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what age did your ocd start?


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I dunno if what I have/had is ocd but when I was a kid I had an irrational fear of garden weeds, and certain plants. Like for instance even now I could not touch the leaves or Giant rhubarb for instance or bamboo. I have no idea why. They just make me feel uneasy.

When I was 8 I was afraid of getting a heart attack as I was running around as I felt a slight pain in my chest at the time. I gre up worrying about illnesses from about 8 or 9yrs old.

I had a lot of little fears but nothing like flicking switches or anthing stereotypical.

I ama little superstitious. For instance I dont like the the years 2014, 2015, 2016 or 2017 as I think they are unlucky for me and bring bad events as 10 yrs ago I had awful years from 2004-2007.

I used to ask my mother for reassurance alot about having diseases as a teenager. Again I dunno if that is just slightly more anxiety than usual but not enough to be ocd. When I was 24 I went for full medicals as I had a muscle twitching disorder which I was convinced was Multiple Sclerosis.

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"I grew up worrying about illnesses from 8 or 9 years old".

Asking for reassurance

"Had a muscle twitching - convinced it was multiple sclerosis. Asked mother for reassurance"

Now Eric you know these look indicative of health OCD.

"I don't like the years ....." unlucky and brought/will bring bad events. Looks indicative maybe of magical thinking OCD, based around projections from a perceived seeding event view - what happended before.

So looks like you've had a few flavours in the past Eric.

Me, well only really got going in my 20s - an dusually when taking breaks or stressed but not always , .but there were checking and counting compulsions before - and feelings that my thoughts were wandering.

Edited by taurean
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Mine started at about age 13, 21 years ago. Yes it has caused problems and struggles but I've also been able to fight back and live life too. I graduated from high school and college (aka University) have had a professional career for about a decade and a couple years ago took a trip overseas (that was a big accomplishment for me, I used to get super anxious just riding the bus, let alone a plane!). I haven't done everything in life I want, I have had times when OCD interfered with my ability full engage in and enjoy things, but sometimes that happens in life, and not just from OCD.

So OK, you have OCD and struggle with worry, totally understandable. It's frustrating and painful and you wish it wasn't there, completely valid to feel that way. But dwelling on what you are missing or how you are hurting isn't going to ever change any of that. You can feel bad sometimes, that's normal, but if you want and try there is also the opportunity to put in the work and make a change. Sure it's not fair that any of us get stuck with OCD but we can't change what happened. We can change what happens next.

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I had mild checking problems from about 27 - 28. These did not really impact on my life - were a nuisance but not a problem. This gradually grew into different areas and increased general anxiety. I didn't recognise them as OCD but apparently, i read an article about OCD and said to my hubby (I don't remember this) 'if I'm not careful, i could be like this'. Also i was teaching and put it down to stress - but it did become overtly OCD - but not recognised.

OCD really hit, so it impacted what seemed like all day every day, when i was 43 (Year 2000).

I lived with it, in what i consider a severe form, for about 4 years - then my recovery began and i gradually improved until about 2010/2011 when, I was well enough to re-start work. Little bits hung on then but have largely died out. If the criteria are that it causes considerable distress and uses at least an hour a day - i no longer have OCD.

From being a worrier all my life, i hardly worry about anything these days!! (I am still taking meds but think they may now be ineffective).

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I think mine started quite suddenly when I was about 6/7. I developed an obsession about being burgled and checking OCD and at the same time I developed a number of what I now think were tourettes type tics. My mum talks about that time to this day and refers to it as my 'annoying' phase and says I had a total personality change.

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I think mine started quite suddenly when I was about 6/7. I developed an obsession about being burgled and checking OCD and at the same time I developed a number of what I now think were tourettes type tics. My mum talks about that time to this day and refers to it as my 'annoying' phase and says I had a total personality change.

Did you have an infection prior to this, do you know?

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I used to have to repeat saying the number six when I was young & touching the light switch to make sure it was off. Not sure what age this was, primary school age, 4-11 yrs.

Proper kicked in at 18.

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Did you have an infection prior to this, do you know?

To be honest I don't know but it is something I've considered. I don't really want to ask my parents as they don't know about any of this and it's a can of worms best left shut I think! Plus it wouldn't make any difference either way, unfortunately :(

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I used to have to repeat saying the number six when I was young & touching the light switch to make sure it was off. Not sure what age this was, primary school age, 4-11 yrs.

Proper kicked in at 18.

So you were in a great place from 0-3, and 12-17 then it got difficult - interesting!!!

I was more a worrier in my teens and was kept incredibly busy at school and on my singing career, which kept it in check.

It first hit me big-time when father put me on a train to a job in the big city of London. cue life-changing stre4ss.

I went out for an evening hoping to "pull" the girls and dressed up fine and sprayed my hair, then all evening I had a really strong thought that i had used the spray paint for my motor-bnikle on my hair.

This self-harm or people harming me theme was the prevalent theme then. When repairing my bicycle using fibreglass, i had the intrusion that my clothes could be made of fibreglass - if they were my skin would be damaged by the reaction of the glass fibre.

I toughed these thought out by using what I now know as CBT applying a rational response.

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Guest HeadAboveWater

Mine started when I was around 5 or 6 but it didn't blow up until I was around 14...

Since then it has been up and down... I went through a few years (from 18-20) where it was controllable... this past year has been the worst of my entire experience with OCD and the worst of my life. I do see the light a little more now, though... I'm hoping that means that I am going to be able to beat this theme and OCD once and for all.

