OCD and Even Numbers

  • I wasn't quite sure where to put this thread but does anyone else have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?

    I do... and it is terrible. I get on my own nerves and it affects my dieting at times because my OCD is with even numbers.

    I have to eat things in even numbers. If I have one piece of chocolate, I HAVE to have two. If I take one taste of something I have to have two.

    I have been like this since I was a little girl and it isn't just with eating... it is with everything. If I touch something hot with my right hand... I have to touch it with my left... and I have to touch the thing with both hands twice in a specific pattern.

    I don't know why I am this way... I didnt know it was a real disease until I talked to my doctor a few years ago. I am so annoying.
  • I'm the only one, huh?

    That's comforting.
  • I am sort of OCD w/ even numbers. The only time I really ever do it is with the TV volume. It can't be on odd numbers, unless it's 5 (ie: 32, 34, 35... no 33, 37).
  • Oh & this is one other OCD-like quirk I have... when grocery shopping, I NEVER take the item right in the front. I have to take something further back. I guess it's because I don't want the thing everyone else has been touching. Eww. And if there is only one, I don't take it
  • I am OCD and even numbers are one of my things as well!
    I just take 2 SMALL bites of things I want a taste of..
  • I think this subforum is the home for mental health problems apart from eating disorders, yep.

    Don't apologise for yourself, hon. Of course it's a real medical condition, of course there are other people out there with it. I don't have it myself, but on behalf of people with OCD and other mental health problems, I do get annoyed when someone says "oh I'm so OCD!" as a joke when they don't actually have OCD. Anyway, would you think someone should say "I'm so annoying" if they had, say, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder? OCD is just as worthy of respect as other medical conditions are, no matter how many idiots try to make you feel bad about it.

    With the dieting, does it help to cut things in half so that you don't end up eating extra portions?
  • my little sister has OCD among other things...and she's talked to me quite a bit about it...it definitely affects her life and her ability to manage things when her boyfriend isnt around (yes, that would be jailtime for bf)
  • OCD is in my family a bit. My best friend and little sister have it bad (especially when it comes to compulsive hand-washing until raw - both of them). I have a more mild form. It IS frustrating. You're not alone.
  • Your post has intrigued me and I have a question... If you have one of something and divide it into two, like a piece of candy cut in half, does that work or do you still consider it one?

    That's a silly question, but I'm not intending it that way, I am just wondering if it can serve as a solution.

    I hope you've able to overcome your OCD, I know that it can be torture for people. Good luck to you!
  • I am OCD about a problem. I MUST SOLVE THE PROBLEM! (Not math problems, life problems) If someone is mad at me or I think they are mad at me, I must talk it to DEATH until I am satisfied the problem has been solved. Of course this problem is a problem. I am however good at solving problems, which is helpful. It is highly annoying and takes over everything when a problem presents it's self. I simply CAN NOT give up until it is solved.