Is this a form of OCD? - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Message Board

mikeq765 · 01-15-2009, 10:57 AM

I have never given much thought to this matter until a friend of mine recently pointed out that the way I live my life is not exactly...normal. Now I have known it definitely isn't the way most people live their lives, but never thought there could be an actual illness related to it, until he suggested there could be.
Simply put, I get obsessed with something...until something better comes a long.
For example I have changed my major like 4 times. I get into something and I REALLY get into it. It's all I talk about, all I think about, then BAM! Something else catches my eye and I'm like "hey, THAT'S what I want to do!" So then I get REALLY into that and completely drop whatever I was just doing, and the cycle repeats...
In the same sense it is nearly impossible for me to be focused on more than one thing at a time. Like my bodybuilding is the one thing I have stuck with, it's truly my passion in life. While nothing else is going on I can be 100% dedicated to it. If there is anything else I am interested in, it seems that I not so much lose interest in bodybuilding, but I just can't keep the same level of dedication to it. It's like there has to be ONE thing that I am super focused on, or I am not dedicated or focused on ANYTHING.
This same thing happens with girlfriends and jobs. No matter how "in love" with someone I am, after a certain amount of time I truly get bored with that person and my mind wanders off to think about how nice it would be to be single, to "play the field" and then I wind up breaking off a perfectly good relationship. I have never kept a job longer than a year because I get bored or tired of it and need something new.
Another aspect of it is where I live. Now this could branch from being born an army brat and moving around quite a bit when I was younger, but I am the same way now. I can't stay in one place. Since I graduated high school back in 2001, I have pretty much moved whether out of, or within the state, about once a year. I can't stay in one place to save my life!

Thanks for any reply!

RickRude · 01-21-2009, 06:59 PM

You should read up on obsessive compulsive personality. If you don't count, repeat rituals or have a lot of fear, it isn't OCD. Regards, Rick

dmb024 · 01-25-2009, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickRude

You should read up on obsessive compulsive personality. If you don't count, repeat rituals or have a lot of fear, it isn't OCD. Regards, Rick

i'm sorry but that is not necessarily true.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is having obsessive intrusive thoughts
and compulsions to release that stress that is caused from those thoughts.

and in his case, the "grass is greener on the other side of the fence" reaction of chasing one thing until another comes along could be a compulsion. The intrusive thought could be "what if this isn't the right job for me?" "what if this isn't the right relationship for me?" "what if I'd be happier with something else?" "what if I'm not good enough and am going to fail?" And cutting off ties with the job/relationship is the compulsion. This also ties in with perfectionism which defnitely ties in with ocd.

To the original poster- I do believe the way you feel could be ocd related because I used to do the same thing. I was diagnosed with ocd and take medicine for it. Since taking the medicine, I don't tend to drop things like I used to.. instead I can balance many things at once. Good luck with everything