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Couple of months short of 21. Nothing before. Countless strep throats between 15-25 ish

Oddly, before I had a diagnosis there were times where it didn't bother me at all and I didn't think about it......it only kicked off following stressful periods. Which makes me wonder sometimes whether having the label makes us more vigilant, on the look out for and afraid of it. Similarly, involving too much of our time with things OCD related.

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Could be a connection with the throat.

My hay fever only started up after a period working on a dusty building site as a holiday job when 18. It's still with me now.

But I am clear my OCD has at least genetic links through my father's line. And my (maternal) uncle who I resemble had anxiety problems .

I now recall having adjusting difficulties when I went to college. I started 2 weeks late having had an operation to reset a broken nose.

I was away from home, depressed, run down, having to make new friends and it was tough. I had no saliva my mouth was dry and I had no appetite.

The doctor sent me to a psychiatrist thinking it was of mental origin. The psychiatrist gave me pills I never took - I knew I was ok psychologically and just needed to get fit.

In fact the truth was I was run down. I took some pills called Carters vitamin and mineral supplement and was back to rights within a month.

Once I settled in I had a great time at college. Football at the Dell with Southampton FC, playing wednesday afternoons, church on sunday morning folk club sunday night in winter horse rfding in New Forest in summer - film club at the university.....

Several years ago I was required to give a professional presentation in the City just after lunch. I had taken a quick walk around to look at my old college and the city centre over lunch.

I stood on the rostrum and looked my audience in the eye. I told them how I had felt when first at the college, how good things got. How I had no idea what my career might be, and how I had progressed to where I stood belore them then.

My eyes were bright and my joy and pleasure filled the room.

(That presentation was a piece of cake - golden rule of presenting - find a way to bond with the audience ).

Therein lies a conundrum with my OCD. In remission, I can do things like that. I did it again with a speaker introduction presentation in central London in July last year. Two colleagues learning how to present the same speech the following week were watching.

i elected to really ham it up and put a completely comical spin on the introduction, such that when I sat down the audience burst into applause.

The (real) speaker of the day then sttod up to make his presentation, and laughingly said it was the first time any audience had applauded hinm before he had even opened his mouth.

I had told a client I knoew well that I was about to retire. She came u[p to me and said I couldn't possibly retire if I could deliver speeches like that.

I asked my colleagues if they could now see how to deliver a talk and clould they do the same/ they said no way, it was just awesome. ( I had been doing it off and on for years).

But the sad thing is that in OCD episodes I am totally and utterly the opposite to that - the thoughts cause anxiety and the thought loops whirr in my head and I am a very sorry person by comparison and could not do presentations.

However that was my last professional speech and I went out on a high that day.

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Guest Bluenose84

On and off since the age of 25 - I had a couple years off (2011/2013), but with a lot of personal problems happening in my life it has been very up and down.

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Hi Roy. Do you think you would still be able to give presentations? Do you still have the opportunity? You seem to really love it, and it sounds like it could be good for you (as well as others). Giving speeches and presentations, I feel, are a great way to "be in the moment." It's hard to ruminate while giving a public presentation, and the positive feedback can be rather uplifting.

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The problem is only when I am not in the OCD and at the moment I am bad with it.

The non-OCD Roy can do it, the OCD'd Roy can't. But I am happy to move on from that life which was a part of my work which I really did enjoy.

Anyway at the age of 64 I think when i'm feeling better I am really only interested in some light voluntary work - I trained the others up in my group to take over from me!

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Mine started at 12 immediately after an operation I started feeling low then the thoughts And obsessions began . However I did get worried about a funny feeling I used to have in my heart at about 11 but my mum was terrible with her "health book" looking up symptoms all the time and I think it rubbed off on me . She had very bad health anxiety for years which stopped a long time ago but she never had any other ocd type of worries .

Edited by mummyoftwogirls
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Could be a connection with the throat.

My hay fever only started up after a period working on a dusty building site as a holiday job when 18. It's still with me now.

But I am clear my OCD has at least genetic links through my father's line. And my (maternal) uncle who I resemble had anxiety problems .

Roy, I read that the strep theory (which some are convinced about) only triggers OCD in those who are genetically predisposed. That would make sense to me as OCD is clearly in my family, but I suffered many bouts of tonsillitis as a child and glandular fever (which I nearly died from). Impossible to know how we'd be if certain environmental problems could be removed from our past.

To be honest I don't know but it is something I've considered. I don't really want to ask my parents as they don't know about any of this and it's a can of worms best left shut I think! Plus it wouldn't make any difference either way, unfortunately :(

You're right, sadly it wouldn't make any difference.

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Guest OCD-SoundGuy

I was diagnosed just after my 19th birthday but in hindsight I believe it developed much earlier and see strong signs of it throughout my childhood.

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I have also read about the possible link between strep throat and OCD - it's very strange! Personally I did have a lot of throat infections when I was young, though there was no sudden onset of my OCD.

My OCD started becoming obvious around the age of 10/11. It was strong enough at that point that my mum suspected there was something wrong beyond just quirks. I started referring to them as my "bad thoughts".

Looking back I realise I had OCD-style concerns when I was younger than that, though I wouldn't say they were frequent enough for a full diagnosis. I once started crying at the age of 5 because I thought I had stared at the teacher, and I knew that I shouldn't stare at people. I also used to read sentences repeatedly when practising reading, and got incredibly worried about a piece of work I hadn't finished (when I was about 9).

I had a small amount of respite around the age of 13, although I think that may have just felt like respite because I didn't recognise the worries I did have as being OCD related. But apart from that year or so it fluctuated from bad to extremely severe until I was 23.

For various reasons (things in my life were more stable, I had CBT and I switched medication) I managed to get it reasonably under control about 2 years ago, and I haven't had a serious relapse since then. (I'm hoping it stays that way!)

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