WrongPlanet OCD Rituals

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Along with Asperger's (officially diagnosed), I also have OCD (self-diagnosed).

I want to share how OCD affects me here on the WrongPlanet. Before I write the text of a post, I feel I must write in a subject for the post. After I get the post written, I quickly proofread it and hit the submit button. I realize I can use the preview button---I have done that sometimes, but since I have to check my post after being officially submitted, I usually don't use the preview. I then read my post after it has been posted to check to make sure I haven't double posted and to proofread it again. Often times there is something I did like a misspelling or other error. I then must go back and edit, proofread, and check to make sure I haven't double posted. Each page of posts holds 15 posts. I get annoyed if I happen to be at the top of a page because I then must go to the previous page to make sure I haven't double posted.

After I have submitted a post and read it, I also look at the end of the post to make sure I have placed an end punctuation mark and glance up to make sure the subject heading shows. Often times I have to do this glancing twice. If I don't, I often have to go back into the post to check.

I feel I must break this OCD ritual. This is post number 3901 of me doing this. Anyone else here like me with these rituals on your posts?

One ritual I did break was feeling as though I had to write a certain amount of posts daily so my average posts a day wouldn't do down. In order to do this I often utilized some of the games on the game section of WP (count to a million, countdowns, etc.) But with those, I also made myself do the checking of proofreading and checking for double postings.

I want to relax and not worry about these things here at the WP. It is a blog site---not like I am writing a book for publishing.

Again, anyone else here like me with these rituals for your posts? And, how many of you don't worry about these things---I would like to hear from many of you that don't do this and therefore make me feel better breaking this OCD ritual here at the WP.

Thank you for reading and helping me with this.

I am diagnosed AS with " significant OCD symptoms" but not OCD. I never had anything having to do with posting a certain amount in one day.....but I do have to re-check my posts after I post them. I have to spell check a post before I post it and then go back to my posted post and spell check it....to make sure it was spell-checked properly! I also check my punctuation. I do this with emails too…..I always check my sent mail and spell check my sent emails!

I also have an order for what I do on WP. I always check this thread "general autism discussion", then whatever other threads I want to look at and then the "school and college life" thread last before I log off. I have broken the rule about the last thread to look at occasionally but never the one about this being the first page to look at.

I would also like to be more relaxed on WP...this is why I have purposely broken my last thread rule ...but it is hard to get rid of entirely........

btw, Tony Atwood estimates that about 25% of people with AS have OCD....which is remarkably high given that the prevalence of OCD in the general population is 1-2%!

"On" topic

Need to have my topic title before I even write the post! Been doing this 6233 times (at last count).

Thank you for your replies. There is comfort in knowing I am not the only one with these rituals here.

Type reply.
Preview.
Add emphasis and/or emoticons where required.
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Final overall content and spelling check, apply minor tweaks.
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Check latest posts below preview window and if necessary, repeat all of the above to accommodate.
Submit. (or discard)

No, you're not alone.
I go through pretty much the same thing with a reply of just a couple of lines of text.

I absolutely have to view the forums in this order: General Autism, Random Discussion, Parents, Computers, Teens.

not trying to be completely unhelpful but... it could be worse.
out of curiosity, do you have any other behaviours that you attribute to OCD?

The first thing I do upon entering WP is check the 'General Autism Discussion', then 'Bipolar, Tourette's, and other Psychological Conditions', 'Random Discussion', 'Video Games and Gaming', 'In-Depth Adult Autism', and 'Teens' all in that order. If I don't view the forums in this order, I feel weird somehow.

Sometimes I might peruse 'The Haven' and 'Health, Fitness, and Sport'.

About being worse---have you seen the Youtube video on OCD mailman?

So far I get along alright with my OCD. Some posters in the past have stated that what I call OCD in me might be more attention to detail and adhering to strong routines in my Asperger's.

Anyway...I have to double (sometimes quadruple) check things like doors and faucets, etc. When making sure something is unplugged (like an iron), I have to look at the electric receptacle, look at say another receptacle where something was plugged in, and back to the original receptacle, and finally at the second receptacle again before I feel satisfied. A lot of times if I have to scratch my arm, I will have to scratch the other one to keep it parallel. It is difficult for me to do something once---like when I check something. I also find myself counting things---such as windows in a building, lights on a ceiling, etc.

I do this too. It's just not right if left unbalanced.

I can't view any forums until I've dealt with the mailed update alerts that arrived since I was last here, and they must be dealt with in arrival sequence.
If new updates arrive while I'm doing this, they have to be left in sequence until I get to them.
Only when this is all completed can I start checking out the forums.

This was also what I was wondering. By the way, I always write, correct, write, reread, post, re-read, edit if necessary. It´s important for me to write a "clean" post, with no typos or spelling mistakes. I don´t double check the last punctuation in the post, but before I send it, I have to make sure the line from the mouse- (that little line that flashes on and off) is at the very end of the post. I know intellectually that this is unnecessary, but I feel compelled to do it anyway. Always, after every e-mail, etc.

Where do attention to detail and routines end, and OCD begin?



Hmmmm, maybe I should look up OCD. I see a bit of this type of behavior in myself. I count things a lot too. Also, if I am walking, I´ll count (inside my head) to the rhythm of my steps. When I hear music, I often count it out- (maybe just because I am a dancer???) But, also, if I remove a dish or a cup from the shelf, then I need to replace 1 or 2 remaining dishes or cups to make the proper pattern. If I remove an egg from the egg dish, then I rearrange the other eggs to make the right pattern. Etc.! I check things too, like doors and faucets, but usually only once is enough. I do notice I tend to do things slowly and methodically, and "perfectly", even if it doesn´t really matter. It can be rather time consuming.

Okay, now that I have checked this, corrected it, re-checked it, and made sure the mouse thingie is at the end, I guess it´s time to Submit.

I always do this with emails, but not forum postings. And yes, I have wondered why I treat each differently but I still have do it anyway.

*check*
*check*
*check*
*check*
*check*

I think a pattern is forming here.

not seen OCD mailman no.. the checking sounds quite like OCD to me, but i think there is a fine line between obsessive behaviours in AS & OCD, i don't really know where that line is. i think it's less what you do, more how you think about it. but anyways OCD is in my opinion, nothing but trouble whereas AS can definitely be a gift for some. i'm diagnosed with OCD but not AS, though i think it very likely i have it. thought that was relevant. rambling now..

The line is drawn somewhere between simply checking that something is safe/completed and correct with a good practical reason to do so, and checking that the checking was done correctly and repeating it until it 'feels' like it has.
The fun lies in the definition of "correct", and that's where the compulsive part comes in. Being compulsive about something doesn't mean thinking about it; it's just something that needs to be done - an itch that must be scratched.
It reaches beyond close attention to detail, maybe a more typical AS manifestation, and something which NTs have accused me of being obsessive about - but they can't see the entirely different internal process in action.

It doesn't really make a heap of difference to anyone if the jars are arranged Tea-Coffee-Sugar but if they're not, I have to rearrange them so they are and that they're equally spaced from each other and from the shelf edge. If I get distracted and later, I realise I didn't check, then I go back and make sure they're set correctly.
That sort of behaviour (and more) is to me, OCD, and that's also what was diagnosed.