From the time I was a child I remember being obsessed with certain things and people in my real and fantasy world to deal with trauma, I suppose.
I took an online quiz once years ago to see if I had obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) which I really already knew the answer to and passed with flying colors, which was no surprise.
I suppose it began as a way of feeling like I had control in my chaotic childhood life, and later in my continued existence dealing with mental illnesses and uncertainty ongoing.
OCD is a mental health condition that causes people to experience unwanted thoughts, feelings, or images and to perform repetitive tasks. These include having to wash hands repeatedly, checking doors constantly to make sure they are locked, repeating words or phrases silently or out loud, placing things in a specific order, needing to count things such as steps or bottles, and constantly seeking reassurance or approval among others.
The disorder is usually diagnosed during a physical or psychiatric exam, according to research.
OCD can have a profound effect on a person’s life like losing time, energy, opportunities, social engagements, and having isolation being part of your life.
The person might avoid situations that may trigger certain fears like how I avoid as much as I can pictures or video of spiders, blood, TV show scenes that features actor patients getting physically ill with no warning, people online in Zoom meetings talking about the grotesque details of their alcoholism they overcame, germ references like videos or pictures of people getting in bed with their socks or shoes on, persons not changing the sheets after making a mess on them even on TV or on You Tube, death videos, society’s obsession with gross deaths and the voyeurism that goes with it often posted on social media for all to see with no warnings, among many other triggers.
I also have superstitions which I think go along with my OCD such as not wanting to stay in a hotel room with the number 13, not getting out on Friday the 13th if avoidable, thinking that if the day starts out bad the rest of it is going to end horribly, and counting to 20 for different tasks I do. This also involves prayers or reminders to self that I need to get all chores and tasks done in a day even if I’m sick or hurt or especially if I’m running behind. And I never go to bed with wet hair because I won’t be able to sleep. A bath tub has to be spotless for me to get in it.
Experts aren’t sure of the exact cause of OCD. According to John Hopkins University, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, or substance abuse can go along with it.
Actor Howie Mandel has written and talked extensively about his struggles with OCD.
Hoarding is another example of OCD. The disorder can present differently in various people. For example, I have certain bedtime routines that if I don’t do them, I can’t rest. I guess because I grew up in a chaotic home which later led to upheaval throughout my childhood and adulthood it’s my way of having control and bedtime was certainly an uncertain time throughout growing up.
OCDchallenge.com is a great resource for offering tools and strategies for dealing with the mental illness as well as. https://www.choosingtherapy.com/famous-people-with-ocd/.