18:40 »

I have not been officially diagnosed,but I am fairly certain that I have a mild case of obsessive compulsive disorder.
 1:I need to pop my fingers,toes,back,and neck about every hour.
 2: Every time I attempt to lock my door,I lock and unlock it at least three or four times to make sure it is locked.
 3:Every time somebody else spits,I have to spit.
 4:My bed cannot be unmade,ever.
 5:I cannot have dirty hands/feet/fingernails.
 6:I cannot wear clothing with any stains.
 7:If my hair is made,I am very pissed if it is disturbed. (Very vain of me,yes.)
 8:If,for instance,I do something to one finger (such as biting it out of nervousness) I must do it to all other fingers. This also goes for toes.
 But of course,I may just be a silly.
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Lillith

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The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #56 on: 06 Apr 2006, 18:57 »

Marten's suggestion about the odd/even numbers seems so simple - is that really possible? I have heard severe OCD people talk about it being already "contaminated" by said odd/even number.
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AntiEntropy

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The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #57 on: 07 Apr 2006, 12:02 »

Obessions don't have to be logic.
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Lillith

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The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #58 on: 08 Apr 2006, 12:09 »

exactly; that's why I'm asking if the solution would work
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AntiEntropy

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The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #59 on: 09 Apr 2006, 00:24 »

In the real world, probably not.  Might help someone.  Still, rearranging your pizza toppings isn't much better...
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Runite

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The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #60 on: 19 Apr 2006, 23:00 »

At the moment, my big thing is joint cracking.  I'm constantly cracking fingers, wrists, toes, ankles, neck, jaw, back, knees, elbows, shoulders, and so on.  Always.  Even when they're cracked and don't pop anymore, I go through the motions.  I've gotten so good at it that I can crack all ten fingers [with each non-thumb finger cracking in both joints] and all ten toes, my neck in both directions, both sides of my jaw and my lower back within 10 seconds without anyone seeing.  It really is a compulsion, too; see that list up there of all the joints I crack?  While typing the list, I kept catching myself cracking the named joint without even realizing I was doing it...but then I had to crack all the others, just in case they hadn't been "cracked out" as I call it.  All the joints.  Each time I typed a word.

Back when I was a little kid, I would curl my lower lip.  I did it so often that it split right in half and bled whenever I did it, but I'd still do it ten times an hour.

After that it was nose crunching.  I would "scrunch" my nose up like a pig constantly, but that went away fast.

My old bathroom had a tile pattern that was mostly white with a few black tiles.  Every time I was in there I had to cross my eyes so that the black tiles seemed to overlap each other perfectly.  If they didn't overlap so well that I couldn't tell there were really two black tiles on that spot, I'd stand there and squint and tilt my head until they did.

Whenever I do anything to one side of my, I have to do the same to the other.  I bet if I ever break a finger or something, I will deliberately snap the corresponding one in half as a matter of balance, and it will probably bother me if one heals faster than the other.  I've already "mirrored" cuts on my arm; I fell off a bike and scratched up my right bicep, so I scraped my left one on the ground until they hurt equally.  The right actually healed first, so I rescraped both.  Luckily, they healed roughly in unison.

It goes on like that.  Opening both eyes as wide as possible, CLOSING both eyes as tightly as possible, putting a heavy rock [20 pounds] in front of my bedroom door to make SURE it wouldn't close.  Checking my shirt tag twenty times an hour to make sure it isn't up.  Degaussing the monitor every hour on the hour and feeling sick to my stomach when I missed a time.

The first time I cracked my jaw, I remember it was the right side.  I spent two hours trying to crack the left side, and I finally did, but not before I pulled the muscles in my face [I kid you not].

I know this message is really disjointed and hard to follow, but it's 2:00 in the morning.  Sue me.

EDIT: Just naming those old habits that I've kicked is making me itch to do them again.  I caught myself doing the nose and lip things, as well as the eye once and checking the clock to see if it was time for a degauss.  Oddly, it was [off by a minute or so], but I fought that one off.  Barely.  I've cracked joints more times during this one post than I do in a normal hour, and while reading this topic more than in a full day; talking about it or having attention called to it makes it much, much worse.  When I'm stressed is the worst of all, I nearly broke my wrist while giving a speech because I was trying so hard to get ONE MORE CRACK out of it.

Can anyone give me some advice on how to control these compulsions?  It isn't that they're messing with my personal or academic life [I'm in Grade 10], I'm very sneaky about them.  I used to "sneeze" or "yawn" to hide a lip-curl and/or a nose-crunch.  The problem is that they're getting worse; none of my "younger" tics had so powerful an obsession.  I used to know exactly when I would tic, do it "consciously" and be able to force myself to stop; now I hardly ever notice when I'm doing it, and absolutely cannot stop if I try.  In fact, trying makes it worse!
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mega_jamie

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The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #61 on: 25 May 2006, 03:55 »

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



I'd agree with you on that one, I have the same thing with both sides of my body. If someone touches my left knee, I practically insist they do the same to the right need, with the same force and so on. It's quite annoying tendancy, but I'm learning to deal with it, it freaks me out to have my nose touched, because its in the middle, theres nothing that can be touched to balance it out, and that just plains creeps me out.

