I’m also having trouble with this counting. I tend to count every letter in a word, paragraph and anywhere as long I as see words and letters. It’s just irresistible. ☹️ Sometimes, my eyes and mind gets tired but something in me keeps counting. It’s kinda bothersome.
OMG I LITERALLY CRIED READING THIS I FINALLY FOUND SOMEONE ELSE WITH THIS PROBLEM I can’t stop counting letters and then I get frustrated when it’s not how I want it to be for example if I’m counting by threes I’ll get so angry if it doesn’t line up like, coc onu - - It drives me insane
I used to obsessively count when i was a child and i assigned "inherent goodnes or badness" to certain numbers, subconsciously. Now i still do this, but it's not disruptive at all. I don't do the checking thing at all so idk if i have ocd but it's something very strange i never heard anyone talk about. I had a lot of obsessive thoughts as a child. I never went to a psychiatrist or anything so out of societal pressure i learned to mostly stop these thoughts.
I'm uncomfortable standing or walking on the invisible lines projecting out from the edges of furniture or walls, even windows. So I memorize a lot of paths through different places and can tell you when something has moved because it forces a new path.
I count the angles and points of things. We live in a very symmetrical/square ruled world (road signs, cars, eye glasses, papers, etc). I count the corners and divide them. Yet I’m terrible with math lol. I count the corners and edges of my teeth. It’s frustrating and causes headaches for me. It’s distracting and all I want is for my to just be able to be quiet and relax for once.
I do the same thing, dude I count everything, I would count the sides of EVERYTHING, it bothers me, even if I try to stop myself, I cant. And if I'm on the road, I would count Windows, cones, and trees, and my body would cringe and I would get anxious if I miss one, its kinda bad for me anyways.
Hey Todd, thanks so much for sharing this. I was diagnosed with OCD a few years back and have had symptoms for many, many years, since about age 11. My counting rituals are usually mentally played out rather than performed, but I've had a set of 'good' and 'bad' numbers that's changed over the years. Typically it involved counting steps in my head in intervals and panicking if I've reached my destination on a 'bad' number. When I was young 3 was a bad number because in children's fairytales doing something 3 times was involved with magic. As I got older, I began speed counting up to a safe number in my head before I lifted my foot. Nowadays I still count, but I am more comfortable letting go of my compulsions. Long story short, for me it wasn't so much about performing an activity a certain number of times, but completing an activity on a certain rhythmic interval that I considered to be a safe number!
i never told anyone about these compulsive rituals i’ve had to do daily ever since i was a little kid. (im 23 now) i thought there was something seriously wrong with me to feel this way and i was never educated on ocd or other things like that. a few years ago i FINALLY found out about this and everything felt so clear. i hate even numbers cause i think they are “unlucky” and i think bad things will happen if i do something in an even number so i must do things in odd numbers. 7 is my favorite number so i usually do things like locking my car door and tapping something 7 times. this feels good to let out lol i never had a space to talk about this. everyone in the comments gets it lol
For me everythinh is in a pattern. I lock the door 4 times I also have to chexk it I also count how many steps I take it has to end on an even number before I sit and count how many times I wash each finger and my hands. If I mess up go over or under then I have to start over.
I was shackled by my ocd back in my late teens/early 20s. Everything had to be done in even numbers, and I hated odd numbers. I remember stubbing my toe one time and I had to stub it again (though not as hard), but it bounced and made a 3, so I had to do it again to make it 4. I hated being controlled by it. Even numbers were very symmetrical and solid, nothing out of order. Odd numbers were unfinished or unbalanced, and ugly. I would also memorize random license plates by using mathematical processes including order of number placement. I would read things backwards a lot, especially signs, and sometimes still do. These days I prefer odd numbers over even because they have movement and direction...even numbers are too static. I don't know if it's related, but I can write both right and left handed, upside down and/or backwards. My affinity for odd numbers doesn't control me like even numbers did. Thank you for this video. I'm grateful to find others who have struggled like myself, and are fighting their OCD.
