What's wrong with me? I think I have tourettes or OCD...?!
Question: What's wrong with me.? I think I have tourettes or OCD....?
Okay so I think I have OCD or something but I'm not sure. My mom says "It doesn't matter, you'll survive" but you know the things I do are really annoying and embarrassing. Okay so I tend to do things like walk back and touch the doorknob or light switch for no reason and I straighten certain things when I think they're "out of place". I also have to have like all even numbers or patterns that make sense and Im really tidy and usually correct peoples grammar and spelling.
also I do these things that last about six months to a year and once I stop "having" to do whatever it is then I'd have to do something else like where I'd suck my stomach in and I used to do this thing where I'd squint my eye allot or look down at my feet when I'd walk and look at a certain spot on my shoe. It's kind of weird and I've been thinking I was weird since I was like five years old.Health Question & Answer
also I do these things that last about six months to a year and once I stop "having" to do whatever it is then I'd have to do something else like where I'd suck my stomach in and I used to do this thing where I'd squint my eye allot or look down at my feet when I'd walk and look at a certain spot on my shoe. It's kind of weird and I've been thinking I was weird since I was like five years old.Health Question & Answer
Answers:
Hi,
Yes, it does sound like you might have if not Tourette's, then mild OCD. You said this has been happening since you were about 5 years old. That is a typical time of onset for Tourette's, but the diagnostic guidelines for Tourette's is having had both motor and vocal tics at some point, although not necessarily at the same time, but the tics having lasted at least 1 year. Just out of curiousity, how old are you now.? If you do have Tourette's, the vast majority of people with this tend to find their tics waning and sometimes subsiding altogether by the time they are in their late teens to early 20's.
Tourettes also often comes along with what are called 'comorbid conditions,' i.e. OCD, ADD, etc. So it could be that you have only one or the other, or both. You did not mention if you ever had vocal tics. These do not need to be compulsive swearing- that is actually quite rare in TS. It can be humming, grunting, squeaking, huffing, anything that makes a sound.
It can be difficult to discern between what is a tic and what is an OCD behavior. Some of my physical tics are clearly tics, and by the way I have one that has come and gone my whole life that consists of jerking my stomach muscles, sometimes to the point where I will make a sort of huffing sound. Another thing about tics- they almost always are transient and one day you will wake up and one will be gone but another has taken its place. Or you might go to bed thinking that you have to do things by 3s and wake up the next morning and 3 is just wrong and now it has to be 2 or 5.
Another thing that is common with TS and probably also OCD is having to have symmetry- if I touch something with one hand or one side of my body, I have to touch it with the other side to "even it out." I believe this is my TS, but for a long time I wasn't sure if it was OCD or not. I have a friend who while riding as a passenger in my car tends to whack me on the arm whenever she is making a point and it drives me crazy, lol. I also can't step on cracks, or if I do I must step on the next one with my other foot. If there is colored tiles the same thing applies- I can't step on the stripes that are a different color unless I do it with both feet.
Another thing that is common in people with Tourettes and that I have had since I was about 5 was major sensory issues- I had to have my shoes tied extremely tight, to the point of cutting off circulation, and of course they had to be equally tight. If I could not achieve this I would not tie my shoes at all. I would only wear one type of jeans until my teens, and they had an elastic banded waist, so my mom went out and bought all she could find in graduating sizes so I would always have those to wear. :) I can't tolerate certain odors, mostly flowery perfumes.
Whether you have TS or OCD, it really is not a huge deal, its just something that is part of you, and many people with these disorders also have bonus 'symptoms' although I am not sure this has been scientifically proven- but everyone I know with TS has some extra impressive talent, such as many people are very artistic, quick witted, musically gifted, etc. And we also can just plain have a lot of compassion for others having gone through dealing with this disorder. I did not know what Tourette's even was until I was 16- I always thought I was just strange. There is an advantage to being diagnosed today when they know so much more about it.
If you are really bothered by your symptoms, you can talk to your doctor about it. There are medications out there but at this point in time most of them have side effects that are not very fun and you would probably only want to try them if your symptoms were having an adverse effect on your life, i.e. school, work, etc.