But it's cool, as far as OCD tendnacies go, I think the need to mirror touch senses isnt that much of a bad one, and I can have a laugh about it with my friends.

also at home we have big blinds over the window, the dog tends to like to see out of the window, he will quite often hop up onto the windowsill, then leave putting some of the blinds out of position, so for instance if they were closed, one would be looped on it's chain and stuck open. This must be fixed.

I think my oddest thing is that I'm not a clean person, or particuarly neat, because with neatness it is sayhing " i think it looks tidy that way" but i dont see the point, its when something MUST be that way that i get anal and compulsive about it.

And as Anti implied, needing medication doesnt make it a condition, its a condition that sometimes needs medication.


I think JJ is doing a good thing depicting OCD on a character of his, where most web-comics may be way to Politcal Correctness worried to go near it, or just go too far and potray it in a false manour.
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TheDollIsAngry

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The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #62 on: 01 Jun 2006, 21:12 »

My sister has diagnosed OCD, and has (this is for all those people speculating about 11-year-olds with OCD) had it since she was in elementary school, I think.  She has to check that all the doors are locked every night about fou times, check and recheck that the dogs are inside (even after she's seen them), etc.  She's also terrified that she'll accidentally leave a cigarette lit and it will burn the house down, so first she checks all the ash trays, then she makes me catch them.  She hates the thought of throwing up (to the point of real fear -- once I had to tell her thirty times that she wouldn't throw up.  She counted.), but not of sex.  She also has a thing about the stove and oven, and whether or not they're lit.  She doesn't like bridges, but there's one bridge in particular that she's terrified of -- she hadn't driven over it in two years, until just recently her therapist drove her over it.  

My sister has her ears and belly button pierced, and she smokes and drinks.

So basically, what people have been saying is right.  OCD manifests itself in all sorts of different ways, and there's no compulsion that HAS to be there.  And Hannelore is fairly realistic.
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MasseJoark

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Ahh Hannelore
« Reply #63 on: 29 Jun 2006, 07:44 »

I am more compulsive than obsessive.  There were things that I had to do in the past but it wasn't to "make everything Okay"  it was just that it looked better that way.  

I have about 60 Role-Playing books from D&D 2nd ed to every system White-Wolf created.  My WW books used to be arranged by game (Werewolf, vampire, etc.) then by Publish-number (WW1100 was Vampire's first book) until I got to the "clan books" or "tribe books"  Those would be arranged alphabetically ... last in the order.    My Ex used to re-arrange them backwards on me and I would spend quite some time fixing them.  I had to.  I grew out of that but now my bookcase is WRECKED and it doesn't please me.  

The other thing I did consistently is make my bed.  I grew out of that for a while when I moved out of my parents house but now it's back.  If I leave my house, my bed HAS to be made unless it's occupied.  If it's occupied, I have to make sure that it will be made when I come back home.  I can't stand walking into my room with my bed unmade.

I mumble "I wanna go home" whenever I think or do something embarrassing.  It doesn't matter where I am or what I'm doing at that time.  That's the only actual OCD thing I do.  Everything else I do is compulsion for compulsion's sake.  

I guess what I'm saying is this:  You can be Compulsive without being Obsessive.  Since I know this, can you have the Obsession without the Compulsion too? I'm sure they're both disorders regardless.

Thanks!
MJ
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Skrattybones

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The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #64 on: 22 Jul 2006, 14:40 »

I don't know what I am, but since everyone seems to be talking about their problems I thought I'd join in too.

I can't ever go to the bathroom at my school. Not because of the germs, but because the first time I did I missed all of my classes and almost the bus. The tiles on the bathroom floor consist of white, blue and burgandy colors, and there is no discernable pattern.

I sat down and looked at them, trying to find a pattern and the next thing I know, it's 5 hours later.

I'm one of the "sex is icky" people. I'm not a germ freak, but I really don't like gross things and go far out of my way to avoid them. I think about sex and it while the idea seems like fun, thinking about the actual act grosses me out.

I can't have my back to other people. This isn't an OC thing for the most part, except it happens everywhere in the most conventional settings. At school I have to be in a back corner, sitting sideways in a desk. In the cafeteria I'm against a wall in the corner.

At resturants I've gotta be in a corner booth, and waiting to order by a wall.

I'm always playing with something or other, except when I type. Just now, I stopped to ponder what to write next and there was a tube of Blistex in my hand. I noticed and put it down, and then I realized that I was picking at a spot in front of my ear. I stopped that and responded to an Instant Message and then I was fiddling with a comb.

