OCD?

[Chantel1990]

I'm not sure if I have OCD or not but have been thinking about getting help 

I am now 22 but from as long as I can remember I have always had a habit of tucking my socks underneath my toes and clenching my toes so that the socks stay there. If they come loose i have to fix them up straight away and if I don't do it I feel extremely uncomfortable. This habit never really bothered me and still doesn't but within the last two years I have developed others that affect me alot. The first is cracking my neck and thumb joints. I have never been a person to crack my joints and have always hated when other people did it. It's not like a normal feeling of having a tense or stiff neck and having to crack it either, it's just a feeling that I have to do it and have no choice. Ill just sit there cracking it over and over and if I don't an extreme tension builds and I can't control myself from not doing it again. With my thumb knuckles I just sit there bending them over and over and if they don't crack I hold it up to my ear so I can hear it just in case it cracks quietly. Even when it does, it's doesnt help and I still have to keep bending and cracking it. Sometimes it's so bad that the next day my thumbs will be aching. The other habit is having to hold the skin underneath my thumbnail away from my thumb. It's hard to describe but I hate the feeling on the underside of my nail touching my skin on my thumb so I push my index finger against it and if I am on my phone I often have to push it against the edge of my phone instead. I don't know what to do or who to speak to and what help is available or if it even is OCD. 

[ModeratorA]

Dear Chantel1990.  The most important thing to think about is that this/these behaviours are worrying you. Don't be too concerned if they are OCD or not, don't worry about the label somebody may or may not give them. The worry they cause you is an important measure for your need to seek assistance.  Well done for reaching out to this forum to start that journey.

A great place to go is your GP, you can ask them some questions and explain in detail what your worries are about the behaviours. He/She will ask a lot of questions so they can fully assess what is going on for  you and then make some suggestions about an action/help that can assist you.

Don't be afraid to talk to your GP, you are not alone with these troubles. There are others on this site who have had some similar experiences, perhaps they will have some more advice/ideas for you. Let us know how you go.

[The_Real_David_Charles]

Dear Chantel,

Try something crazy.    Just for 2 or 3 days lock your phone up and don't use it.   Maybe the habit of destroying skin and thumb/index finger is purely conditional on using the phone.    I think this sounds like walking phone use.   And what gems do we hear with all this show off movement ?

Phone User (A):   "And make sure that Boo Boo gets his dog walk"

or

Phone User (B):   "Buy more milk - we are out of milk.  Get milk, OK ?"

The knuckle cracking and sock tucking are a little bit anti social but I guess it's better than masterbating or public urination!!    A little digging around with OCD will help although hopefully Geoff (another responder) will come up with some better advice.   Sometimes I think  Politicians have OCD in the way they keep kissing babies and disrespecting each other.  The current female Speaker of the House is practically running a Kindergarden at the moment.

Adios, David.

[tydec]

Hey Chantel

I think we all have some type of ocd, however when the rituals are done as a way of stopping a negative thought then that can be a problem. So you have to ask yourself is this a habit or am I doing this to stop something negative happening. If its the latter then you could have a form of OCD. First port of call should be your GP. The main thing to remember is this is common and there are over 200 million people going through the same thing, its just finding what fits with you.

[Guest_9809]

Excellent advice there Tydec. However you have replied to a very old thread some 4 years old, and the members who posted here back then I believe are no longer current members. It is therefore highly unlikely that they will see your post.

As this appears to be your first post, I take the opportunity to welcome you to the BB Forums. Its great that you have signed up and started contributing.

If your particular interest is in Anxiety issues, and OCD in particular, your input would be greatly appreciated in a number of current threads here on the forums. I'd suggest you have a look through the recent threads on both the Anxiety Section as well as the Welcome and Orientation Section. Your input and advice will be appreciated by the members here.

I would also urge you to start an Introduction Thread of your own in the Welcome & Orientation Section. Just tell people here a bit about yourself and give us an idea of what you hope to achieve from being a member here.

I look forward to seeing you around the Forums over the coming days.

Taurus