I hope this has answered your question. There are many good resources out there on the internet. One that I recommend in particular is "Tourettes, Now What" and if you google that you should be able to bring it up. There are also several yahoo groups that are support groups for people with TS- you can search yahoo groups and it will bring up quite a few. There are also several support forums on myspace.com.
Good luck!Health Question & Answer
Yes, it does sound like you might have if not Tourette's, then mild OCD. You said this has been happening since you were about 5 years old. That is a typical time of onset for Tourette's, but the diagnostic guidelines for Tourette's is having had both motor and vocal tics at some point, although not necessarily at the same time, but the tics having lasted at least 1 year. Just out of curiousity, how old are you now.? If you do have Tourette's, the vast majority of people with this tend to find their tics waning and sometimes subsiding altogether by the time they are in their late teens to early 20's.
Tourettes also often comes along with what are called 'comorbid conditions,' i.e. OCD, ADD, etc. So it could be that you have only one or the other, or both. You did not mention if you ever had vocal tics. These do not need to be compulsive swearing- that is actually quite rare in TS. It can be humming, grunting, squeaking, huffing, anything that makes a sound.
It can be difficult to discern between what is a tic and what is an OCD behavior. Some of my physical tics are clearly tics, and by the way I have one that has come and gone my whole life that consists of jerking my stomach muscles, sometimes to the point where I will make a sort of huffing sound. Another thing about tics- they almost always are transient and one day you will wake up and one will be gone but another has taken its place. Or you might go to bed thinking that you have to do things by 3s and wake up the next morning and 3 is just wrong and now it has to be 2 or 5.
Another thing that is common with TS and probably also OCD is having to have symmetry- if I touch something with one hand or one side of my body, I have to touch it with the other side to "even it out." I believe this is my TS, but for a long time I wasn't sure if it was OCD or not. I have a friend who while riding as a passenger in my car tends to whack me on the arm whenever she is making a point and it drives me crazy, lol. I also can't step on cracks, or if I do I must step on the next one with my other foot. If there is colored tiles the same thing applies- I can't step on the stripes that are a different color unless I do it with both feet.
Another thing that is common in people with Tourettes and that I have had since I was about 5 was major sensory issues- I had to have my shoes tied extremely tight, to the point of cutting off circulation, and of course they had to be equally tight. If I could not achieve this I would not tie my shoes at all. I would only wear one type of jeans until my teens, and they had an elastic banded waist, so my mom went out and bought all she could find in graduating sizes so I would always have those to wear. :) I can't tolerate certain odors, mostly flowery perfumes.
Whether you have TS or OCD, it really is not a huge deal, its just something that is part of you, and many people with these disorders also have bonus 'symptoms' although I am not sure this has been scientifically proven- but everyone I know with TS has some extra impressive talent, such as many people are very artistic, quick witted, musically gifted, etc. And we also can just plain have a lot of compassion for others having gone through dealing with this disorder. I did not know what Tourette's even was until I was 16- I always thought I was just strange. There is an advantage to being diagnosed today when they know so much more about it.
If you are really bothered by your symptoms, you can talk to your doctor about it. There are medications out there but at this point in time most of them have side effects that are not very fun and you would probably only want to try them if your symptoms were having an adverse effect on your life, i.e. school, work, etc.
I hope this has answered your question. There are many good resources out there on the internet. One that I recommend in particular is "Tourettes, Now What" and if you google that you should be able to bring it up. There are also several yahoo groups that are support groups for people with TS- you can search yahoo groups and it will bring up quite a few. There are also several support forums on myspace.com.
Good luck!Health Question & Answer
Sounds like OCD to me. Tourretts i believe is more of a type of twitch problem. Like where you just kind of twitch or studder something involuntarily.
I would definitely consult a doctor. Tell your mother this is serious and it is really affecting you and you'd like to consult a doctor.Health Question & Answer
I would definitely consult a doctor. Tell your mother this is serious and it is really affecting you and you'd like to consult a doctor.Health Question & Answer
OCD. Consult your doctor.Health Question & Answer