That brings me to another one. I've got to comb my hair. My hair is very short, but I've got at least two combs at my computer desk and I'll just randomly stop doing something and comb my hair. This one doesn't happen much outside of my home, though.

I have a need to be able to crack everything in my body. I can crack all my fingers, wrists, elbows, shoulders, neck, jaw, ears, throat, ribs, spine, upper back, lower back, hips, groin/upper legs, knees, ankles, and all my toes. I crack them about once every hour and if one won't crack I can't do anything else until it cracks.

I'm a nail biter. If I'm listening to someone talk I'll start biting my thumb nail until it's clean off, and slowly work my way around every finger. If I realize I'm biting my nails I'll purposly do it faster so they're all gone.

My jaw was cracked when I was younger so it's ever slightly off. I've been growing facial hair since I was twelve, and every time I shave I go for a goatee, but it gets shaved because it looks 'off'.

Finally, I think, is that my bedroom door needs to always be closed. As I was typing this my grandmother came in and said something, and I was already up and pushing the door closed, listening for the "click" that means it's fully shut before she was all the way out because I had to have the door closed.


So... that's all my stuff. What do you all think? By the way, I'm new! I found a link to Rob and Elliot, which linked to this, and I couldn't sleep unti l I was finished reading the entire archive. I guess that's another thing; I have sleeping problems. Heh.

Edit: I forgot one. You guys know that website http://www.fark.com? Well, I started checking it every now and again because it keeps me up-to-date on current events.... but now I have to check it a lot. Every hour or so.
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gambollingsundae

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The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #65 on: 22 Jul 2006, 23:48 »

I only have a cople OCD-like tendencies:

1.  When I make my bed, it has to be PERFECT.  No wrinkles, even on both sides, hosptial corners....the whole nine yards.  I can go days without making my bad, but making it and having it be off drives me batty.

2.  If I have a stack of papers, they have to be perfectly straight.  Having one paper off bothers me, and I have to tap them on all sides until they're straight again.
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cTony

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The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #66 on: 26 Jul 2006, 12:02 »

I've a few little quirks; I'm sure everyone has a little of these kinds of things; though my family notices some of the things that i do, it doesnt interfere with anything.

I have to smell things before i'll let them touch any part of me other than my hands, which are used to pick them up so i can smell them >_>. THis is most important for towels. Ill go through an entire cupboard and find the towel that has the most non existant smell.
I wash dishes when i take them out the cupboard; This is more because no one in the universe knows how to wash a cup ... If i wash the dishes it takes hoursof serious inspection. I can't dry things with a towel because ..er.. towel fibres... I don't want towel fibres in my food or drink.
I used to save with Ctrl+S between 3 and six times, and user the menu as well, depending on the importance of the document. Now i just use the menu because i've gotten used to woking with C++ workspaces, where the IDE option to save everything doesnt have a shortcut key (though it may be customizable).
Things should be at right angles, especially paper. I don't always budge to move it, but if i look at a table, and its not orthagonal to the wall, it annoys me. If i do handle it for any reason, then as im already in the process of touching it, i'd make it orthagonal to the wall; The most common things subject to this are my mouse mat, books, and coasters (in which the cup has to be centered).
Im far too lazy and tired to ever develop anything serious though... Unless uoi can be Obsessively compulsed to do nothing, in which case i need immediate help :D (Im 18..so i think that explains it)
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Steyr_Junkie

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The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #67 on: 28 Jul 2006, 07:49 »

I'm bad about the lock on my apartment door. I always end up getting out of bed 5 or 6 times to make sure its locked before I can fall asleep. The only other quirk I have is concerning the zipper on jackets. I either have it zipped all the way up, unzipped, or right to the solar plexus.
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Serene Cataclysm

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The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #68 on: 28 Jul 2006, 19:56 »

Wow, I have OCD symptoms and never realized that they were OCD symptoms until I read this thread.

On number 1 - 9, I prefer odd numbers, because they always have a number in the middle.  I envision dots in my head and for some reason connect the beginning, middle, and end dots in my head.  I gives them a sense of...security?  With numbers 10 and up, I prefer even numbers because they are easily divisible and fun to manipulate in my head.  I like prime numbers, too.  There's a sense of security that I don't have to worry about any other numbers being multiplied to equal the prime number except for the number times one.  Prime numbers also have a bold feeling to me.  Weird.

I rarely pay attention to cracks when walking, but when I do, I like the balance the sensations between my feet by alternating stepping on cracks with each foot, touching approximately the same spot on my foot.

I can never save a word/excel document just once.  I save at least twice, usually three times, and sometimes five times.  Once does not feel secure enough.

When I was a bit younger, there was a period of about 2 or 3 months where I would constantly sniff my nose as if I had sinus problems at least once a minute.  It drove people INSANE.  It went away on it's own, though.

None of these impact my day to day life in any perceivable manner.  They just make me feel a wee bit quirky.

