Guest guest Posted March 14, 2000 Report Share Posted March 14, 2000 NetDad, Welcome! I have been reading your posts and have found your info on your sons disorders very educational. Like Kathy H. said, most of us question if we have OCD ourselves. I have had lots of people ask if I'm obsessed with OCD!! Just to make sure, I did an online test, and one out of a book - and they came out no!! I think Shadow Syndrome or Sympathy Pains is more like it! One thing about your counting: try and stop yourself and see what happens? I use the techniques that I use with the kids of " bossing back " their thoughts. Can you stop this mental excersice?? take care - you sound like a terrific dad! wendy in canada, wb4@... ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 14, 2000 Report Share Posted March 14, 2000 Hi Netdad: This is a question most of us ask ourselves at one time or another. Unless what you do interferes with your functioning in life, e.g. getting an education, keeping a job, enjoying rewarding interpersonal relationships, it is not OCD. I refer to my " Shadow Syndrome " OCD from time to time as I do keep a lot of papers and gather a lot of information, but I can turf it out fairly readily, unlike a true OCD hoarder. The key is whether these behaviors interfere with our lives. BTW, my husband gets upset when I suddenly announce " that we do something unless it was something [he] was aware of and considered ahead of time. " And the OCD seems to be more on my side of the family than his! Go figure! <VBG> Take care, aloha, Kathy (H) kathyh@... > At 06:40 PM 03/14/2000 -0500, you wrote: >From: intrntdad@... > >Hello all, > >I came here looking for help for my son, and suddenly started wondering if I >got it myself. > >I was just wondering if I have some OCD traits. Somebody said something about >numbers. Well, this applies to me. Wherever I see numbers I always add them >in different ways. For example, if I see the number 1567, I would add all of >them and say 1 plus 5 plus 6 plus 7 equals 19. I then go and say, 1 and 5 is >6, 6 and 7 is 13, 6 and 13 is 19. Now let us add the two numbers at the end. >1 and 7 is 8, 5 and 6 is 11, 8 and 11 is 19, etc. etc. etc. I am not under >stress at all when I do this and I can get out of it, but as long as I am >looking at the numbers, I am afraid I feel a little compelled to do it. > >I find many many ways of doing something. This happens when I look at car >license plates or wherever I may see numbers. Silently in my head of course. >I also play with different kind of patterns. Also, if someone said something >that I thought was irrational, I would keep asking why until I found a >logical answer. If they said, just drop it, I never could. > >However, I am not really obssessed with how things should be, even though I >often get upset a little when my wife suddenly announces that we do something >unless it was something I was aware of and considered ahead of time. > >I am not particular about the way things ought to be, such as: I couldn't >care less if the bed was made or not, for example. And my desk at work? Well, >let us just say, a big animal could hide on my desk under all that paper and >different kinds of gadgets and things. > >I cannot believe I wrote this about myself. Wait till I print and show it to >my wife!!! > >Appreciate all input from all you great people. > >By the way, did I say what a great bunch of people are here? Thank you for >making me feel welcome. > >NetDad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 15, 2000 Report Share Posted March 15, 2000 In a message dated 3/14/00 7:08:10 PM Eastern Standard Time, kathyh@... writes: << I refer to my " Shadow Syndrome " OCD from time to time as I do keep a lot of papers and gather a lot of information, but I can turf it out fairly readily, unlike a true OCD hoarder. The key is whether these behaviors interfere with our lives. >> Kathy, You broght up another issue, hoarding, as you called it. This is absolutely true with me. I carry a ton of stuff in my pockets to a point where my pockets are bulging all over the place. The reason I don't throw away things is that I am absolutely terriified that something I throw away now might end up being something I absolutely needed in the future, regardless how insifigant it seems now. Knowing me, my wife takes a lot of stuff out of my car and stores them away. We got stuff taken out of my car from 5 years ago. I never go back and check. The times when I needed something and went back and got them is really rare, but we don't want to take a chance so we save trash You are right my situation does not cause any stress in my family relationship, and also my work since fortunately, I am in a line of work that does not require me to be a non-hoarder. If I were a salesman or something like that, I am sure my bulging pockets would have caused me to lose out on promotions and other rewards. So, that is that. Also I am extremely forgetful and absent minded. Here is one example. When I was young, about 11 years old, I think, I was walking home from school on a sunny day. I think I remember putting my jacket over my head as protection from the strong sun. When I got home, my mom asked me where my jacket was. It wasn't over my head. I never figured out what happened to my jacket. I will site one more example since it will, at the very least, make some people smile hopefully, though it is absolutely true. About 2 years ago, my son and I were going to the swimming pool. So, we took off our clothes, took a shower and, hand in had, headed straight to the swimming pool. I had completely forgotten to put on a swimming suit on myself and my son. There were a lot of people at the pool and here I was holding my little boy's hand and we are walking to the pool both of us stark naked. Luckily, before we got to the water, I suddenly became aware of our " condition " -- I guess I must have looked down or something per some accident. We ran back and put our swimming trunks on and came back out. I do not know if anybody noticed us. To this day, my wife says she doesn't believe me. Well, it is nice to know I am not OCD, but I sometimes wonder what kind of a syndrome I have. Well, thanks for listening. NetDad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 15, 2000 Report Share Posted March 15, 2000 