Does anyone here have OCD...

[MUM23ASD]

...or should i go to mental health?

Its hard trying to work out exactly where i am best to post!

I have 3 boys with Asperger's Syndrome.

I believe i have it too...however am diagnosed with OCD (which i agree i do have)....however...not everything i struggle with is 'mental Health'

I post on the SN threads too...just hoping that this area could be more for ME and SN for my boys???

Threads from people with OCD do come up quite a lot in various areas, I think, MUM23ASD. Have you tried doing a search?

it would have been nice to find people around this area as it is where i like to be!

I know of a couple on SN that have OCD... hoped they lurked here too!

I think I probably have OCD - 2 of my brothers have an Aspergers diagnosis and I could probably get diagnosed with it as well, but I don't want to. I do have a bit of anxiety as well (I worry about my DCs accidentally eating something dangerous etc).

I have just posted a thread in the property section, but it does have an OCD theme as I am worrying about something that most people probably just get on and do. I did think about posting it in mental health, but then it would probably make me feel more "mental" and I usually try to pretend to myself that I am just a bit over cautious and over think things rather than being mentally ill in a full blown sense.

thanks crokky!

I too have aniety about safety etc

my 'thing' at the moment is the fear that i will get run over when walking along a path.
this one comes and goes...and a psychologist tried one to rationalise it by pointing out it hardly happens etc...but it's always niggling me at the back of my mind.

so 2 weeks ago...that boy was killed in bristol- a hit and run- on the pavement...EXACTLY my fear.

so that is all i need to prove my worry is valid.

then yesterday a heating duct collapsed in a school hall.....

and my mind is off at tangents!

My other probs involve hoarding and storage boxes that remain empty- but fill thehouse- as i cannot decide how best to use them...so the muddles build up...the storage boxes remain empty....

Here's how I try and think of things - hope it might help you in some areas...

The heating duct...if a heating duct (or similar) was to collapse in your DC's school, there is absolutely nothing you could have done to prevent it - school maintenance/inspection is something you have absolutely no say at all over. Therefore, you worrying about it cannot help prevent it happening...so you mustn't worry about it. By all means, if you are in school for a play or something and you think you see something not safe, you can report it to the school (anonomously if you are embarassed!).

I haven't finished writing, but DS wants me - will be back!

Bizarre that you should mention hoarding - that is something that I am totally ruthless with. What sort of stuff are you hoarding? I do not keep anything at all unless it is absolutely necessary. I chuck stuff out of my house (to the charity shop or eBay) most days - everything I have finished using must go immediately so that it doesn't start piling up. My loft is empty and I can see all my stuff - nothing is hidden at the back of drawers/in cupboards because drawers are organised and I don't have a hall cupboard anyway. I used to have boxes of stuff that I kept for some reason (useful in future/sentimental...etc). However, I got rid of the vast majority of it. It is very liberating and it also helps keep the place tidy. Stuff that you might use/might be useful in future - I usually look at it and think...in the event that I do need it, Asda sell most necessary things very cheaply so you can rebuy if necessary (it turns out not to be necessary actually!) or I could borrow something from my mum etc - that means most things can go. Sentimental things - well these you can take a photo of and put the photo in an album if these items are taking up a lot of space. I think that a big task like those boxes and all that stuff - that is really difficult for someone with Aspergers to tackle - they would find it to be quite an undefined task and not know where to start, so spend so much time wondering instead - I certainly would.

Actually I am LOL about my advice - have a look in the property section for my thread - it is bizarre and I was embarassed to post it - perhaps you can help me as you seem to have a similar mindset!

LOL!
I will look at the property thread later!