Oh, and Hannelore is my absolute favorite character.  I am filled with glee everytime Jeph puts up a strip with Hanners in it.  If there ever was a QC spinoff, I'd love to see a storyline with Hannelore as the main protaganist.  I might have a seizure due to overwhelming levels of awesome, though.
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cTony

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The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #69 on: 07 Aug 2006, 06:57 »

Apart from the number things, I share those things too Serene Cataclysm (Inc. Hannelore thing).
I was always told my nose would fall off if i didn't stop sniffling >_>.
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EvilBit

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The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #70 on: 23 Aug 2006, 19:27 »

I've got some moderate OCD myself.  Briefly, my O's and C's are:

-Symmetry, as mentioned by many
-Even numbers, ditto
-Stepping on cracks (mostly appears when under stress)
-Right angles and alignment
-Sometimes I count stairs as I climb/descend them
-I have to have the seam on paper cups facing directly away from me
-I once had a minor anxiety attack where I felt compelled to read absolutely every word I could see.  It sucked.  I was in Borders at the time.  It really sucked.
-Other various things

The one thing that strikes me as particularly inaccurate about Hannelore though is that she got a job counting things because she enjoys it.  I don't know about anyone else, but my compulsions drive me crazy.  I can't stand being compelled to do things that get in the way of normal life most of the time.  If I had a serious counting compulsion, the last thing I would do is put myself in front of things I needed to count.  So instead of a dream job, it seems more like it would be hell to me.  Of course, I may be wrong.  Anybody have thoughts on this?
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notselfcreated

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The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #71 on: 14 Sep 2006, 12:52 »

In Monk they did something similar--Monk's "dream job" was being a cog in a corporate machine, collating and proofreading reports, etc.

Do OCD folks "enjoy" acting out compulsions; or is it more that they 'enjoy' the results, or is it all just a drag?
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Near Lurker

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The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #72 on: 15 Sep 2006, 06:20 »

Quote from: Luke
Yeah, as far as all the OCD-related speculations out there go, most of you don't have OCD. Watch the show Monk (on the USA channel, perhaps others) and you'll see what OCD really is.


Um...no.

Although I do wonder if most of these people are severe enough to be said to have OCD.  I mean, look:

-I can't stand cheese.  Not the taste, but the idea of cheese, not the source, but just the fact that it is cheese.  I'll eat cheese dishes, unless I'm reminded I'm eating cheese (e.g. a pizza that doesn't melt too much or have certain toppings).  If someone is chewing cheese with his mouth open, I go fucking crazy.
-Unless I consciously stop myself, whenever I'm left alone in a room with a chair, I spin it counterclockwise while walking clockwise, sometimes for the better part of an hour.
-I can't stand to be in a room with an open door.  No matter what I'm doing, if there's a door, it absolutely has to be closed (ajar is OK sometimes).
-I can't stand it when paper torn along a perforation has scraps of the other piece on it.  I always stop to tear them off.
-Everytime I see something that screws in, I stop to see whether it's loose.  If it is, I screw it in until it's tight or unscrew it completely (this has gotten me into a bit of trouble with fire hydrants).

My point being that I don't have OCD (as five seconds in my room would show).  I'll bet I could make a list like this for anyone on the planet.  If a few little nervous habits make a "disorder," who the hell doesn't have one?
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gingersnaps

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The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #73 on: 15 Sep 2006, 13:37 »

OCD is a shitty deal unless you use it to your advantage. I myself have had it for quite a while and I tend to put it towards schoolwork. However there    are OCD freak out moments that when coupled with my anxiety and depression that I just can't handle things properly. So naturally, I turned to  a drug that covers all three of these things: zoloft!
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notselfcreated

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The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #74 on: 17 Sep 2006, 08:09 »

I've heard mixed things about zoloft. it gave a friend of mine terrible headaches; and she said it did nothing for her mood.
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rememberthrough

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Re: The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #75 on: 17 Oct 2006, 22:27 »

As someone diagnosed with OCD (and medicated, for a year or so, before I learned to handle it on my own), I think that the concentration on cleaning and rigid structure is kind of misleading. For example, my obsessions and compulsions usually have to deal with moral issues rather than anything else. And yes, they did manifest themselves in ways harmful to my life, but I was able to get over them. I just think that constant cleaning is too often associated with OCD sufferers, and while some definitely do have that problem, most have others. And some, like myself, have very atypical conditions still within that disorder.

Just offering my experiences.
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spinning_Starlet

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Re: The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #76 on: 27 Nov 2006, 14:25 »

weird that i have spotted this today, as yesterday my boyfriend and i were discussing this kinda.

Out of curiosity is it possiable to have bi-polar OCD?

Because i am kinda mildly bi-polar at the moment (this is an improvement) and most of the time i am absolutetly fine, but when i do get a mood swing i get all panicky.

