Should I talk to my doctor?

[Spiders90]

I’m not sure if this kind of post is allowed here, but I have no idea where else I can post this. I’m not diagnosed with OCD, but I am diagnosed with Tourette’s which statistically means I’m at a higher risk of having it, but I’m not sure if I should mention my symptoms to my doctor. 

•I remember that since I was about 8-10ish if I got touched/brushed against something on one side of my body I would have to make it even and do it to the other side. I think it went away for a couple of years, but it’s recently come back.

•For the past few years I’ve had intrusive thoughts (sometimes sexual, sometimes violent) that disgust me and really bother me, sometimes near to the point of tears. Before I learned what intrusive thoughts were I thought I was crazy or psychotic.

•I constantly need to check that I’ve done things correctly, put things in the right place, ect. If I come out my room at night to get a drink I need to turn all the lights on multiple times to make sure there isn’t someone/something in the house. I have to look more than once in each room or I can’t go back to sleep.

Not sure if these ones are OCD symptoms, but I’ll put them down just in case:

•I’m always checking my body for signs of diseases, and I have an unusual fixation on cancer. If I spot a mark that I don’t remember/think is a sign, I’ll have a panic attack thinking that I’m going to die. I was watching a documentary about a woman who’s lungs have collapsed multiple times, and I had to stop because I was terrified that my lungs have collapsed.

•I have to hit/close and open things multiple times until it feels/sounds right. This one could be a tic, so I’m not really sure, but I’ve heard that people who have both TS and OCD can sometimes find it difficult to tell the difference between a tic and a compulsion.

•I really hate odd numbers. It makes maths quite hard as they (especially 3) make me feel weirdly uncomfortable. 

•I’m obsessed with people being able to read my thoughts. I feel like I don’t have privacy in my own mind. 

•I’m always doubting the conditions that I’m diagnosed with. I’m always looking for reassurance that I do have them, otherwise I’m convinced that I’m faking for attention. I don’t even want attention- I have anxiety.

•imo, this is probably the least likely to be a sign of OCD. Things have to be perfect and I have to be absolutely sure about them. A good example is this post- I won’t be able to even bring this up to my doctor if I don’t think these symptoms are enough proof.

I’m not asking for a diagnosis, but I wasn’t sure whether it’s worth bringing up to a doctor, so I decided to ask some people who do have/know someone who has OCD.

[snowbear]

Hi Spiders90, 

I can't give you an official diagnosis, as you said, but everything you listed is on the spectrum of OCD behaviours including the desire to have everyuthing perfect and be absolutely sure of something. 

I think you should bring this up with your doctor and ask for a referral to CBT for OCD. When you see the therapist a good place to start would be to print off the list you posted here and show it to him/her by way of explanation of how it affects you.