I'm 12 and I have really severe OCD. I count everything from my blinking and my steps to my coat hangers in my closet! I tap items that are certain colors, I wash my hands four times an hour. First I turn on the left faucet and pump four squirts of soap into my left hand and then turn on the right faucet and pump four into my right hand. I check windows, doors, ovens, faucets and so much more. I lost many friendships because I would meet someone who claimed to have OCD, to have them call me out, telling me I don't have OCD because I'm not clean and I'm like "actually brittany, OCD is not being clean' she was like 'yes it is. you dont know anything' Bich what? Because I'm pretty sure I"M the one on medication and I'M the only one of us who's been diagnosed
I don't count obsessively but I do count. For instance, when I'm cleaning the sink I am counting the number of swipes. I count the number of times I grate the cheese. I count when downloading a program that takes a long time. If I get interrupted it doesn't bother me. I don't even make sure I count correctly. But I count a lot. I also meditate morning and evening for about an hour. I would rather just be present at the times I count during the day rather than fill the void with counting.
I have to count people's syllables in my heads until I reach 25 and it starts over. In my head I have a cross and I start from the top of the cross then right down left then center. If somebody stops counting exactly at 25 in the center I feel such a sense of relief and I can stop for an hour or two before I have to start again. Otherwise the cycle never stops. Unfortunately the former has only happened 4 times in my life, and when I talk about it I start counting my own syllables 🙄
I was diagnosed with OCD when I was about six and I shared my counting obsession using this video. Ticking clocks make me count and I don't like them in my house. I get angry because I'm 30 and it's something that keeps recurring.
I’m here because I turn all my wall plugs off and then go round to check I turned them off, sometimes I feel the switch while looking to see if it’s off. Then I check the taps including the washing machine plumbing to make sure waters not leaking. When I lock my door I always go back and check I locked it even though I pushed it to check the first time, il push it again to check. Is this me just being over secure with things? I worry all day at work if I don’t double check and feel the need to go home to check. I don’t count how many times I check things, I keep going until I’m happy it’s all safe. Plugs switch’s keep breaking because how many times I turn them on/off and taps keep leaking because I tighten them down so tight to make sure they don’t leak. It’s annoying because it takes me ages to get out in the mornings.
thank you for your video! i have tourettic ocd. my counting doesn’t seem to make sense haha. i count almost everything i come in contact with, in preferably 4s, but sometimes in 2,6,8, or 16. some examples are drinking liquids in 4 swallows at a time, counting my steps in 2s where i can only step on a new surface with my left foot, clipping my fingernails has to be 4 on each nail but if i have to do more it has to then be 8 on each nail.. etc. pretty much everything i do. it drives me nuts. i have a lot of tics but that’s another story.
Heyyyyyyyyyy Lana (and everyone here) Me too! Nice to meet you... Hey Dr. Grande! Thanks for the video. My beverage of choice was the humble 4. ( I can only guess I took on that mantle to distract me from the pain of my Mom leaving home when I was a preschooler.) I spent my waking hours repeating physical actions (gross and fine motor movements) 4 times or powers of 4 (16, 64, 256, etc). Over time, I naturally developed a base-4 visual counting system. Things got real after that as I found the ability to count things and repeat actions on a massively larger scale. One night, when I was five (and supposed to be sleeping), I tapped on the wall 4^7 times (16,384). I learned to tap dance at a young age to interact with unpredictable floor materials in public. "Why is that kid doing that?"... "Oh, he just has to dance!" haha. Anywho, I appreciate your video here! OCD devoured years of my life while defending and protecting my mind. Personally, I have come to perceive that torturous experience as a kind of brutalizing bootcamp that stretched my attention span to super-human levels. Now, my mind is perfectly happy to focus on tasks without limit. In this regard, I wouldn't trade that beautiful (in my personal retrospective opinion) training ground for anything. I wish you and everyone in this comment section the best. Much Love, Ashley
I’ve heard of counting rituals and seen it happen on TV but it’s nice to have clarification about OCD and one of the behaviors a person with the diagnosis engages in.
This video answered many questions that I had about individuals I know with OCD. I have always believed that many compulsions/counting rituals were linked to safety, however one female friend admits that she doesnt know why she does counting rituals with her doors.
Every time I read a word or paragraph I try to find the middle of the paragraph and the middle of that line. I have an obsession with finding the middle number or letter.
