[Sounierre]

..Your OCD number? Like how many times you have to touch something? Just out of curiosity.

Mine is 10. 15 if I'd like to be sure about it.

9. And if nine is not enough in terms of repetition, it will be multiples of 9 (of which I'm very partial to 27). If I make a bid on Ebay, it will always end in a 9.

I'm diagnosed with BP II. I'm not diagnosed with OCD - yet anyway. Getting in the zone in therapy, and frankly wouldn't be surprised to have it in addition, as there's quite a bit of evidence in that direction.

(Which brings up a question that perplexes me, so will make a thread asking you all... )

[hatteras duck]

That depends on what I am doing. For example washing a plate is 20 circles on both sides (at least). Pencil sharpening has to sharpened 3 times in the electric sharpener. I catch myself "tapping" usually pinky finger when I open doors - 5 taps.

[SingDanceRunLife]

For me it also depends on what I'm doing, but it's always odd numbers...3, 5 and 7 are the most common ones.

[branduq]

I havn't been officially diagnosed yet really just looking to get information but I thought this thread was interesting so I though i'd post.

For me, it's not so much about a specific number but a comfortable rythm. As long as the rythm or pattern of whatever my compulsion is feels "right" to me I can stop which can take.. a while.

Although I don't count and have never really counted my specific numbers it seems like I'm following the same basic rythms everytime. (I do a lot of finger movements and things to reduce my anxiety and typing in the air) In fact, I probably won't end this reply until I feel like i'm ending my typing on the right rythm. Haha..

[Indie'sOK]

3 and 5...I hate even numbers...how weird is that?

I haven't actually been officially diagnosed, but a lot of my habits seem to reflect OCD tendencies. If that makes sense.

[Emotionally Dead]

I don't even think about the number and it does depend on what I am doing. I always keep asking myself if I have already done it like when it comes to washing my hands, but I don't really ever count or pay attention to the number. That would probably just make my OCD even worse and then make me to use that with my counting and I would always have to do it a certain amount of times or something, lol.

By the way, liked the title, I thought you were actually asking for people's numbers .

[HappyInMisery]

Usually anything even in a pinch, but also 5,7, 21, 35, 45, also count. That seems like a lot of numbers, but that within itself can be obsessive. What types of actions get what types of numbers. I love to do things in 10's. I count doing something ten times and ONE. then I continue the repititions til I reach my preapproved list number. I may increase it if I do not feel it was 'enough' also.

[Keightii]

I tend to repeat an action until it feels 'balanced', ie if I touch something too far over to the right then I will touch it on the left side, until it feels just right, or 'balanced', as I like to think of it. This can take a while sometimes, but cans it is different, as I have to tap these three times before I can open them.

[XxCherryBombxX]

It depends, but its always an odd number from the seven times tables, un ess it's when I am writing or reading then it's 3 times.

I like odd numbers because there is always a middle number & it feels more balanced to me. It always depends.
Palindromes are also very important patterns in terms of balance, as well as having evenness in terms of touching things too far too the left/right. I have a problem with drinking out of cups with patterns on the outside & with water bottle labels. I often have to tear the label off because I feel distressed not being able to align the label properly to where the part visible to me is balanced.

[DalWHO]

When I was a child and a teen it was always 4 or any combination that added to or half of four. Could have even been 4 4's. Could have been 2, which is half of four. For some reason I hated 5.

But I can also tell you I have or have had fears of certain numbers. The number 95 scares me for some reason. If I am giving someone an example of a percentage, and if I accidently say 95, I fear something bad might happen.

85 also scares me, but not as much as it used to. Some of the year 1985 was not a great year for me.

Hope this explains some of my fears or safe numbers.

Originally Posted by Shayatanica

I like odd numbers because there is always a middle number & it feels more balanced to me...

Me too! (My favorite is 9, it's been awhile since that post...whoa! April?! And yeah, have since been officially dx'd with OCD. Counting is the least of it, lol.) Hey, do you like to do 9's with your hand? Start pinky, tap with thumb. 1,2,3. Back one. 1,2,3. Back one. 1,2, bend thumb to make the last 3. Voila! 9. Does anyone else happen to do that?? I've done it since forever. No idea why.

[mylove0mylife]

When it comes to things like the volume it's 5s, or multiples of 5. The only time this changes is with my current tv it has to be on 8, otherwise it's too loud, and 5 is too soft. If someone hits it higher than 8 I have to turn it back down. I don't know if it's volume or what. If I'm in a car where you can physically see what number the volume is on it has to be 5, unless it's the dashes, then it just has to be even.

For things like plates, they just have to be even, 4 of each. When it comes to organization, everything has to be even. Books, they have to be stakes vertically, or if they are horizontally it has to be to the top...they also have to be in alphabetically order.

[Starchild3]

3.. not sure what it's about but I also count in 3's as well

[newtus]

OH wow, this is interesting. Since I was 13, I had an obsession with even numbers being well...good. Like NOT evil, in a sense. Ill tell you why, can you follow? It should be easy:

(WARNING: REFERENCE TO RELIGIOUS TONES REGARDING MY BELIEF IN CHRISTIANITY)

I used love even numbers. My favorite was 4. I used to have to do EVERYTHING 4 times. 8 was better because it was double that, so like sealing the deal with kiss, so to speak. Anything number a divisor of 4 after that was the best.

I would see it as: "Four is great because theres 4 "1"s in there and each "1" has a partner and within THAT it has ANOTHER partner pair, so they aren't lonely". I saw doing things a number of times as not the ACTUAL number but a whole bunch of independent "1"s together.

1-1
1-1 1-1
1-1 1-1 1-1 1-1

So 8 was like King of the castle, the end all be all. There was a number for each "1" there.
I could get by with 4, so like as to not draw attention, or if I was very mentally exhausted. It was like the home away from home. It was good enough to get by. 2 was inexcusable, lazy, and I was going to be punished for it or I had to punish myself for it. I would only do 2 if I was so literally exhausted or I was in the attention of many people or many loved ones at one time or the like. Obviously doing nothing was an internal death sentence.

For religious reasons, one day, It just changed, it just ALL changed. For almost 10 years of not being able to part with even numbers even feeling physically sick if I didnt do something an even number of times, I started doing things the odd way. In believe that since the devils number is 6 I was an extra evil being for following even numbers. God's number is 7.

So now I do things 7 times. No more AT ALL. Anything more is not God, and if I do it less it HAS to be 3 or 1, BECAUSE!, God is the alpha and omega. There is only one saviour and one only. Any duplicates run under the name of the antichrist and the devil himself.

So 7 now. Or 3 or 1.

[Ipod1]

3 taps. Open and close eyes 2 times every time I blink.

[ocd5mom]

My little one has issues with just doing things until she says it feel "exactly right" but most often I have noticed that when she is being repetitious its almost always in even numbers (because they are balanced). This has been an interesting experience for our family because most of the rest of us like odd numbers, even though none of us have the same issues that she does....