OCD Action Online Forums » Topic: What was your first symptom of OCD?

OCD Action Online Forums » Topic: What was your first symptom of OCD? http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/topic/what-was-your-first-symptom-of-ocd It's Time to Act. OCD Action provides support and information for people affected by Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Tue, 22 May 2012 17:27:04 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/search.php maxine on "What was your first symptom of OCD?" http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/topic/what-was-your-first-symptom-of-ocd/page/2#post-39158 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:18:55 +0000 maxine 39158@http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/ Thank you Caps, we have a doctors appointment on thursday, this site has been very helpful <img src="http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/bb-plugins/bb-smilies/default/icon_smile.gif" title=":)" class="bb_smilies" /> Nimrod on "What was your first symptom of OCD?" http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/topic/what-was-your-first-symptom-of-ocd/page/2#post-39157 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:46:46 +0000 Nimrod 39157@http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/ Hi Maxine, I am sorry to hear about your concerns for your daughter. From what you say it could be OCD but it is impossible to tell over the internet and the only way to find out if it is OCD, something else or nothing at all is to take her to see your GP. What I can say is that there is no such thing as being too young for OCD. It can be very difficult to diagnose OCD especially in young children even for a GP and he/she may refer your daughter to a child specialist. If your GP cannot give you a satisfactory answer and suggests it is just a child thing she will grow out of then ask to be referred to a specialist and the sooner you can get her to a specialist the better. Hope this helps. Please do let us know how you get on. Best wishes, Caps maxine on "What was your first symptom of OCD?" http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/topic/what-was-your-first-symptom-of-ocd/page/2#post-39154 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:12:19 +0000 maxine 39154@http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/ Hi, im looking for help, im worried about my six year old daughter, i just dont know where to start! I dont know if she has OCD symptoms or behavioural problems?? Lately it has got worse by the day, and im struggling to cope, i feel like i am failing as a mother. The school run consists of, getting her dressed in her uniform, socks of same height, cuffs level, collar straight, shoe straps same tightness, hair PERFECT! Then the walk to school, shoes cant get dirty, pickup time, no change allowed, i pick her up, nobody else! Home time is tantrums, tea time tantrums, bed time tantrums. Lately she has been getting up in the night with the fear of us leaving her, she comes in to check me and her dad are still there, and checks her sisters room waking her up in the process, she says she hears voices at night, and she now listens to classical music to get her to sleep. She will not sleep without a dummy and she is six! believe me we have tried, she was like a drug addict gone cold turkey crossed with the exorcist, and now she has a secret stash somewhere which i cant find anywhere! (we have a 1 and half yr old which is why we still have dummies in the house! From 2 years old she puts shoes straight, books straight etc. She gets hysterical if she gets anything wrong, she can rub holes in paper getting rid of mistakes, then has to start all over again because theres a hole in the paper. I spoke to her teacher as i was worried it affected her work but her work in school is great. The teacher said she' knows my daughter likes things a certain way and has done since the first day she walked into the class sorting things out, straightening chairs! All of this could cope with a lot better if i just had some advice and help, are these signs of OCD? People say she's too young for OCD, she'l grow out of it, she's a problem child, i disagree and i need her to know that she isnt a problem, she is my daughter and i love her. Any advice i would be greatful, <img src="http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/bb-plugins/bb-smilies/default/icon_neutral.gif" title=":|" class="bb_smilies" /> P.S. My 1 1/2 year old cant walk past an open gate without shutting it!!!!! <img src="http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/bb-plugins/bb-smilies/default/icon_smile.gif" title=":)" class="bb_smilies" /> spaced on "What was your first symptom of OCD?" http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/topic/what-was-your-first-symptom-of-ocd/page/2#post-39151 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 04:07:26 +0000 spaced 39151@http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/ When I was 14/15 years old, I started to pick little hair (or any other thing that was transmitted) from my soles (surprisingly not my own, is carpet pile the right word here?) with tweezers. First I washed my feet, and then I started to detach them. I thought I was being totally