I wash my hands too much. i will be ready to go to sleep and be in bed and realise that my hands are still not clean - having already washed them three or four times and actually have to get out of bed to go to the bathroon and wash them.  This means warm water, soap, rinse, more soap, rinse REALLY WELL i cannot have any soap left on them, and they need to be completely dry. I cannot leave them damp or i have to wash them again.

I also Clean Stuff when i switch moods too.  I get really angry with the rest of the people in the hosue for being so messy and just clean everything. i clean the kitchen, do all the washing up, all the drying (wash my hands before and after, even though they have been in the washing up water) the sink has to be emptied and re-filled when the water gets mucky, etc, etc.

When i am at the pub or wherever, my packet of cigs, lighter and phone all have to be parrell to the edge of the table. if it gets moved i have to move it back. mostly i do this without thinking about it.

But as i said, it is mostly only really when i switch moods.

Is that plausiable?
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rambunctiousky

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Re: The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #77 on: 03 Jan 2007, 07:48 »

Golly, this is really interesting!
It sure is!

I am glad that those of you with OCD have been open enough to share your stories, I have found it interesting.

That said, I also agree with Near Lurker. Most of us don't have OCD. We are complex human beings and all have our odd quirks.

However, when quirks become obsessions is when it turns into a mental health issue.

I would also like to know if people who have OCD with a particular thing (counting in thes example) actually like doing the behavior as a job. I would think that if you have an obsession that you are trying to get over, then you wouldn't enjoy doing that obsession as a job. This is all theoretical though and just my mind pondering. I don't think that Jeph should have done it differently, because the fact that she is OCD about counting and has a job counting is entertaining.

 
Oh, and Hannelore is my absolute favorite character.  I am filled with glee everytime Jeph puts up a strip with Hanners in it.  If there ever was a QC spinoff, I'd love to see a storyline with Hannelore as the main protaganist.  I might have a seizure due to overwhelming levels of awesome, though.

I love Hanners too, although she would have to be a bit more developed for a spinoff storyline to be created for me to be interested.

As with all obsessions/addictions they are only "bad" when they affect your life in a negative way. If obsessively counting stairs as you climb them interferes with your life then you have a problem. If obsessively counting stairs does not interfere with your life then it's just a quirky part of you.

It's a good thing I'm not OCD about spelling because I can't spell worth beans. :)
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NoodleRama

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Re: The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #78 on: 04 Jan 2007, 10:55 »

I used to have a weird form of OCD.  I would always have to touch the corners of my desk, my paper, and even sometimes, the room.  I also used to have to cover up my pencil with my hands completely.  I also had to walk around the corners of things like sandboxes and jungle gyms.  I eventually broke myself of these weird habbits.  It is an odd feeling, having to do weird random things or else you have this feeling of anxiety. 

I love Hanners.  She's one of my favorite characters. =3
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Barmymoo

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Re: The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #79 on: 20 Jan 2007, 18:15 »

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 accidentally pressed my face too 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...

Wow, I always thought I was the only person who did this... but there again I realised a long time ago that it's a bit egotistical to believe you're the only one who has a particular trait or characteristic so really I don't know why I assumed that!

But it's not really OCD, I don't think, or at least not for me. Too many people (ie my age) like to pretend they have something badly wrong when really it's just common of the age group.
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There's this really handy "other thing" I'm going to write as a footnote to my abstract that I can probably explore these issues in. I think I'll call it my "dissertation."

mqarcus

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Re: The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #80 on: 24 Jan 2007, 03:46 »

Well, I guess that I should be here too.

I have diagnosed OCD. I have an obsession about hygiene and symmetry and need to wash my hands all the time, clean every inch of the house, place things in alphabethical order, place them with the excact same space between and that kind of stuff.
Sometimes I can't sleep because I need to get up and check if the carpet lies symmetrically to the wall and that kind of stuff.

This takes up many hours every day, I barely get any sleep because I stay up late at night and scrub the kitchen clean. It's annoying, and I go to a therapist, but I can't say it's helping much.
« Last Edit: 24 Jan 2007, 03:48 by mqarcus »
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Evil_Lathander

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Re: The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #81 on: 25 Jan 2007, 19:29 »

There's Death Metal band named "Scar Symmetry"

They're pretty good, mixing hard beats and good melodies with raw and clear vocals...

Anyways, on OCD's, I once saw this one case where this one woman spent almost all day at home re-arranging her chairs to be alligend perfectly... sounds recognisable?
« Last Edit: 25 Jan 2007, 19:40 by Evil_Lathander »
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mqarcus

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Re: The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #82 on: 25 Jan 2007, 19:30 »

Pretty much, yes.
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Evil_Lathander

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Re: The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #83 on: 25 Jan 2007, 19:41 »

I'm suddenly reminded of a certain simpsons episode where Flanders wants to be more like Homer and goes on Homer's program to become more wild :-P
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AnubicDarque

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Re: The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #84 on: 31 Jan 2007, 02:03 »

I just want to thank J.Jacques for having the ability to create a OCD charator with both cunning skill and sensitivity.  She makes me laugh lots, and I can see some of myself in her.  I also suffer from OCD, thankfully its not the classic clean evertying thats nailed down type  but it does affect my life in many various ways, and has cost me jobs  relationships  marriage. 
At this time I am not taking any medication for it, it would take me 4 years to get on meds with waiting lists for psychiatric so I deal with it as best I can though mental excersizes. though its rough  and its hard trying to find ways to do things that most people would normally do. 

