Expert: John Date: 6/26/2004 Subject: What causes OCD
Question Hi John,
My question is about my sister who can be extremely "fidgety" at times. What I notice is that she can't keep her hands off of other peoples things and is always tyring to change things around the house. We can no longer leave food in the refrigerator because she will ruin all our food. Almost everything she touches she ends up ruining it somehow. She is not always like this but she comes in and out of it. Do you have any idea what causes her to behave like this?? Thanks for any advice you can give.
Answer Nothing hints at her having OCD. OCD is a real illness with terrible symptoms. she may show poor judgement but not something pathological. Unless she is into some repetitive behaviors or is constantly cleaning lie the better part of the day or constantly checking, or washing herself or her hands and or hoardig useless trash then it does not sound like OCD. She may have other problems to which this is a symptom. If possible you can encourage her to see a docotr who will determine if she has some illness .
