I had OCD when I was 3 years old. My comic books had to be sorted by Donald Duck, Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, and so on and so on. That's as far back as I can remember. When I was 28 (1981) I went to a transactional analysis weekend seminar and chose (yes, I chose) to give up perfectionism. Remember "I'm OK, You're OK"? That's transactional analysis, or TA. I was literally making myself miserable, and probably all those around me too. My house, my kids, my job, everything had to be perfect. In my 20's I stayed up until 3 am to clean my house, so I could do it with no one around - no one to mess up what I had already cleaned. Since 1981 I've gradually wound down. I just dusted my bedroom yesterday because I couldn't stand it anymore (the dust bunnies had dust kitties and dust squirrels playing hide and seek with them). I fortunately live alone now so I can control my surroundings. I still alphabetize my CD's, DVD's and well, you should see my bookshelves. Labels in my cupboards all face forward. I worked in a store for 8 months and learned to "front product". It was my best thing. I wondered why some people found it so hard. When I'm in a store now I front product just for the fun of it - maybe 5 minutes out of my shopping trip. I feel like I've accomplished something - made the world easier for other shoppers to find the special jam they always buy. My bathroom sink, tub, kitchen sink and dishes have to be spotless. The rest, well dust never killed anyone, did it? And yes, I'm allergic to dust mites. No I'm not a slob. My house is neat and tidy and if people come over they see no dust in my living room and my bathroom and kitchen are presentable. (I live in a 500 sq. ft. apartment). And I always close my bedroom door so they can't see the mess in there. So you can choose to control your OCD to a certain extent, and choose what you obsess over. Alphabetize CD's - well ok them - pretty harmless - just don't yell at your spouse for putting Tom Petty under H for Heartbreakers instead of T for Tom, like I did once. The spouses just don't get it. I'm an accountant and I use my OCD for good at work - when the numbers work, it's just magic. I get so happy!

I worry about my 35 year old daughter. I see in her the same OCD as I had, and it scares me. When she was 10 I could open her bedroom door and swear that no one lived there. It was like a spare room, nothing of any identity anywhere. (My other daugher's room was pretty normal - when she was 10 it looked like a bomb made of toys and clothing had gone off in there). What if she never gets to have an intervention like I had in the form of a TA minithon (or some other kind)? She doesn't listen to me, so I can't make her see what she's doing to herself and her family. And she is so stubborn.

Comments or advice?