am confused. do i have OCD?

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hi
im 19 years old. and i experience some things that im not sure if they are caused by OCD or just aspergers/anxiety.

for as long as i can remember (i think round the age of 11?) iv had this problem were i have to keep biting the inside of my mouth and tongue. im not sure exactly why. im not sure if its just a habbit, or a compulsion, or even a stim? sometimes im aware im doing it, like when im bored. and anxiety and stress deffinatly make it worst. but other times i cant stop myself, and i end up making my mouth bleed. iv also started to notice that all the biting has started to worn down my front teeth. i really want to stop, but i cant

i remember when i was yonger 9/10, i had this fear that i would loose my teeth, so i would spend ages brushing my teeth (round 20 mins). bt now i dont have that problem anymore. but i remember the huge anxiety i felt back then as a kid.

i also feel compelled to pray sometimes, and i have to repeat the prayer over and over. even when i know iv said it enough and want to stop i cant. because then i get these horrible thoughts, that if i stop now, than my prayer wont come true. then all i can do is just worry that all the bad things i dont want to happen will happen if i stop. especially when its about something i care about. sometimes it can go on for hours (most often at night) and can continue a few times a day. and no matter how hard i want to quit, i cant. its like a cd that keeps repeating in my head, that i cant stop. at night it is worst. last night, at 2am and i couldn't sleep, i kept repeating the prayer over and over for over 2 hours, and i couldn't stop myself. in the end, the only reason why i stopped was because i literally passed out from sleep deprivation.

or even at night. when im not praying, i cant stop myself from worrying. its like i keep getting paranoid that if i dont think about the bad things, and think of solutions, then the bad things will happen.

i always have these problems, but sometimes when my life gets a bit more stressfull, its like all these "symptoms" double in intensity.

do you think these things are caused by OCD, or just aspergers and anxiety?

Last edited by Gracey on 22 Jan 2013, 6:00 am, edited 1 time in total.

You've got intrusive thoughts and rituals you need to do in order to get rid of the anxiety the thoughts create. Also, the rituals take up several hours of your day. I'm no expert but it sounds like OCD to me.

EDIT: If it bothers you (which it obviously does) I suggest you talk to a professional. They can probably help you out.

Definitely sounds like OCD to me. I've just been reading a book to my son about it, and I also have some symptoms. They recommend you challenge the intrusive thoughts and rituals step by step. But this may be hard to do without help.especially if you are already stressed. But if you don't get help it will only get worse.
Can you see your dr about it?
All the best.

ok. i am already on beta-blockers and a type of anti depression to treat my anxiety and sleep problem. my doctor is aware that i have aspergers and anxiety issues. but i have no idea how to talk to her about this

should i? or should i maybe talk to her about seeing a psychologist/counselor?
thanks for your help

Either or both would work. My guess is, if you describe your symptoms, she'd refer you to a psychologist or psychiatrist herself.

ok i ended up going to the doctor today. and i told her my anxiety has gotten a lot worst. and asked if their is any medication i could take to help more, or if she could increase the meds im already on... and she doesnt want to change my pills or increase dosage.
she doesnt want me becoming "reliant" on the pills (even though they are non-addictive pills). and i couldn't bring myself to talk to her about my other problem about possible OCD. not sure what im doing and am stuck
im not sure what to do or who to talk to. aarrgghh!

I know it's difficult, but it really sounds like you need some advice from a professional. You could consider getting a second opinion from a different doctor, or else you could try looking at therapists.psychologytoday(.)com to try and find yourself a therapist where you live. A lot of therapists provide email addresses you can write to them at, if that's easier.