Well thats enough out of me  Back to your regularly scheduled program
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Evil_Lathander

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Re: The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #85 on: 31 Jan 2007, 02:18 »

Is what Stephen Fry has also an OCD?
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keltic

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Re: The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #86 on: 15 Feb 2007, 14:21 »

OCD:

i have ocd.

mine were odd.  my obessions were related to religion/morals/spirituality and to bodily thinness.  my compulsions were "obeying the voice of god" and having to change my clothes and adjust them because they felt too tight..to loose..to tight..to loose.

at first, OCD took just a few mimnutes out of my life. and just a little happiness. eventually, it took DAYS aways and i was always miserable.

hooray for drugs! and therapy!


antientropy is rights. OC happens alot. OCD...the DISORDER, is when one's obessions and compulsions start to fuck up your life.

if you *enjoy* making up your bed perfectly, and it takes 10 minutes..so what? no OCD.
if you *hate* having to do it, it might be OCD>


someone said smart people are more prone to O and C. maybe.  but I would say mentally disabled people are very C prone.

as for what part of the brain OCD  is from...they think it is  It has been theorized that a miscommunication between the orbital-frontal cortex, the caudate nucleus, and the thalamus may be a factor in the explanation of OCD. The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is the first part of the brain to notice whether or not something is amiss. When the OFC notices that something is wrong, it sends an initial ?worry signal? to the thalamus. When the thalamus receives this signal, it in turn sends signals back to the OFC to interpret the worrying event. The caudate nucleus lies between the OFC and the thalamus and it prevents the initial worry signal from being sent back to the thalamus after it has already been received. However, it is suggested that in those with OCD, the caudate nucleus does not function properly, and therefore does not prevent this initial signal from recurring. This causes the thalamus to become hyperactive and creates a virtually never-ending loop of worry signals being sent back and forth between the OFC and the thalamus. The OFC responds by increasing anxiety and engaging in compulsive behaviors in an attempt to relieve this apprehension.[2]
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Dasota

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Re: The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #87 on: 15 Feb 2007, 16:51 »

I have quite a few OC's quirks.

When I was little, I always had to rearrange the candy at the cash registers. Like if there was a box of say gum, I had to make sure there was a flat layer of the packages of gum, and then line them up from right to left. Also, there was a bait shop my dad used to go to, and he had a box that had various candy bars and such and I would always arrange the box with the candy bars along the back and stacked up one on top of each other and then the gum packs in front of it with them on top of each other as well, so long as they were the same size.

Whenever I am at a social gathering where a lot of drinks in cans are being consumed, I have to make a pyramind, and if doesn't make a pyramind (ie, I can make one, but have some left over I then have to drink/gather more cans to finish it)

And in high school, I used to freak the hell out if the regulars who sat at our lunch table switched seats. everyone had to sit in an "assigned" seat.

I too have to avoid the lines and cracks in the sidewalk, but I also try to calculate how big my steps are based on how many steps it takes me to cover say 10 of the sidewalk blocks.

My bed has to be acrossed from my door, yet I sleep with my back to the door. And whenever I sleep at someone else's house and am in a guest bedroom or whatever, the door has to be shut, whether I'm in there on not. It bothers me quite a bit when I've gone to bed at a friend's house and the door was opened, which has happened quite a number of times.

I guess that's it for me. But yeah, i don't see it as quite a disorder, except the whole seat thing in high school, but I'm out of high school and it doesn't affect me anymore.
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keltic

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Re: The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #88 on: 16 Feb 2007, 07:18 »

drug companies want everyone to be ill.

good doctors dont


only 1% of people are bipolar by conservative estimates.

highest is still less than 4%. my quess: 2% have some sort of bipolar.

why does it seem like "so many"

1) false diagnosis, esp in youth.
2)  2% means 6 million bipolar.

what does number 2 mean?

well, there are only 3  million mormons in america.
and only 3 million jews.

so think about how many mormons and jews you have seen. they even have buildings!  so, when you think of bipolar remember that.

i have about 28 relatives..none are bipolar. i do have a step cousin who is bipolar..if i include step cousins, i have about 40 realtives.

and remember it runs in families.  so does OCD.

pyschology today reports that 50% of all marriages fail. and 90% of marriages with one bipolar do. wow.
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. Brian .

