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i have a friend who is very smart, young, and a 'thinker'. unfortunately, over the past few years, he's developed a slight OCD problem....
he understands that it is stupid, pointless, and "nothing bad will really happen if he stops"...but yet, he's unable to stop.
he basically feels compelled to touch/tap things 3 times or walk a certain way, etc. he says that he feels compelled to do that or he feels like something may not work out or may go wrong (nothing specific...just things)....
his job is not stressful at all and him and his gf are happy.
How would one deal with a problem like this? He hates to go to the Doc or take ANY sort of medications.
Whether he hates it or not, he needs to see a doctor and/or therapist. It can be treated but from what I've seen, OCD personalities don't overcome all of their obsessions so I don't know if medications work. The thing is, it's apparently bothering you more than it does him so when he starts to lose all his friends he may try to get some help.
Whether he hates it or not, he needs to see a doctor and/or therapist. It can be treated but from what I've seen, OCD personalities don't overcome all of their obsessions so I don't know if medications work. The thing is, it's apparently bothering you more than it does him so when he starts to lose all his friends he may try to get some help.
well,
it's not really bothering me....I know that it bothers him though. his OCD is NOT noticable AT ALL. he has full control over when to stop. he says that he only does it when nobody is around (except for when he's with his gf...which he says he feels comfortable with). among the friends, i'm the only one he's told this about.
is there NOTHING that can be done to at least mitigate the problem?
Whether he hates it or not, he needs to see a doctor and/or therapist. It can be treated but from what I've seen, OCD personalities don't overcome all of their obsessions so I don't know if medications work. The thing is, it's apparently bothering you more than it does him so when he starts to lose all his friends he may try to get some help.
ah geez, yeah run to the doctor for everything.
take meds for everything.
give me a break.
being weird is not a crime.
we all have neurotic behaviors.
some of those behaviors are more acceptable than others .... like staring at a t.v. screen for hours on end.
that's totally neurotic but socially accpeted 'cause the masses are so frigging brainwashed and under the spell / control of the dominant culture and the media.
it doesn't sound like your friend has an extreme case of OCD and it doesn't seem, form what you said, that it's interfering with his life.
since he's intelligent and intelectually inclined and since he seems to have a functioning "witness", ie; can observe himself objectively, perhaps a continuation of that witnessing process and some study on his part for a deeper understanding of this particular way of manifesting DIS - EASE would be helpful.
if he becomes sufficiently aware of what is going on with his system and finds that at some point he would like some support and help in dealing with the issue, then he can find the right person to talk to.
that's my take on it.
oo, oo, i know ... get him a copy of "Naked" ... it's a collection of essays and stories by the humorist David Sedaris.
there's a hilarious essay in there about the OCD he dealt with when he was young.
i think it's called "a plaque of tics".
better yet, find a recording of the author reading it.
it's brilliant.
and it's even funnier to listen to David Sedaris read his own work.
if your friend has a sense of humor about this, it may really help him ... it will at least crack y'all up.
good luck.
Last edited by coyoteskye; 06-19-2009 at 11:11 AM..
The problem with OCD is that it tends to escalate. So now he may only have a "slight problem" but in a couple of years it could morph into a mighty big one - especially if he experiences some sort of life trauma that shifts it into overdrive. This can have huge personal and professional consequences and shouldn't be taken lightly. He should see a therapist who is trained in cognitive behavioral therapy and nip it in the bud now before it takes over his life. He is doing his rituals in private because they embarass him - it is likely that he will begin to withdraw from others as the rituals gain more power. The more he does them, the more ingrained the behaviors will become. If he really has it all under control as you say, then he should simply stop doing them, but I doubt that he can without help.
Tilli is right,it can get worse.
I didnt really have OCD until early 20's maybe.It started with checking a few things.
To checking more and more things over & over.
I knew i would take me 10-20 mins to check everything before going to work.
Now if i was living with someone i didnt worry too much and didnt do it much.
I check Doors,Car Doors,unplug almost everything check water faucets,etc
Tilli is right,it can get worse.
I didnt really have OCD until early 20's maybe.It started with checking a few things.
To checking more and more things over & over.
I knew i would take me 10-20 mins to check everything before going to work.
Now if i was living with someone i didnt worry too much and didnt do it much.
I check Doors,Car Doors,unplug almost everything check water faucets,etc
yes, sorry, i didn't mean to be flip or insensitive because i know it's a real disorder that can cause much pain.
i had a slight case of OCD when i was younger and, for whatever reason(s), it didn't "stick".
i knew that what i was doing was irrational and somehow was able to stop before it got out of hand.
after a third check of the lock on the front door, for example, there was the objectivity and the willingness to stop.
i don't know why.
i also know that with many disorders and compulsive behaviors that simply being aware that the behavior is irrational is not enough to allow one to stop those behaviors.
but i also think that, depending on the person, it is possible to balance the brain chemistry (without medication), work with the mind (as distinct from the brain) and deal with the emotional and psychological issues, that, combined with that brain chemistry, leads to this type of disorder.
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