Is this OCD or just in my head?

Hi there whoever is reading this. I have had OCD my whole life. Ever since I was little i would always clean.. it relaxed me so I liked it. Well I had my first panic attack about 6 weeks ago. And since then I've had GAD. i bought this book "Panic Away" and it seemed to help. Everything was getting better then, I read on a paint can that I use at work that it can cause permanent brain damage. well my Panic attacks started again and they haven't gone away. Anyways back to OCD. Lately I've been getting into more and more routines that I feel like relax me. Or I feel I MUST do. Like when I text. Before I used to do thigs like b4 u 4rom. You know AOL lingo. AnywayNo I have to spell out the words and use periods and stuff. The grammer I'm not too concerned about I dont bother with that much. And I've started cleaning again. Maybe I had Anxiety when I was younger and I was too young to know that that's what it was. i don't know. Maybe I'm a hypochondriac. Mayvbe I'm going insane. Who knows.... anyway does this sound like OCD, or just things that could happen to anybody?

Hey,

It sounds like OCD alright (I was diagnosed with OCD a few years ago). However, the important thing to note here is that you develop these routines in order to feel comfortable with life - i.e. you like to know what is ahead of you because, what is unpredictable, makes you uneasy/depressed. Regarding the paint, what type of exposure did it say on the can that you need to have with the paint in order to develop such permanent damage? You have probably over-reacted to a simple warning message on the can, so, please think about this logically.

Take care,
Kevin

The paint can said that chronic over exposure causes the symptoms. I'm almost positive that I over reacted, but the thoguht that I could be just scares me... I feel so helpless because there's nothing anyone can do to correct a damaged brain. And during a Panic attack it is soooo hard to think logically. It's like your brain onl knows how to think negatively

Hey again,

I think you overreacted - yeh. There are two big words here: 'Chronic' and 'over-exposure' (okay, that's technically three!). 'Chronic' means being consistently exposed to the fumes of the paint for many years straight. When you then apply 'over-exposed' to that, it means that you have to be exposed to a large dose of the fumes - again - consistently for many years. So, you really have nothing to worry about my friend.

Kevin

my heart goes out to you. i am still scarred and have PTSD from my roithers very severe OCD (in 1981, they hadnt yet invented that term so we just thought it was crazy behavior) and my mother used to call it being 'Hughesie" (google Howard Hughes, you'll get it). If there was a drop of water in the sink he would get very upset for hrs and noone in the family could move (literally) until my mother said certain words over and over again in the order he wanted them said.. what causes such anxiety? I get the urge to dance and do rhythms and sing in a certain pattern, usually only when i'moutside by people, for some reason, and noisy traffic.. it is almost impossible to control without some medication and prozac did help me with a lot of this . Will u consider taking ? Also i was told dont expose yourself to stuff like fear of fumes because the way the mind works, that starts the ruminatiomn and dwelling on it until your anxiety goes up.. it is a definite ongoing struggle for many, even after trying different pills.

Hi,

Just a couple of thoughts and questions. Do you use the paint often in your work? Even if you don't, most health and safety commissions mandate that a mask must be worn when you are using those types of materials.

As far as your circular thinking, or that's what I call it, mine always became more and more frenetic the more stressed out I became. That can be controlled in some people through meds, for me it is Celexa or Lexapro.

OCD is often a symptom of other problems which include PTSD and GAD. The more stressed you become, the more you want to control what you can, the more you do the routine things/habits that you are comfortable with.

Along with avoiding the TV noise at night because it really reacts with your subconscious brain activity, try to avoid using the computer for two hours before you go to bed because computers have been found to be a stimulate to the brain.

I can give that advice easily but don't ask me if I follow it because I don't. But maybe it is something to think about.

Best,

sugartears wrote:my heart goes out to you. i am still scarred and have PTSD from my roithers very severe OCD (in 1981, they hadnt yet invented that term so we just thought it was crazy behavior) and my mother used to call it being 'Hughesie" (google Howard Hughes, you'll get it). If there was a drop of water in the sink he would get very upset for hrs and noone in the family could move (literally) until my mother said certain words over and over again in the order he wanted them said.. what causes such anxiety?

I believe that what causes the anxiety is a feeling of being out of control. If the sink contains a drop of water, then the person is no longer in control of the sink and the drop of water has to be taken away. However, you then have to ask why do we want control in the first place. I can answer this too: We want to be in control because the unpredictable scares us. Whether it be due to PTSD, depression, Bipolar, etc; we have been scared by the world around us due to the thoughts in our brains. The most comfortable way for us to live through this is by staying in control of things. That's why people develop OCD in the first place, I believe.

Thank you all for your posts. I havent been on in a while soo... sorry. Anyway, my anxiety has gone down a lot. I think it's because I'm so busy i don't really have time for it at the moment. Which I'd rather be super busy and super tired than have anxiety. But I do wish I could just be normal again. And no, I don't belive in medication. Some people say it works, but I don't want to take the chance of getting addicted or dependent. And ya I think the future does scare a lot of people. But for me... I don't know. I mean I can feel fear of something. But WOW. This is a different kind of fear. One Ive never felt before. It's scary. But like I said I havent felt it in a while.

Hi,

Just so you know: The most recent (relatively-speaking) medications are manufactured so that they aren't addictive. You might have heard bad stories from other people who have used medication, but there are also countless good stories (we just don't hear about them). Anyway, the last time that I overcame my eating disorder was also due to just being busy with my life. I realised that I didn't have time to be having an eating disorder and I just said goodbye to it in an instant.