OCD and depression

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ZombiePringle

Forum Buddy and Antiquities Friend
#1
Now... for those of you with both said disorders... Do you find that from being exhausted and what not from depression that it causes you to actually slack on cleaning? Which in effect drives you insane from not having stuff clean? I've noticed this has happened to me the last couple years. Things just get horribly dirty around me in my room or house (in what I view as horribly dirty) which I just get so tired that I can't find the energy to clean it up... which leads to me to using a lot of hand sanitizer (weird I know) since I'm freaking out about the filth around me. It ALWAYS leads me up to going on a complete cleaning though. I'll just randomely find the energy and just go all out on the cleaning which always leads to me being more relaxed afterwords. I actually find myself in that situation today. I will be loading my phone with new music and end up going on my cleaning frenzy afterwords...so I will likely end up disappearing for quite a while today.
 

bluegrey

Antiquities Friend
#2
Cleaning is not my primary OCD "area" but it is in my top five and my cleaning is more in conjunction with a horribly urgent compulsion for symmetry and order. I can have an object like, say, a DVD case on a shelf and I feel far more need for that DVD case to be visually aligned/alphabetically ordered than for it to be wiped down with rubbing alcohol or an antibacterial wipe. The contamination aspect of the cleaning compulsion is very strong but secondary.

When I lack the enormous energy needed to keep up with my OCD compulsions from lack of sleep or depression- I get terrible anxiety from feeling like I've let my world/environment go to hell. Then the depression worsens! It's like being on a mental illness treadmill where I am physically drained yet someone turns up the treadmill motor the second I start "slacking off" the OCD regimen.

I hope that makes some sort of sense. :blink:
 

IV2010

Well-Known Member
#4
I know exactly what you're saying Josh...I'm the same....in fact I could have written that myself.....
a clean house makes for a clean mind for me....
one of my big problems is the amount of clothes that need washing ...if they're worn once they're 'contaminated'.....
and thank god for the invention of anti-bacterial wipes......
 

ZombiePringle

Forum Buddy and Antiquities Friend
#5
ah yeah I have to buy a lot of the anti-bacterial wipes. And hand sanitizer. Its weird I can block out a lot of the OCD thoughts but the second I think about them I freak... like just a few minutes ago. I had just washed my hands but when I realized I hadn't used hand sanitizer in a couple hours I instantly had to use it to calm my mind a bit. And i'm looking at my desk at work and its not clean..at all So I need to get to that tonight.
 

chrs75

Well-Known Member
#7
I find that when I'm depressed it means that I can't concentrate on the rituals as much (mainly hand washing) meaning that it always takes longer.
 

dnE ehT

Well-Known Member
#8
The need to clean is only a small part of my OCD, but I went on a major cleaning spree today and lacked the energy to do so up to my standards, which is really causing me alot of anxiety right now.

Yes, it drives me nuts.
 
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