Alright, NetDad, I don't know if you have OCD or not, but the more you write about yourself the more you remind me of my husband! Though he's never gone so far as to forget his swimming trunks, it's something I can imagine him doing. Also, since I've known him (20+ years), his car is a rolling trash heap, except for those times when he gets a plastic grocery bag, fills it with the mishmash of trash, pens, scrapers, papers, coins and so on, then stashes it somewhere. He never goes through these bags, they have sat for years before (he always plans to go through them " sometime " , never " now " ), more lately I run across them and throw them away. I figure anything that's been bagged for months without being needed can't be too important. Seriously, you may want to read the book " Shadow Syndromes. " It describes the experience of having " touches " or shadows of each of the major brain disorders such as OCD and ADD. I don't remember the author right now but you can order it at Amazon.com I found it fascinating, when I finished it I passed in on to my sister, her husband recognized himself in the description of ADD and he's now diagnosed and being treated for that disorder. Saving trash for fear of needing it later is an OCDish thing to do. What would happen if you went to the garage and threw a few of these bags away? Kathy R. in Indiana > From: intrntdad@... > > In a message dated 3/14/00 7:08:10 PM Eastern Standard Time, > kathyh@... writes: > > << I refer to my " Shadow Syndrome " OCD from time to time as I do keep a lot of > papers and gather a lot of information, but I can turf it out fairly > readily, unlike a true OCD hoarder. The key is whether these behaviors > interfere with our lives. >> > > Kathy, > > You broght up another issue, hoarding, as you called it. This is absolutely > true with me. I carry a ton of stuff in my pockets to a point where my > pockets are bulging all over the place. The reason I don't throw away things > is that I am absolutely terriified that something I throw away now might end > up being something I absolutely needed in the future, regardless how > insifigant it seems now. Knowing me, my wife takes a lot of stuff out of my > car and stores them away. We got stuff taken out of my car from 5 years ago. > I never go back and check. The times when I needed something and went back > and got them is really rare, but we don't want to take a chance so we save > trash > > You are right my situation does not cause any stress in my family > relationship, and also my work since fortunately, I am in a line of work that > does not require me to be a non-hoarder. If I were a salesman or something > like that, I am sure my bulging pockets would have caused me to lose out on > promotions and other rewards. > > So, that is that. Also I am extremely forgetful and absent minded. Here is > one example. When I was young, about 11 years old, I think, I was walking > home from school on a sunny day. I think I remember putting my jacket over my > head as protection from the strong sun. When I got home, my mom asked me > where my jacket was. It wasn't over my head. I never figured out what > happened to my jacket. > > I will site one more example since it will, at the very least, make some > people smile hopefully, though it is absolutely true. > > About 2 years ago, my son and I were going to the swimming pool. So, we took > off our clothes, took a shower and, hand in had, headed straight to the > swimming pool. I had completely forgotten to put on a swimming suit on > myself and my son. There were a lot of people at the pool and here I was > holding my little boy's hand and we are walking to the pool both of us stark > naked. > > Luckily, before we got to the water, I suddenly became aware of our > " condition " -- I guess I must have looked down or something per some > accident. We ran back and put our swimming trunks on and came back out. I do > not know if anybody noticed us. > > To this day, my wife says she doesn't believe me. > > Well, it is nice to know I am not OCD, but I sometimes wonder what kind of a > syndrome I have. > > Well, thanks for listening. > NetDad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 15, 2000 Report Share Posted March 15, 2000 Shadow Syndromes is by J. Ratey, / Paperback / Published 1998 Jule in Cleveland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 15, 2000 Report Share Posted March 15, 2000 In a message dated 3/15/00 10:40:25 AM Eastern Standard Time, klr@... writes: << What would happen if you went to the garage and threw a few of these bags away? >> Kathy! I actually hurt physically when I read that. Seriously. The thought that I would throw away the bags without thoroughly checking the content again is unacceptable, to say the least. Is this the reaction you expected? NetDad, who thanks you for your response and appreciates your sense of humor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 15, 2000 Report Share Posted March 15, 2000 In a message dated 3/15/00 10:45:37 AM Eastern Standard Time, j.monnens@... writes: << Shadow Syndromes is by J. Ratey, / Paperback / Published 1998 Jule in Cleveland >> Jule, thanks a lot. I will check it out. Definitely NetDad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 15, 2000 Report Share Posted March 15, 2000 Hi Netdad: IMO you are describing an overly strong reaction to this suggestion. Okay, what about getting a small bag and putting some things into it from a bigger bag and then throwing away the small bag? If this feels tough, get someone to stand by and reinforce what a good job you are doing. Good luck, keep us posted on your progress, aloha, Kathy (H) kathyh@... At 05:37 PM 03/15/2000 -0500, you wrote: >From: intrntdad@... > >In a message dated 3/15/00 10:40:25 AM Eastern Standard Time, >klr@... writes: > ><< What > would happen if you went to the garage and threw a few of these bags away? >> > >Kathy! I actually hurt physically when I read that. Seriously. The thought >that I would throw away the bags without thoroughly checking the content >again is unacceptable, to say the least. Is this the reaction you expected? > >NetDad, who thanks you for your response and appreciates your sense of humor. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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