I saw my psychiatrist the other day (who has been treating me for depression) and when I described some of the symptoms I have been suffering she said it sounded like OCD. Now, when I was a child I was diagnosed with OCD (or so said my mother - she only took me to one doctor) but I figured I had outgrown it rather like outgrowing ADD or ADHD. Anway, I have never had the "classic" symptoms - like the TV show "Monk" or stories you hear of people checking door locks and stove burners over and over, and excessive handwashing. What I have are ticks - nervous ticks. My eyebrows and nose twitches, and often times I'm not really aware of it until someone points it out. I can never get my hands and feet positioned right when I go to sleep at night and I try for what seems like forever to find the perfect sleep position. Now, unlike "classic" OCD I have no thoughts that go along with these actions - I don't fear anything, or think about anything - to me it's like having an itch somewhere on your body and if you can't scratch it you just sit there dying to do so, and if you do scratch, you're like "AHHHHH....". Have you ever heard of OCD manifesting like that? I always thought I just had some kind of generalized anxiety disorder....
Answer It does not sound at all like OCD. You do not seem to have overwheming anxiety to carry out rituals or have the checker, washer, or hoarding type of OCD. I do not think you have OCD , but you may wish to have your psychiatrist make that determination. The tics you are describing are not typical of OCD. They are typical of a chronic motor tic disorder which includes recurrent, involuntary, purposeless motor movements affecting multiple muscle movements. If you have vocal tics which you did not mention this is known as tourettes syndrome. This is very rare. You may wish to consult with your doctor about the use of botox which might be of interest to you if the tics are troublesome. The use of the drug thorazine has led to involuntary movements but after years of use. If you had OCD you would have tremendous anxiety that would not diminish until you had performed tasks repeatedly until your anxiety slowly faded. You would have to do certain things and would perhaps be unable to function.If you feel your present psychiatrist is not helping you then you may want to change. If so i suggest you try to see the chief of inpatient psychiatry for at least one appoitment at the nearest teaching hospital in your area not a genral hospital. That is one with a medical college attached to it. He or she should be familair with the latest information on treatment for what you are experiencing and will also be able to recommend some psychiatrists which you may find better suited to you.