Wow, thank you so much for this, Im trying to figure out why I count numbers, why I think I have anxiety/OCD and this really helped, I thought I was kind of alone, and its reasuring to know that counting like this has a name or even a diagnostic, thanks!
Hello, I am a 36 year old female, and since a young girl, I’ve counted everything in two’s. People, objects, animals, buildings, basically everything. Example: I’ll find a square and would count in two’s each side of every square in my room, (2, 4, 2, 4, 2, 4) ex: the ceiling, floor, walls, T.V., door, and closet door curtain rods, blinds. It brings me an odd since of comfort, completion, and satisfaction, and doesn’t interfere with my daily living. Just wanted a professional perspective on why I do it, and if it is considered OCD. Thank you!☺️🙏🏾❤️
Queen N I do various counting throughout the day, but never thought it was a huge issue for me. Maybe a mild form of OCD. Counting how many times my dog goes to the bathroom, counting how many steps it takes to get from the front door to my car in the driveway, counting how many days between getting gas for the car, counting how long it takes to brush my teeth. These are daily things I do, but this counting never stopped me from living life.
My 11 year old son had to touch thing in 3s. He has to touch 3 surfaces or 6 surfaces 3 time to make 18. I knew about the 3s, but watching videos about it together he told me about some things he does to 18. He sees a neurologist for Tourette’s so we are going back to address the counting. It is less obvious than the tics, so I didn’t realize he was spending so much time on counting.
I had no idea I had OCD. I am a counter. My left foot is odd and my right foot is even. if a tile or sidewalk piece has an odd number of edges/points it has to be my left foot. Same with stairs..left foot starts at the bottom and if thing dont work out where my right foot get to the top I have to skip the step. Going over any line in the ground my right foot goes first. Hard to explain, I have a whole system lol. Also, if I think of something bad that can happen I have to tap something 123-12 to make it go away. Not sure if this part is OCD: like if I learn or see something disturbing I can't stop obsessing over it for months to the point where it drives my out of my mind. Right now it is demodex mites that can live in our eyelash folicles. I have gone to the doctor and she says I dont have them but I cant stop thinking about it. Last year it was bone cancer and the spikes that protrude out of the bones. It it seriously all so disturbing. The demodex thing is still making me miserable. Anyway, thats my deal lol.
I used to always count to 5 and it really annoyed me because whatever I did it never stoped but without realizing a year later I stopped and I still don’t know what made the number 5 so important I’m glad I don’t have it any more
I am all the time counting: For example the edges of a window that is : 1, 2, 3, 4. The floor tiles by 3 that is: 123, 456, 789 and so on. Counting car number plates: for example if the plate is 769, I will count 7+6+9. It is endless. When I wake up I start counting from 1 to 10 and also during the day. I read colours with their lighter version for example if there is a paper etc with the colours red, black, red I read red black red and then pink grey pink and so with everything. As well if something is not straight for example a carpet, a table, a chair, I have to move them to a straight position. Thank you
Your videos are very helpful. I really appreciate you. I have learned so much about myself because of you. This video hit home for me. Generally speaking, what is the purpose or outcome of doing these things?
Even when I drink something I always count the number of sips and always make sure the right side of my mouth gets more sips than the left side and I always keep it at four or eight sips on the right side! And one of my teachers has it too.
I can see how rituals can become very time consuming! Do people with OCD experience guilt associated to their disorder? I believe they would and is one of the things that separates OCD from OCPD.
TSBCMHC20 guilt! Can’t get it off my mind if I haven’t completed a sequence before I go to bed! Started to interfere with daily life..I thought I was going mad u till I had a google.
My ocd has been severe and I felt a lot of guilt I would consume my time by actually watching a video at a certain time every day 4 times, it drove me crazy but if i didn’t I thought it would make me do bad in school
What would you call a mental ritual but... not tied to a physical compulsion. For example repeating something that has no significance without stopping in your head, but maybe not even giving it your full attention. Or maybe counting to 12 over and over without stop but also not giving it your full attention.
