Aspergers and OCD

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I am co-diagnosed with OCD. How many people share this diagnosis?

I would attribute a few things to OCD. I bite my nails and skin arond them, and sometimes I bite my lips.

I also have obsessive thoughts, IE I will sometimes get caught thinking about one thing.

OCD shares some neural pathways with tourettes. I can attest to this. Sometimes I will have unwanted thoughts. For example, perhaps I will be standing in line to get food at a family dinner, and think about smashing my plate over someone's head. I'm not a bad person, and I would never do such a thing to a loved one, however I have thoughts of doing it because it's wrong.

Same with airports. I think about things such as, what if I were to tell a guard that someone told me not to get on the plane. These unwanted thoughts used to taunt me much more. They still bother me, and if I let them get to me, I can get anxious or depressed.

I always analyze my mind and how it ticks, to assess how exactly I'm "wired" and how this may differ from other people (NT's in specific)

For one thing: I hate odd numbers (I try to avoid them) and I walk in a straight line

I do similar things. I forgot to mention how I need symmetry. I used to do this a lot: If I touched something on one side, I had to touch it on the other side.

A combination symptom, I still do certain things:

1. My car keys have a string attached to them, a loop sort of deal. When I put my keys in the ignition, I automatically put the string around the transmission selector deal (you know, park, drive, etc). I always do it, and I think it started one summer when I would be irritated by it hanging down and touching my leg (when I have shorts on).

2. Sometimes when I adjust the volume in my car, I have to run my finger over the top of the knob, partly due to that symmetry (it needs to be equally touched), and partly because of the 'feel' of the smoothness of the knob.

I was diagnosed with both OCD and Asperger's as well! I tend to have the obsessive thoughts but without the compulsive behavior (I'm ok washing my hands once in a row, for instance).

I have a few OCD traits (nail bitting, thinking about the same thing over and over again and such) but they're not so serious that they can be considered a disorder. They were worse when I was younger, but I seem to have outgrown them.

I'm pretty sure I have enough traits for an ocd dx. My thinking tends to be very obsessive (nothing negative, but annoying and time-consuming just the same) and everything in my life is governed by 'rules' - things have to be done a certain way, stuff has to be in a certain spot, etc.

Interestingly, I was at an ocd seminar for my job a few months ago. The guy who was teaching us (a psychologist who specializes in ocd and autism) said that he would only dx someone with ocd if they're not autistic. I don't know if that's a generally accepted rule or if it's just his opinion, but he said that most ocd behavior falls under the obsessive side of autism so he would rule that out first. Since it's normal for an autie or aspie to be obsessive/compulsive, they wouldn't get an ocd dx too.

I'm really borderline. I do all sorts of obsessive-like things, but I don't know that I'd be diagnosed.

I'm hyper-orderly.

I have my clothes indexed by color and coordinated by outfit.

I sometimes get the bad thoughts like you were talking about in the airport.

However, I seem to have almost complete control over most things. I can change my mind about it if I think about it for a minute.

I am diagnosed with OCD - I'm a handwasher (lol) although when I tried to stop doing that in therapy I started doing other things like checking and so I decided it was easier just to deal with the handwashing. OCD is kind of weird - it seems like the more you try and deal with it the worse it gets. It seems to increases with anxiety. I tried therapy and medication but neither one had much effect. So, I don't know if it is the chronic depression I've also been diagnosed with or the AS stuff that contributed to that. OCD is different from OCPD though which is why some people are surprised that I'm not very organized - they expect someone who is extremely uptight like Felix Unger from the Odd Couple or something.

I think that is probably the psychologists personal opinion but I wouldn't say it is necessarily a bad one. I have lots of "rules" also. Like with the handwashing - I don't do it for my own entertainment per se , it is purposeful. Like if I am making a snack or whatever than I always wash my hands because you are supposed to. So in a way it is strict rule following but then I'll take it too far and keep washing my hands if I touch this or that in the kitchen while I am cooking (like the handle on the silverware drawer). But I see no reason why a person with AS could not also have OCD or depression or bi-polar. It may be over diagnosed though in people with AS because obsessive interests or rigid thinking could be mistaken for OCD when in fact it might be strictly ASD behavior.

I was diagnosed with OCD when I was seeking treatment for depression. I don't think it's separate though, I think OCD is part of Asperger's. Not every aspie has every symptom, and some aspies do not have OCD-type traits, but I most do.

I'm not diagnosed with OCD but I do have many OCD traits.. I think it's from the Asperger's though, I don't know if I would get diagnosed with it as well, they'd probably just tell me it fitted in already. I do do alot of things that are OCD-ish though.

I have not been diagnosed with OCD but I do have hair pulling fits from time to time. I usually pick the hairs in my left temple. I picked a small balled spot up there a couple of times. Then I have to comb the rest of my hair over it so it does not show.

However I do notice that I don't pick my hair when I wear it up or pulled back in a pony tail. So I will wear it up until the balled spot grows back.

I qualify more for obsessive thoughts, eg researching meteorolgy (especially extremes of temperature like you get with frosts and heatwaves) , volcanology, snakes (especially venomous snakes) and thoughts of them going around and around my head all the time. That in not compulsive behaviour, eg repeated washing of hands, standing on cracks on the pavement or the opening and shutting of oven doors. So I voted Nay, but with some reservations. I tend to tug at my eyelashes, collar and earlobes occasionally as I am thinking. But I think that is a nervous habit.

I can relate to this.

yup.

I'm also ok washing my hands once in a row, but I tend to push the soap dispenser a specific number of times.

alot of quoting today.. I also tend to pull out my hair at times.