reasonable, when my family members wondered and laughed at that. One day I was going to school, when I noticed a stain on my jeans. It was so "terrible", that I couldn't go to school with those jeans on, so I went back home. Hygiene came very important, and after that, I started to pay attention to literally everything I did. Every (and I mean every) move had to be perfect. It was like I didn't know how to do the basic things anymore, for example brushing my teeth/hair, dressing up (clothes must be perfectly dressed up.. umm, it's in "the way" I dress up), shaving my legs carefully (this took at least an hour to do) washing (washing hands, hair, anything), anything you can think of... I had to learn to do all those things again, and I still haven't learned to do them normally (like most of the people do - without having to think how to do them). This sounds very complicated, but I think you all understand <img src="http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/bb-plugins/bb-smilies/default/icon_smile.gif" title=":-)" class="bb_smilies" /> Amalia freddy on "What was your first symptom of OCD?" http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/topic/what-was-your-first-symptom-of-ocd/page/2#post-38890 Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:10:41 +0000 freddy 38890@http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/ My first symptom of OCD just seemed to pop into my head, if that makes sense. I used to rent my flat out to a couple and at the time the gas safety certificate was due the management company that used to take care of the flat management on my behalf forgot to arrange for it to be renewed. It was an oversight on their part and I got it sorted, but I got myself into such an anxious state thinking because I didn't have the certificate something bad would happen to the tennants (like they would die from carbon monoxide or something) and it would be my fault. Everything snowballed from that one incident and now I have a fear of harming people by not being careful enough. I've also got an issue with boilers now! Anonymous on "What was your first symptom of OCD?" http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/topic/what-was-your-first-symptom-of-ocd/page/2#post-38860 Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:59:44 +0000 Anonymous 38860@http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/ My first symptom of OCD was intrusive thoughts at Primary School that were wrong and distressing, I worked out finally that they are bad fears of the worse possible actions in life I could do. A real fear of letting everybody who believes in me down, also obssessive thoughts about having health problems from as long as I can remember. Maybe these are because I have yet to accomplish things I want to or be the real me in life yet, enjoy life and not be anxious, health problems would limit my progress and I would not of been a contributor to a better world. I don't really know. The Compulsions came much later at high school, arranging rooms and electronic cables all the time etc. Compulsions to wash germs off all the time too at one point. Also a fear of leaving any germs from my body on things for a short while. For example touching a door handle or a stair handle. jon on "What was your first symptom of OCD?" http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/topic/what-was-your-first-symptom-of-ocd#post-38612 Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:36:45 +0000 jon 38612@http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/ I used to have a breathing thing also - I had to breath out in a certain way, and trying to get it 'just right' used to torment me. In fact if I remember rightly at one stage, when I did get it just right, I wrote down on a piece of paper that I had got it right and signed and dated it. I think I then had to sign another piece of paper verifying the first one and so on. I ended up with several bits of paper which I put away safely in the attic. One day, for wahtever reason, I saw the folly in all of this and threw the whole lot in the bin. That was many obsessions ago! twerp on "What was your first symptom of OCD?" http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/topic/what-was-your-first-symptom-of-ocd#post-38606 Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:36:38 +0000 twerp 38606@http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/ I had so many my ocd started when I was 5, Im now 24, i remmeber fearing breathing in bad luck e.g. if breathin in while thinking something bad then I would need to breath it out and if while I was breathing it out I was directing the breath at a certain object then I would not be able to touch that object and if I did I needed to wash my hands. quite complex for a kid hey! My Mum says my primary school teacher approached her saying that she was concerend how many times I washed my hands during a day! mama on "What was your first symptom of OCD?" http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/topic/what-was-your-first-symptom-of-ocd#post-38134 Sun, 14 Feb 2010 06:50:38 +0000 mama 38134@http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/ Joyce, I think we were twin kids! <img