The hoarding is what i am focussing on at the moment- as i decided it is something i can control- like you said the heating duct thing is out of my control etc...

i'll make you laugh now....i keep all the ribbons that are attatched to womens clothes to hook onto hangers....you know...the bits that everyone else throws away...
i even feel edgey that so many people throw away these (useful bits of ribbon)..so useful that i have not 'used' any of them for a year or two. (i used to make birthday cards etc...and the ribbons found a use...but i hoarded them before i made cards...and have not stopped since the cardmaking died a death!)

do you feel 'obsessed' about throwing away/tidiness...do you ever regret what you have thrown away?

no - I've never regretted any of it. I have a fair amount of stuff in the house at any one time, but it's all strictly current stuff that's in use - it's mainly toys - but only toys the the DCs currently like and play with - others go the charity shop/eBay. The only thing that is a bit obsessive about it is that part of the reason I keep the house clean and tidy is so that my DCs will not inadvertantly come across something and accidentally hurt themselves with it/eat it. Most of my fears do seem to revolve around my youngest picking up something and eating it and coming to harm.

Those ribbons - if I had them (or similar), I think I would put them in the charity shop and I would think to myself that the charity shop would have them in an art box. I would find it hard to keep something that didn't have an immediate use and that I could easily replace if I did happen to need it in the future. But I can totally see your case for not putting them in the bin. I seem to think of my local charity shops as though they are magic - everything I put in there - I always think of someone finding it, liking it and having a good use for it. I think the charity shop does well out of me .

Hi, just noticed this thread and wanted to say that my dw had a terrible case of OCD several years ago, but never wanted to seek professional help as she thought it would look bad. So I spent many hours reading up about the various types OCD and different cases and eventually, together, we managed to get though it. I recall a useful book was 'Stop thinking, start living', also a book on self meditation. I'm always happy to answer any questions, just to say, your OCD seems far less severe and will be much easier to control with the right state of mind. Good luck

what i'm struggling with this week-again....
is

the kitchen.

trying to organises it so it 'feels right'

trouble is...i like things together that 'should' be together

ie ....

toaster,bread bin ,bread board....

kettle,mugs,tea,sugar (near cuttlerly draw for spoons)....

glasses near drinks cupboard/fridge

bin near food prep area.

saucepans in 1 cupboard, plastics in another, ovenproof dishes in another, plates in another near diswasher

savoury food in 1 cupboard, sweet in another etc.

shelves have to positioned to accomodate things perfectly. if something doesn't fit...will change shelf just so it does...and if i end up with things which 'don't really have a place' i feel unable to throw them away- even when i never use them...as i know that one day i'll find the right place for them.

no food stored with storage containers....

well...problem is i know this is all totally impossible as i've been battling with this obsession for 20yrs.

people comment on how tidy my cupboards are...but to me it is never right.

this isn't about cleanliness...its all about things being in the 'right place'

if i get up one day and walk in the kitchen and 'something feels wrong'...that is my day ruined. I then ignore everything else i planned... and that includes doing the things that NEED to be done... in favour of 'finally getting the kitchen right'

its like playing with a dolls house.

basically, the rational part of me says 'you cannot ever achieve what you want...so stop.'

but my other voice is telling me that if i just try a bit more, i can relax.

just wanted to post this as i saw 2 people had kindly replied recently, and i wondered if they have any ideas

(by the way...reading this back, i'm tempted to delete, as it all sounds so stupid...but it probably is my worst OCD ...and if i were to add up the hours spent each week moving stuff around....well...i know what else i should be doing with that time.)

DH & the boys are sick of it too. They get used to where something is- then i move it.

DH reckons I have moved everything so much that i must have put things in the same configuration over and over-

do you have any proper help from psychologist or CPN to work through any of this MissusF? Off the top of my head, re:kitchen, would have thought you need to work on living with the thought that the kitchen stuff is untidy and resisting the temptation to tinker with it to try and relieve anxiety. obviously if you don't have proper professional backup the self-help stuff can be hard to do....

I don't have OCD but my DH does and it isn't always easy to live with.
We also have a DS who is 28 months old and while he displays no obvious OCD signs we are aware it's possible he could develop it (esp as DH believes his Dad has undiagnosed OCD and also has other family members with various mental health issues).

It's great to find some other people living with this disorder.

PS Crokky you remind me a bit of my DH. I cringe everytime he says the word organise, because it means something is going to go either in the bin or the recycling (our recycling takes all sorts of stuff, so it's the same as the charity shop). If he had his way, we'd live out of 1 suitcase and DS would have about 2 toys, I am sure .

His OCD isn't related to Aspergers, but a totally different medical condition which thankfully isn't a mental health condition.