Does anyone else feel compelled to count the corners of windows, doors and any square or rectangular object by flexing their fingers in a patterned way? I’ve done this since around age 12 and I’ve only recognized it as OCD recently
I have ocd with refreshing things or opening apps a certain number of times. From 13 to 20 so 8 times. I normally do it twice when on the app but i often get the compulsion to do it over and over. If i dont dont it i get anxiety and its just so hard to control. I dont know when my compulsions began but it sure can be frustating
My OCD as a child consisted of listening to what people were saying, choose a sentence mid conversation and counting every letter that was in that sentence, then divide that number by how many word were in the sentence... It was really hard being so young and not understanding why I HAD to do this, it was as if I couldn't even function properly anymore because my head and fingers were counting as soon as anybody spoke to me. It took really hard work and extreme self control but eventually My OCD faded away as I got older.... Though I know if someone ask me to "show them" then I refuse in fear that doing that would trigger my OCD again
in Sri Lankan Buddhist temples the light switches are actually almost always really dirty... they actually are... should I be worried for noticing this and feeling like cleaning them?
I use to have it but over the years I have overcome it , I used to have favorite numbers linked to things I liked or preferred , and numbers I didn’t like to things I hated , I would count 1-10 till I needed in a number I liked , but then I told myself this is all fake
Great video on Obsessive- Compulsive Disorder, a lot of good information was explained. It made me wonder how would a person react if a counting ritual was disturbed or interrupted by someone or something? Would constant disruption of counting routines affect the disorder, or the way the person would go about their ritual, especially if the persons ritual is a higher number? This video assisted me in wanting to learn more.
Virginia Murrey it’s nice to see Someone actually talking about this I have had this problem for years all the way back to being a young child and I would have counting rituals. Sadly I hear so many people use term ocd incorrectly if someone likes to clean. It’s way more intricate than that and very time consuming.
One thing that happens with me is that, i feel better when I’m able to justify or excuse myself for having to do that. Like it makes it 20x worse cos I feel like what I’m doing is completely sick/crazy or un-human. I feel better when I can forgive myself for it in the end. Also, my numbers reach up to the 100s hundreds now for touching (thousands/even millions, mentally). It’s sad...
I once heard a story about a person who would count the alphabet on the board in school. Then divide the amount of letters in the alphabet and get anxiety when they could not evenly divide the amount of letters into an even number.
I did similar in school. I’d put the letters into groups and get frustrated they weren’t the same amount of letters in each group and it would end on an odd number.
I do this with everything. They have to be in 2 groups of 4. In my mind it is 4 dots on top of another 4. The alphabet sucks because I keep going through it in my mind until it comes out as 2 groups of 4. So I would have to count 104 letters (the alphabet 4 times) instead of 26
bro i had that when i was like 14-15 or smth idk and i couldnt finish a 24min (anime) ep without having to count stuff up within the vid. so one ep for me takes like 1 hr. same with reading books so i rlly struggled at school and i didnt want anyone to know
I’m obsessed with counting the letters I’m words, then making a phrase that results in 16 letters. 😤ik that’s random but it’s been my life for the past year and a half now
my OCD is not so intrusive, it is like i managed to put it almost always out of consciousness but often i still find myself counting syllables in phrases or words with slight movements of my teeth, usually organizing them in groups of 2, 3 or 4, checking for balance. less often i discover myself counting my steps on blocks in the sidewalk or on shadow or light on the sidewalk, even there trying to organize them in ordered groups. i'm 42 and this happens to me since childhood.
I don't want to sound uneducated and try to diagnose my self, but I count to an equal number if I feel like a touched something weird. Even when I swallow it has to be at a equal number. From looking to breating and even blinking. It all has to be at an equal number. 2,4,6,8.
This is how my OCD looks, on top of my alcoholism, addiction, depression, anxiety, complex PTSD, borderline personality disorder, binge eating disorder it’s like I feel trapped in hell on this earth sometimes 😢
My son used to count till 10 and now he counts till 20 before opening the door, getting dressed, etc. he told me that he is doing counting because otherwise dragon going to eat him….ok. How do I stop him counting and try to convince him that dragon is not going to eat him?