src="http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/bb-plugins/bb-smilies/default/icon_smile.gif" title=":)" class="bb_smilies" /> I used to have to check behind doors, under beds, etc. Then I would switch off the light and JUMP to my bed so he couldnt grab me from under the bed...just in case I missed him the first ten times I checked! lol. I believe the checking was OCD now, but then I just thought I was a big chicken. <img src="http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/bb-plugins/bb-smilies/default/icon_smile.gif" title=":)" class="bb_smilies" /> One day my dad asked me 'What are you going to do if you find someone?' Well. That really struck me...I gues I'd get killed KNOWING it was coming! <img src="http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/bb-plugins/bb-smilies/default/icon_lol.gif" title=":lol:" class="bb_smilies" /> So I suppose it was a good bit of therapy my dad did there...what difference did it make if I knew he was there or not? If I die I die...I just hadnt considered that it was something I could never know for certain. We're all going to die...we just cant be certain HOW. <img src="http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/bb-plugins/bb-smilies/default/icon_smile.gif" title=":)" class="bb_smilies" /> Darn! I'd really like to know how, when, and where thank you! I suppose if I really think about it though, I'd rather live life fully not knowing than not live life while consumed in compulsions trying to 'catch' death in the act of 'getting' me...:) rena on "What was your first symptom of OCD?" http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/topic/what-was-your-first-symptom-of-ocd#post-38126 Sat, 13 Feb 2010 20:26:22 +0000 rena 38126@http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/ Hi Jon, I understand all about the canceling out over and over.. Except my checking/compulsions have to be done an even number of times leaving out the numbers 12 and 6, which are bad numbers for me. At one point in the past, I would not even buy anything at the grocery store, if it had a 6 or 12 in the price any where instead, I would buy a different priced item free of those numbers. How silly was that? jon on "What was your first symptom of OCD?" http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/topic/what-was-your-first-symptom-of-ocd#post-37937 Sun, 07 Feb 2010 22:11:33 +0000 jon 37937@http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/ Johnny, In contrast to you, any checking or compulsions I do have to be done an ODD number of times. If I do something twice or four or 40 times, it is not done. Something about doing it the second time cancelling out the first, the fourth cancelling out the third etc. Weird, huh? Cheers Jon Johnny on "What was your first symptom of OCD?" http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/topic/what-was-your-first-symptom-of-ocd#post-37931 Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:49:10 +0000 Johnny 37931@http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/ Hello My first symptom (recognised as OCD), was checking documents at work. Having recognised the symptoms, I now believe I had OCD when I was about 10, because of the behaviour I was exhibiting then. Numbers Swan I identify with the number 3 and multiples of the number 3. Any checking or other compulsions I do are never completed 3 times or in multiples of 3. All odd number are a no no, but Five, however, is strangely a good number as are all even numbers. I dn't know exactly why five is a good number, despite it being an odd number. John swan on "What was your first symptom of OCD?" http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/topic/what-was-your-first-symptom-of-ocd#post-37917 Sun, 07 Feb 2010 13:21:29 +0000 swan 37917@http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/ Mine was the number three and multiples of three. Also intenses fear of hell and dying in the night. bedtimes were a nightmare as i would have such a long ritual of going to the toilet couldnt be in multiples of three so sometimes would go 14or more times. Dont remember excat age prob about age 8 as something happened at school and although i hadnt done anything, was convinced that they thought i was lying ect ect ect Nimrod on "What was your first symptom of OCD?" http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/topic/what-was-your-first-symptom-of-ocd#post-37912 Sun, 07 Feb 2010 12:07:56 +0000 Nimrod 37912@http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/ Hi CHILLIGIRL, Welcome to the forum. Thanks for sharing yout experience with us and if you want to tell us about the other things we will be here to listen. As you can see you are not alone in the way OCD affects you and others who have similar experiences may be able to offer some tips and advice about how they cope. Best wishes, Caps CHILLYGIRL on "What was your first symptom of OCD?" http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/topic/what-was-your-first-symptom-of-ocd#post-37903 Sun, 07 Feb 2010 01:01:45 +0000 CHILLYGIRL 37903@http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/ Mine was when I was 6 years old. I had to wash my hands before touching door handles in the house. It has escalated to more things over the years. <img