Obsessive Compulsive Disorder / Therapy :)

[chippyteaforme]

Well, my work (who it turns out must value me to some extent) decided to offer me some free therapy sessions. So, I decided to take them up on their offer (I think if I knocked them back, it would be akin to sticking my fingers up at them).

First session was pretty much just a 'getting to know' each-other, but today I think both the therapist and I came to the realisation that I have some form of OCD (although we've just been scraping the surface and nothing has been 'diagnosed').

Some of the issues that we've discussed have been my headphone obsession (I think I went through 40 pairs over the past 2 years), laptops / computers (again, I've gotten through quite a few laptops / netbooks recently), hoarding behaviour (I recommend the South Park 'Insheeption' episode!) and also gambling / eating issues which have been going on for ages.

To give a bit more detail, things like headphones - I buy a pair, and love them. I buy another pair of headphones to see if they sound any different. I sell the first pair... then spot another pair (#3), which I have to buy. I decide to sell pair (#3) because I prefer the second pair, but then I see another pair, and have to buy them. Then another pair (#5) shows up, so I buy that. Then I realise I probably preferred the first pair, so buy another of them and compare them... I've had about 4x pairs of Sennheiser HD650s now, 3x pairs of DT880s, 5x pairs of the Grado 325 series (2x 325i, 1x325is, 2x MS2i)... it goes on and on and literally ended up being about 40 pairs at last count. I got my last set of cans (Beyer DT990 600ohm) custom made and engraved with my name basically so I couldn't sell them on, because they would be devalued due to my name being on them - thereby trying to 'trap' myself into keeping them !!

None of the compulsive hand-washing or not stepping on cracks that people normally associate with OCD, but other things I have to do otherwise I basically become 'ill', if that makes sense.

Just wondered if anyone else on here has ever had issues with OCD, whether diagnosed or not, and if we could get a bit of discussion going?

 

[StevePSIV]

I've got OCD issues I think.

Basically, if I do something such as losing weight or going to the gym then I do it to the extreme!! By that I mean I can't miss a day at the gym or eat anything unhealthy. If I do then I fall off the rails and end up doing the complete opposite!

Never seems to be a happy medium for me!

 

[mjn]

Bunch of nutters......now let me get back to my counting!

 

[Pincho Paxton]

I was diagnosed with perfectionism as a child. Requiring everything to be perfect is akin to buying lots of headphones until you get the perfect sound. My own perfectionism came out in my art. I would draw a single line on paper, and rip the paper up until I got the first line right. After 13 ripped up pictures I finally got the first line of a horse right. In later years I decided not to care, and may have corrected myself a bit too much.

 

[chippyteaforme]

I was diagnosed with perfectionism as a child. Requiring everything to be perfect is akin to buying lots of headphones until you get the perfect sound. My own perfectionism came out in my art. I would draw a single line on paper, and rip the paper up until I got the first line right. After 13 ripped up pictures I finally got the first line of a horse right. In later years I decided not to care, and may have corrected myself a bit too much.

That's exactly the problem I had at school - regarding the art, but mine came through in other ways. All my work had to be formatted in exactly the same way, if I made a mistake the whole page went in the bin. Most of my exercise books ended up about 30% of their original thickness because of that!

Unfortunately that resulted in me having a below average work-rate - so even though my work standard was excellent, I simply found myself unable to keep up, because of the amount of 're-working' I ended up doing

I still do it every so often, but not as badly as I did

 

[Pincho Paxton]

That's exactly the problem I had at school - regarding the art, but mine came through in other ways. All my work had to be formatted in exactly the same way, if I made a mistake the whole page went in the bin. Most of my exercise books ended up about 30% of their original thickness because of that!

Unfortunately that resulted in me having a below average work-rate - so even though my work standard was excellent, I simply found myself unable to keep up, because of the amount of 're-working' I ended up doing

I still do it every so often, but not as badly as I did

Oh yeah, I had to write my italics perfectly, it took ages, and my exams suffered.. luckily I passed everything like English with half a written page instead of a page, and a half. Not exactly sure how I cured myself. It's just a matter of not caring I suppose.