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Re: The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #89 on: 17 Feb 2007, 20:02 »

Wait wait wait wait. LEt me get this straight. Locking and unlocking the door three times is a sign of OCD? ...I do that a lot. Does this mean I am OCD, ADD, or just bored?
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mer

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Re: The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #90 on: 18 Feb 2007, 01:31 »

The DSM IV characterizes something as a disorder if significantly interferes with your daily life. On that note, I'm pretty sure you're fine
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maddness

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Re: The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #91 on: 23 Feb 2007, 15:07 »

Quote
I don't see any evidence of frustration, anger, diminished self-esteem and self-confidence, or self-harm used as a distraction mechanism.

I know two adults and one child with OCD and they don't self-harm or seems to suffer from anger or esteem issues. I know one of them went through a phase in their teens where they self-injured and had real anger issues, but he eventually accepted that he was the way he was and moved past it. The child is only 7 and doesn't see anything wrong with his "rules". The other adult is kind of in denial, he doesn't see anything odd or irrational about the things he does.


My husband is bipolar, he was diagnosed at 18,and he has some mild OCD-like behaviours/thoughts. When the time on the clock is all the same number, he has to be still until it passes. When the days like up that way, like 07/07/07, he is anxious all day long, certain something bad is going to happen. He has to make sure the stove is off every night before he goes to bed, regardless of whether it was used or not. He constantly checks to make sure his wallet is in his pocket, never mind that the thing is constantly digging into him, he has to touch it to be sure it's there.
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tinkerbell

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Re: The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #92 on: 16 Mar 2007, 02:32 »

While I think that the representation in QC of OCD is a bit weird, I am not going to dismiss it. I mean, I doubt anyone here is qualified to diagnose any kind of mental illness. I am currently on medication for OCD and general anxiety, which manifested itself after I was treated for anorexia; apparently these are quite interlinked. Hannelore is clearly supposed to be making an effort, which I think is good because it is not cool to portray mental illness as a cool thing to have.
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ersatz humanity

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Re: The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #93 on: 18 Mar 2007, 20:58 »

[Ja, I am new here. I hope you do not mind me jumping in upon this conversation.]

Actually, for those wondering if eleven year olds were ever diagnosed, you should consider going lower.

I was diagnosed with moderate OCD and anxiety at the age of seven, after a series of strep throat infections and bronchitis. They put me on an inhaler and that was it. After that, I can vividly recall my mother hurling the thing down the driveway. Before hand, I was told I displayed some suggestive tendencies, even at the age of three. However, my family has a long history of mental illnesses of this kind, so I am not surprised I was struck with it.

I used to worry about swearing constantly, and had violent mental images of being dragged down into the earth if I cussed for some odd reason. Some OCD sufferers are very God-fearing, which I happened to be. (You wouldn't know that now, since I am far from religious and swear rather fluently.) The only way I got over that one was to sit in a corner of my room and cuss under my breath, as I believed standing in the middle of my room would actually permit whatever forces there were to smite me.

On top of that, I would ask people constantly if I was flipping them off. I would do so repetitively, which still manifests itself to this day.
I once had gotten so terrible that I would walk around all day with my hands clenched into fists. (Though, I was also deathly afraid of germs on my hands at that time, and would wash them superstitiously until they were raw.) I was unable to even play outside because of it, and kind of just watched the kids in my neighborhood have fun.

I was later terrified of throwing anything out with my name on it, because I was afraid someone would take my identity. So, I hoarded everything I ever wrote my name on and hid them under my bed. Eventually, with treatment I hated, I was able to do so. (Mental help facilities really weren't as sophisticated as they are, now. I remember going to a specialized school for awhile.)

There are a slew of other things, but recently I have revisited the old fear of something penetrating my skin. At the moment, I am afraid of my nails, so I cut them very short. I also constantly ask if there's anything odd on my skin. For a while, it was an obsession with my weight, but I can only think of one thing at a time.

Yeah, so...That's my experience.
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Skrattybones

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Re: The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #94 on: 25 Mar 2007, 18:31 »

keltic:

Comedians also say that 85% of all statistics are made up.
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DM27

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Re: The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #95 on: 09 Apr 2007, 05:10 »

Well, now I had to go and register so I can add my two cents...

Couple of points:

1) OCD = obsessive/compulsive behavior that intereferes with the ability of a patient to perform their normal activities.  OC Traits are similar symptoms that are not bad enough to interefere with life to any significant degree.

2) Many people have OC traits.  Most "type A" people have some degree of this quality.  Most physicians have some degree of it, which is useful if it means they are very detail oriented and are less likely to miss a lab result or such that may make a difference.

3) Some of the stuff people have listed actually sound more like Tourette's syndrome.  OCD and Tourette's syndrome often go hand-in-hand, as ~40% of Tourette's patients have OCD as well.  Basically, Tourette's simply means you have at least one motor tic, at least one vocal tic (throat-clearing, sniffling, etc.), both of which last for more than a few months, and it started prior to age 18.

4) People with psychiatric conditions often smoke.  It actually may be a form of self-medication, especially in bipolar and schizophrenic patients.

