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Hi- I'm new to this forum, I'm a seventeen year old girl and I was wondering if anyone shares my compulsive habits, I've just recently started therapy because I'm fixated with tweezing hairs from underneath my skin...I always panic that I might get an ingrown hair so I inspect my legs several times a day and if I think I have or am going to get and ingrown hair i get the tweezers and a needle and get it out. I cant stop thinking about it but my legs are now covered with little red marks. I also have to organize series of objects by color, size, number or alphabet and it disturbs me when things aren't exactly the same or matching. I'm also particular about symmetry and I cant stand objects not to be centered or evenly spaced. Lastly, when i eat I usually eat by twos- so that i can have an even amount on both sides of my mouth...like candy i always sort out by color in my hand and eat by two. Is it abnormal to have so many unusual habits? hope to hear something! -mary

Hello Mary,
It sounds like to me you have OCD. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I too have OCD and I engage in alot of the behaviors you mentioned. These behaviors are compulsions/rituals which is very common for people with OCD. It is good that you are seeing someone about this with the right medication and therapy you will notice alot of improvement in your condition. Good luck and keep us posted! And welcome to the forum!

Hi - I'm seventeen as well and have many compulsions - the biggest one being I count letters and lines on pages in groups of 3s. I also feel like I have to tap furniture and stair banisters 3 times otherwise something terrible will happen to my family. I'm starting some therapy in the fall. Let me know how things go for you!

thanks for the responses

-Mary

What is the fear about having an ingrown hair? We all get them at some point in our lives, they are pretty easy to get rid of , so what is it that is causing you to panic over this? What's going to happen if you get an ingrown hair, absoulutly nothing, ingrown hairs aren't harmful, they may not look very pretty but they are completey harmless, so whats the anxiety with this?

I don't think the stuff that you are doing is really abnormal, as for organizing things by color etc, I don't see anything really wrong with that, you just like your stuff in order, it starts to become a problem when it starts to take over your life. Or is affecting relationships etc, if it is to that point then you might want to look into getting treatment for it.

I know I use to obsess over small things like everything had to be even, still does when it comes to chips, crackers, cookies etc... and I never use to step on the cracks in the side walk, but then I think what will happen if i do it differently, step on the crack.. nothing happens, so now I just do it. I don't want lttle things like that to bother me...

So if this is something that you feel is getting control of your life then go and talk to your doctor and see what he would reccomend you do about this before it spirals out of control.

The marks on your legs from plucking is my concern, why you feel you need to conasantly pluck to be rid of hairs? Is it a self-consious thing, do you think people will comment?

The organization I wouldn't be too worried about though, looks to me that you just want to keep things organized and neat, don't think that is a bad thing.

<font color=red>~</font color=red><font color=blue>S</font color=blue><font color=green>u</font color=green><font color=blue>n</font color=blue><font color=green>d</font color=green><font color=blue>a</font color=blue><font color=green>n</font color=green><font color=blue>c</font color=blue><font color=green>e</font color=green><font color=red>~</font color=red>

<font color=blue>"Never react emotionally to criticism. Analyze yourself to determine whether it is justified. If it is, correct yourself. Otherwise, go on about your business."</font color=blue>

<font color=black>Norman Vincent Peale</font color=black>

i dont know why have to do it...usually they arent ingrown at all but i cant stop thinking about it because i think it might. im not worried about the appearence, i just flip out when i cant do it or when i think about it, its a relief to dig. the organization is only a problem because i seldomly can stop thinking about it, and i do it every couple of minutes in a panic mode, i do it so fast because i feel like if idont get it done RIGHT NOW im going to have a break down or something. i dont know im getting help seperately... i wasnt really looking for another diagnosis or online therapy i just wanted to find people who relate

-Mary

Hmm, maybe CBT might help you with this. I don't know ... talking to a therapist and figure out how control this ....

Have you tried to talk to yourself at all about this? When you feel the need to pluck that hair even if it isn't ingrown have you told yourself not too, fighting that urge.. reminding yourself that it's just a hair, and leaving it alone?

Are you self consious of this not of your appearence in general but of your legs? Maybe that is why you feel the need to pluck constantly, Do you think people will notice it and make fun of you?

Now if you aren't having any hairs on your legs are you still picking at the skin to the point where it is red etc?

I am wondering if that is a form of SH....?

Don't quote me on that because I am not a doctor at all, but just trying to understand what the constant need is.

Can you go and talk to someone about this to get your OCD under control?

As for organizing, how about trying to leave the room and leaving things a bit out of place, do you run back and organize it?

If this is something that is contant and you feel that you need to do it for any reason maybe talking to someone can help you with these obsessions?

There are books on OCD as well that might help you...

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<font color=blue>"Never react emotionally to criticism. Analyze yourself to determine whether it is justified. If it is, correct yourself. Otherwise, go on about your business."</font color=blue>

<font color=black>Norman Vincent Peale</font color=black>

hello marst and welcome. you might not have ocd... and since you knew to post under anxiety, I think you're right that much of it is just that.

often, especially as teenagers, we feel like we don't have enough control over our lives, thus we TAKE control over as many little things (and things that don't matter to others, so there's no fear of someone else usurping us) as we can.

if you wish to work on this, if it continues to bother you, then try and think about what is going on in your life that you wish you had control over... and try to address that

it's a tough age, we want to still do childish things, but need to be grown up it isn't till we are comfortable being an adult that we then allow ourselves to act "childish" once in a while

ps if you continue to pluck your hair, you can cause ingrown hairs, as you are causing the new growth to be below the skin line... but then, you are controlling this too.

<font color=blue> meditation is a true way to connect to the Source </font color=blue>

I think you might be misunderstood, I didnt really explain but I've been in treatment and under medication control for a while now and i am obsessive compulsive- its jsut that when i talk about my things i have to do noone understands, case and point...some of the responses I got, i only posted so that I might see someone shares the same urges. I've been ADHD for a long time and my medication for that intensifys my obsessive habits but I also cant let go of the comfort I get from my ocd, I dont know, im very confused... i feel like a nut almost everywhere now- i only gave a brief list of my daily excercises, i cant take certain things like metal spoons out of the house, or i write my name on any kind of blank paper hundreds of times a day, and everything in my room has its place as should every other item of the house- this gives me an enormous amount of stress.... i have been recieving help, but just recently started another therapist for the sores on my legs, im not looking on what i should do- i was only hoping for someone whos been through the same type of stuff-sorrry for the mix up

-Mary

Ok NP Sorry I gave the impression I don't understand... I was trying to go lightly and under the "anxiety" idea rather than such OCD as you have now explained you really are dealing with.

There are plenty who live with these same issues... I'm just not used to reading too many on OCD sorry, my bad.

Actually, though, IMHO your medication might need to be adjusted. The meds in the world today do wonders, you just have to find the right one and right dose to help you live as near normal a life as you can.

But you might need to hear that from someone here with OCD that you trust more than me

<font color=blue> meditation is a true way to connect to the Source </font color=blue>

no- i do appreciate your response, its great to know people out there want to help each other! thanks, sorry if i came off snappy!

-Mary