OCD

What you might experience...

• The need to CONTROL the small things - things as tiny as knowing that all the switches in your house are in the same way or that the toggles on someones jumper are the same length can plague your mind until they are the way you feel they should be

• Only being happy with PERFECTION - needing everything to be in the right place or in the right order, but never being able to achieve it because let's face it, the world is far from perfect and no matter how much we wish we could, we don't have control over other people or their things

• Being SCARED of the consequences - it is common for people with OCD to use it as a way of controlling the small things in their life as they fear that if they lose that control they will also lose control over the really big things in life, which we have no control over

• A feeling of HOPLESSNESS or DISSATISFACTION - not being able to cope if things aren't the way you feel they should be. Setting an un-reachable target and then being constantly dissatisfied that it's not reached

• Being able to see that your fears are IRRATIONAL - a lot of sufferers can see that their compulsions are completely irrational yet they physically can't stop doing them

• Gaining SATISFACTION from controlling things - you feel a great satisfaction from having things the way you want them, in the right order, or place or at the right level of cleanliness

Examples of OCD...

• The thing most people think of when they hear "OCD" is an obsessive NEED TO CLEAN or have things tidy or constantly wash your hands etc. etc. This is a common way that OCD manifests but it is not the only form of the disease.

• The need for ORDER is another example that people might think of. When people have to have everything alphabetised or in a specific order and they become upset or distressed when the order is not in place. They might obsessively plan or write lists to make sure that their entire life is ordered.

• The need for SYMMETRY is also fairly common. It can be as simple as needing to take an even amount of steps on each type of pavement or as complex and time consuming as needing to do everything your right hand does to also be done by your left hand. 

These are of course only a small collection of examples and there are many other forms that compulsions can take but it is important to know that its not just "clean freaks" who have OCD.