In case you're wondering, I'm actually a neurologist, and have seen (and treated) many people with Tourette's (less with pure OCD, they tend to see psychiatrists, first).  I have a patient who strikes me as very similar to Hannelore, so the depiction is actually very realistic (although people with OCD can vary quite a bit).
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Finity4

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Re: The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #96 on: 14 Apr 2007, 16:21 »

To expand on the point our esteemed neurologist has made...

OCD is much the same as psychological disorders around the world: you cannot classify any two cases as exactly the same, for the simple reason that no two people are exactly the same. I find it entirely believable that someone could have a case of OCD much like hannelore's, while another peon from seattle would have something completely different. Yes, many people who suffer from OCD or Tourette's share similar symptoms and compulsions (washing hands, etc.) but that does not mean by any stretch of the imagination that all people who suffer from OCD must have the same traits.

On a side note, for those who truly suffer from OCD, I'd hate to think all this speculating and conjecture in any way offends them - we're just a bunch of tards splitting hairs over a cool comic.
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RJHertz

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Re: The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #97 on: 18 Apr 2007, 14:24 »

A great book on this topic is Just Checking by Emily Colas.
This is the summary from the publisher: Hip, humorous, and honest, this is the first first-person account of living with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. In it, Colas explains the minutiae of day-to-day life with OCD -- endless, looping fears about pills, garbage, restaurant food, everything -- and how her phobias grew until they all but called her life to a halt.

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Mal42

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Re: The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #98 on: 20 Apr 2007, 05:20 »

keltic:

Comedians also say that 85% of all statistics are made up.

i think that about the same percentage of fake people on the internet :P
but i'm sure everyone heres cool.

a few of my mates have some serious OCD's, they dont let it get them down, and keep on doing things, trying to fight back at it.  ones even stopped her meds and is now concentrating on beating it themself. i have several mild disorders - bipolar  and a disasociative disorder, only one OCD however.  i go mad if i cant touch my hair.  :oops:
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Blind_Io

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Re: The OCD Soapbox
« Reply #99 on: 26 Apr 2007, 01:44 »

I know that this has been pretty well covered, but I thought I could contribute a clinical perspective. 

The essential features of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (not to be confused with Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder)  are recurrent obsessions or compulsions that are severe enough to be time consuming (more than 1 hour a day) or cause marked distress or significant impairment.  At some point in the disorder, the person has recognized that the obsessions or compulsions are excessive or unreasonable. 

Obsessions are persistent ideas, thoughts, impulses or images that are experienced as intrusive and inappropriate and that cause marked anxiety or distress.  There is a sense that the obsessions are alien and not within the person's control or not emanating from the person's own mind.  The most common obsessions are repeated thoughts about contamination, repeated doubts, a need to have things in a particular order, aggressive or horrific impulses, and sexual imagery.  These thoughts are not related to real-life problems such as work or school.  A person with these obsessions normally tries to suppress, ignore or neutralize them through some other thought or action - this is a compulsion.  Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts the goal of which is to prevent or reduce anxiety or distress (not provide pleasure or gratification).  The most common compulsions involve cleaning, washing, checking, requesting or demanding assurances, repeating actions or ordering. 

Adults, by definition, have some insight into the disorder and its negative impact, however, this criteria does not apply

The onset of OCD is typically in adolescence or early adulthood, however it can be diagnosed in children.  Onset for males tends to be earlier than females with males' onset between 6 and 15 years and females' onset between 20 and 29 years.  The early onset of OCD in the comic would not bode well for treatment and prognosis, although it appears that since it was caught early and with the help of parents seeking treatment Hanners is doing well.  For the most part, onset is gradual, but acute onset has been noted in some cases.  Most individuals demonstrate a persistent and chronic waxing and waning of symptoms over time.  About 15% of people with OCD show progressive deterioration and occupational and personal difficulties related to the symptoms.  About 5% have an episodic course with minimal or no symptoms between episodes. Hanners does not seem to fall into either of these groups, but demonstrates the chronic pattern. 

With therapy and anti-anxiety medication, the symptoms of OCD can be managed.  Hanners has been in therapy since age 11, which indicates both the severity of onset and symptoms (and also prognosis).  However, she appears to be functional for the most part with minimal impairment on social functioning.  She has adapted by choosing work that not only minimizes her exposure to stressors but actually serves the compulsion of counting.  Her insight seems quite remarkable and while we don't know the obsessive side of her (other than contamination, but I suspect there is more), I would say she is actually doing quite well and the portrayal of OCD in Hanners is clinically feasible.  There are a few anomalies, but in Psychology everyone is an anomaly; there is no such thing as a "text book case" there are only text-book case presentations. 

I hope this has been somewhat helpful.  I would be happy to expand on anything that is unclear.

Sources Referenced: Class notes and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV - Text Revision.
« Last Edit: 26 Apr 2007, 10:58 by Blind_Io »
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