City of the Damned
18-03-08, 11:06
Hi guys, I'm a 20 year old male, i think i have ocd and my life sucks because of it.
This is my first time talking about it to anyone, but i want to get this off my chest and hopefully get some advice.
I was always very normal growing up, these problems started maybe 6 months ago.
where do i start?
well, i'll start with handwashing, i wash my hands all the time.
When i use the bathroom, i spend at least 10-15 mins washing my hands over and over, after 20 seconds i know my hands are clean, but i can't stop washing them over and over again, my hands are red and very dry, i use hand cream which helps, also i'm scared to dry my hands with the towel in the bathroom, so i buy my own paper towels and dry my hands with them.
going to the bathroom is such a pain, because i know i will be in there for 20 mins washing my hands, so now it's gotten to the point where i hold off going until the very last min.
My mother is also mad because before i go into the bathroom water is hot, when i leave the water is ice cold due to me having it running for so long, lol
Also, When i get a shower, i feel clean, but i won't dry myself with the bath towels as i think they are dirty even tho they are fresh & washed, so i just put on new clothes while i'm still wet.
''Locking doors/Windows''
Every night before i go to bed, i'm always the last one awake, i can't go to bed until i lock every door/window and then spend an hour walking around checking & re checking to make sure they really are locked.
The window in my bedroom gives me the most pain, i am checking that it's closed every half hour, over and over again, i think if it's open someone will get in and steal everything or a cat will get in and ''relieve itself'' on my bed/clothes/computer chair, etc
I am never relaxed, these thoughts run through my mind all day.
'Leaving the house'
Everytime i go outside, i am obsessed with getting germs, from walking past dog dirt to bumping into some random guy, i hate standing in line anywhere there is people behind me, as i'm paranoid as to what they are doing behind me. everytime i come home, even after being out for 10 mins and walking from my house to the store, i have to shower & change clothes, then i spend the rest of the day sick with worry, asking myself will i shower again to make sure i really am clean, etc
I find myself not wanting to leave the house, because if i don't go outside,
i feel nice and clean, but if i do go out, the rest of the day i am taking showers & changing all my clothes, it's less of a worry if i just stay inside.
Last month i went to the barber, wow what a day.
i was sitting ready for my hair cut, when he excuses himself, i see him leaving to use the bathroom out back, he comes back inside and washs his hands, but my god i almost had a heart attack, i wanted so badly to jump out of the chair and run out, i was freaked out that he was getting his nasty hands all over my hair, even tho like i said i seen him washing his hands, that didn't help. when i got home i had 4 showers & washed my hair, no lie 10 TIMES.
that was last month and i still worry about it.
anyway, this was just a few of my everyday problems, and i am sick of them.
I don't want to act like this anymore, do i have OCD? and if so how bad is it?
Thank you so much if you took the time to read my post, it means a lot to me.
as i have no one to talk to about my problem. any advice big or small would be great.
by the way, i was checking around online for OCD cures, i came across one guy's site, he said he cured himself of ocd, his idea was simple.
One day, he went to the bathroom, and then walked right out, did not wash his hands, he then walked around his house touching items and making sure to touch his face and hair, and eating food :scared15: etc.
After doing this, and finding out he did not die from germs, lol
the urge to wash his hands for longer then 1-2 mins was gone.
Also later that night, he closed all the doors and windows but did not lock any of them, and went to bed. the next morning when he woke up and seen everything was normal, the urge to keep checking and re-checking was gone.
he did not lock the doors/windows and everything was fine, so locking them just ''once'' in the future would be o.k
what do you guys think of this theory?
This is my first time talking about it to anyone, but i want to get this off my chest and hopefully get some advice.
I was always very normal growing up, these problems started maybe 6 months ago.
where do i start?
well, i'll start with handwashing, i wash my hands all the time.
When i use the bathroom, i spend at least 10-15 mins washing my hands over and over, after 20 seconds i know my hands are clean, but i can't stop washing them over and over again, my hands are red and very dry, i use hand cream which helps, also i'm scared to dry my hands with the towel in the bathroom, so i buy my own paper towels and dry my hands with them.
going to the bathroom is such a pain, because i know i will be in there for 20 mins washing my hands, so now it's gotten to the point where i hold off going until the very last min.
My mother is also mad because before i go into the bathroom water is hot, when i leave the water is ice cold due to me having it running for so long, lol
Also, When i get a shower, i feel clean, but i won't dry myself with the bath towels as i think they are dirty even tho they are fresh & washed, so i just put on new clothes while i'm still wet.
''Locking doors/Windows''
Every night before i go to bed, i'm always the last one awake, i can't go to bed until i lock every door/window and then spend an hour walking around checking & re checking to make sure they really are locked.
The window in my bedroom gives me the most pain, i am checking that it's closed every half hour, over and over again, i think if it's open someone will get in and steal everything or a cat will get in and ''relieve itself'' on my bed/clothes/computer chair, etc
I am never relaxed, these thoughts run through my mind all day.
'Leaving the house'
Everytime i go outside, i am obsessed with getting germs, from walking past dog dirt to bumping into some random guy, i hate standing in line anywhere there is people behind me, as i'm paranoid as to what they are doing behind me. everytime i come home, even after being out for 10 mins and walking from my house to the store, i have to shower & change clothes, then i spend the rest of the day sick with worry, asking myself will i shower again to make sure i really am clean, etc
I find myself not wanting to leave the house, because if i don't go outside,
i feel nice and clean, but if i do go out, the rest of the day i am taking showers & changing all my clothes, it's less of a worry if i just stay inside.
Last month i went to the barber, wow what a day.
i was sitting ready for my hair cut, when he excuses himself, i see him leaving to use the bathroom out back, he comes back inside and washs his hands, but my god i almost had a heart attack, i wanted so badly to jump out of the chair and run out, i was freaked out that he was getting his nasty hands all over my hair, even tho like i said i seen him washing his hands, that didn't help. when i got home i had 4 showers & washed my hair, no lie 10 TIMES.
that was last month and i still worry about it.
anyway, this was just a few of my everyday problems, and i am sick of them.
I don't want to act like this anymore, do i have OCD? and if so how bad is it?
Thank you so much if you took the time to read my post, it means a lot to me.
as i have no one to talk to about my problem. any advice big or small would be great.
by the way, i was checking around online for OCD cures, i came across one guy's site, he said he cured himself of ocd, his idea was simple.
One day, he went to the bathroom, and then walked right out, did not wash his hands, he then walked around his house touching items and making sure to touch his face and hair, and eating food :scared15: etc.
After doing this, and finding out he did not die from germs, lol
the urge to wash his hands for longer then 1-2 mins was gone.
Also later that night, he closed all the doors and windows but did not lock any of them, and went to bed. the next morning when he woke up and seen everything was normal, the urge to keep checking and re-checking was gone.
he did not lock the doors/windows and everything was fine, so locking them just ''once'' in the future would be o.k
what do you guys think of this theory?