src="http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/bb-plugins/bb-smilies/default/icon_sad.gif" title=":(" class="bb_smilies" /> stevieb on "What was your first symptom of OCD?" http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/topic/what-was-your-first-symptom-of-ocd#post-37817 Thu, 04 Feb 2010 22:08:15 +0000 stevieb 37817@http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/ That does all sound pretty scary, Joyce. It does sound like a normal chilhood fear, though, but maybe there were hints of early OCD in there as well. But like Truddles said, the fears would have continued and worsened if they had been more OCD. poppyfields on "What was your first symptom of OCD?" http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/topic/what-was-your-first-symptom-of-ocd#post-37810 Thu, 04 Feb 2010 19:51:32 +0000 poppyfields 37810@http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/ Wow, that sounds so familiar, only i would have been steaming the carpets clean and guarding that no one went back into one of the rooms done before i had completed the circuit!!! truddles on "What was your first symptom of OCD?" http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/topic/what-was-your-first-symptom-of-ocd#post-37770 Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:23:31 +0000 truddles 37770@http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/ Hi Joyce, Probably childhood fears but then if they were never resolved they went on to develop into OCD because as we all know one check becomes two becomes three and so on ad infinitum. Anonymous on "What was your first symptom of OCD?" http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/topic/what-was-your-first-symptom-of-ocd#post-37767 Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:53:23 +0000 Anonymous 37767@http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/ Hi everyone I always thought that my OCD started at age 23 but now I'm starting to wonder if it was earlier. When I was a child, primary school age I was terrified that a man was going to come and 'get me' while I was in bed. My mum would tuck me up and go back downstairs and when I heard the downstairs door close I would get out of bed and start searching all the bedrooms - there were three bedrooms, a bathroom and toilet and I had to do it all very quietly so no-one knew. I would search each room in turn, bathroom and toilet were easy because the only place anyone could hide was behind the door and they were on one side of the landing, but as I checked the other rooms I had to watch all the time to make sure no-one ran from a room I hadn't checked to one which I had. I had to look under the beds, in the wardrobes, behind the curtains, anywhere it would have been possible to hide and always come out backwards but watching all the other doorways. I had to be careful checking behind doors in case someone came out of the wardrobe while I wasn't looking so I needed eyes in the back of my head. Also if I had to go upstairs to the toilet I was too frightened to go into the bathroom in case I got trapped by the 'hiding man' and I had to be back at the bottom of the stairs before the toilet finished flushing, so I never washed my hands. Now I wash them all the time! Was this OCD or just childhood fears? Wombat140 on "What was your first symptom of OCD?" http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/topic/what-was-your-first-symptom-of-ocd#post-37759 Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:18:59 +0000 Wombat140 37759@http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/ My first "OCD symptom" was very strange, because it wasn't OCD. I've always had some vaguely autistic traits, one of them being extreme sensory sensitivities - though it always used to be tickly clothes, not sounds. Well, pretty much overnight I suddenly started having terrible trouble with certain sounds. Traffic noise mainly, and any kind of buzzing or whirring noises like that, but sirens worse than anything. It was really extreme, worse than anything I'd ever had before - I'd get into such a state I didn't know which way up I was. I spent a lot of the next few weeks with my fingers in my ears, or playing music to drown the noise. (We live on a main road!) As I say, this kind of thing is well known with autism, but never with OCD. But I started getting actual OCD symptoms pretty well straight after that. Makes no sense. Come to think of it, OCD rarely does. poppyfields on "What was your first symptom of OCD?" http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/topic/what-was-your-first-symptom-of-ocd#post-37605 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 19:01:20 +0000 poppyfields 37605@http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/ Nice to read your feedback. My thoughts were that on either side of the 'clean washed' pavement, people on eithr side would tread straight on over it and thus both sides would make it unclean again! A child of 8 with a bright mind - an interesting view and one i'd never thought of - thanks. Poppy Cuthbert ffoliott on "What was your first symptom of OCD?" http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/topic/what-was-your-first-symptom-of-ocd#post-37602 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:53:53 +0000 Cuthbert ffoliott 37602@http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/ It has to do with brightness of mind, Poppyfields. At age 8 you made that strong association in your mind, between a clean doorstep and pavement, and these becoming dirty again by others. Not all children do that. In first principle you were thinking right, only: the chance of 'picking up something bad' was negligible. Other kids just rush in, fall, get a bruised knee, and so on. They mostly didn't even think of such a chance. truddles on "What was your first symptom of OCD?" http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/topic/what-was-your-first-symptom-of-ocd#post-37601 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:47:28 +0000 truddles 37601@http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/ Hi poppyfields, Welcome to the forum. It's surprising the little things that seem to trigger our OCD isn't it? Trudy poppyfields on "What was your first symptom of OCD?" http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/topic/what-was-your-first-symptom-of-ocd#post-37600 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:31:24 +0000 poppyfields 37600@http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/ I was about 8 and i watched as my Mother washed the dorstep and then the pavement outside our house. I remember thinking but people are going to walk straight through it and make it dirty again!! too young to think 'contaminate' Cuthbert ffoliott on "What was your first symptom of OCD?" http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/topic/what-was-your-first-symptom-of-ocd#post-37599 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:10:49 +0000 Cuthbert ffoliott 37599@http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/ Hi Trudy - great memories. You're right about the value of a good transistor then. My point was more that, although I knew for 100% that it already was off, I had to check again. I listened to Luxemburg, and BFBS (some AFN). The Bee Gees, Roy Wood and Wizzard, and my all time heroes, The Beach Boys. I listened in secret too. Magic stuff, the sound of AM radio... Sometimes I think that we were more lucky than today's kids with all those iPods, computer games, and so on. These kids even seem to be at message boards and texting each other. Have you ever heard of something so silly? truddles on "What was your first symptom of OCD?" http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/topic/what-was-your-first-symptom-of-ocd#post-37595 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:42:59 +0000 truddles 37595@http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/ Hi Cuthbert, You're bound to remember as in our day it was something special if you had a transistor radio. It's not like today where kids have loads of various gadgets. I can understand the checking as the batteries in the early transistor radios didn't last long and they were expensive as they were usually the 9 volt batteries. That takes me back, secretly listening to Radio Caroline whilst in bed under the sheets with my little transistor radio, and denying to my mother that I had it on. Those were the days <img src="http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/bb-plugins/bb-smilies/default/icon_smile.gif" title=":-)" class="bb_smilies" /> Radio Caroline - That gives my age away doesn't it? Trudy Cuthbert ffoliott on "What was your first symptom of OCD?" http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/topic/what-was-your-first-symptom-of-ocd#post-37590 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 12:59:54 +0000 Cuthbert ffoliott 37590@http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/ Hi - it was checking wheter my first transistor radio, a Grundig Elite Boy, was put on 'off' every night, whilst knowing that I always put it off after use, to save batteries. Even when the living room of my parents was full of visitors, I had to go at, say, 9 PM to open the radio-and-turntable box, a giant Grundig Mandello, to make a final check. 's funny... all these names are still present in my head at age 51, while I was around 10 way back then. Nice topic BTW! aishah on "What was your first symptom of OCD?" http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/topic/what-was-your-first-symptom-of-ocd#post-37582 Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:34:41 +0000 aishah 37582@http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/ Thanks NikiAnn and Stevieb, it must have been horrendous but didn't hit me properly until I had a breakdown in 2002. Hence the nature of intrusive images and thoughts are sometimes about suicide. Best Wishes Bridget Anonymous on "What was your first symptom of OCD?" http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/topic/what-was-your-first-symptom-of-ocd#post-37580 Sun, 31 Jan 2010 18:34:30 +0000 Anonymous 37580@http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/ I am sorry as well too, Bridget. Niki stevieb on "What was your first symptom of OCD?" http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/topic/what-was-your-first-symptom-of-ocd#post-37576 Sun, 31 Jan 2010 18:06:23 +0000 stevieb 37576@http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/forums/ And Bridget, I'm sorry to hear about your dad, that must have been a terrible time. x