I'm trying to look for answers. When I was younger, around 9 or 10, I watched a video about people having ocd. I don't believe I have OCD back then and I'm not sure if I have it now. Ever since, I was mortified of having ocd and counting things. A few weeks later, It's like there's a switch in my brain that's telling me to count every single thing that I see. It goes away when I forget about it and it comes back once in a while. I'm 23 now and I'm so confused. My brain will randomly tell me to count things. It's exhausting. I feel like I'm going insane
I totally understand my type was different though, I would do certain things at certain times, for example everyday I would watch a video 4 times at 6 in the morning, I thought I was crazy until I found out that I had ocd, I thought ocd was only being clean but found out a month ago I had ritualistic ocd
Guys ..i need help, i haven't been to a professional, but since i was little ive been constantly counting in my head. Like for example if im in a room im constantly checking in my head if the number of girls equals the boys. It doesn't have to be genders, its for example different colours on some thing on front of me, or if there are different types of tiles under my feet when i walk, even if im staring at dunno my wardrobe wirt sliding doors for example, the light causes shadows over the doors so i count the different colours and the shadows it drives me crazy...i cant stop. The most bizarre thing about that is that my breathing changes when i count the different things no other person can see it but i feel im changing the breathing or im holding my breath in for a certain color... I cant stop ..i cant even watch a movie without imaginatly ,,painting" in my head with my breathing for example the different tones in the hair of the actress..or the shadows on the fase that are the same color... Do i need professional help..?
I count the words that are being said or that I’m reading. I do it all the time and if they dont match up 5 fingers or 10 then I try to rephrase the sentence in my head so I can be satisfied with what is being said/read and move on to the next. I dont know if I’m overreacting or if I actually have this,its rlly annoying and idk what to do.
I do car and house locks. The locks in the house are 20 times and the car is 4 times in a certain rhythm. I’m actually working really hard on the doors though and now I don’t have to do the lock in a rhythm. I also don’t allow myself to check the locks every time I go downstairs during the night anymore. I used to average 60-80 times a night locking the house doors because I’d go downstairs so often now I try not to go downstairs at all at night but if I do I can only do the locks that time if I go down again I can’t touch them. Hopefully that made some sense. I’m mostly obsessional but do have some compulsions like the doors and a few others.
I count things squared. Nothing tok wild but ill count to five five times, or 4 four times. Or even things. Even white posts on the road... if i see another in my periphery i try look away. If i didnt fast enough i have to tey make it even again. Ive done it as long as i can remember as a small child.
Anyone else count their steps while walking or count how many time their hands touch a part of their body when they walk? It’s so annoying! It’s almost ruining my relationships and excitement over different people and things.
Everything has to be a multiple of five for me and all through out my day I say “12345 12345 12345678910 12345 12345 12345678910 123456789 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20” and repeated. This is because it’s like a stacked pyramid. 5+5=10 5+5=10 and 10+10=20
I’m also having trouble with this counting. I tend to count every letter in a word, paragraph and anywhere as long I as see words and letters. It’s just irresistible. ☹️ Sometimes, my eyes and mind gets tired but something in me keeps counting. It’s kinda bothersome.
OMG I LITERALLY CRIED READING THIS I FINALLY FOUND SOMEONE ELSE WITH THIS PROBLEM I can’t stop counting letters and then I get frustrated when it’s not how I want it to be for example if I’m counting by threes I’ll get so angry if it doesn’t line up like, coc onu - - It drives me insane
Compulsions can be equally self soothing and disruptive.
I used to obsessively count when i was a child and i assigned "inherent goodnes or badness" to certain numbers, subconsciously. Now i still do this, but it's not disruptive at all. I don't do the checking thing at all so idk if i have ocd but it's something very strange i never heard anyone talk about. I had a lot of obsessive thoughts as a child. I never went to a psychiatrist or anything so out of societal pressure i learned to mostly stop these thoughts.
I'm uncomfortable standing or walking on the invisible lines projecting out from the edges of furniture or walls, even windows. So I memorize a lot of paths through different places and can tell you when something has moved because it forces a new path.
I count the angles and points of things. We live in a very symmetrical/square ruled world (road signs, cars, eye glasses, papers, etc). I count the corners and divide them. Yet I’m terrible with math lol. I count the corners and edges of my teeth. It’s frustrating and causes headaches for me. It’s distracting and all
I want is for my to just be able to be quiet and relax for once.
Omg I do the exact same thing, Im always late for something or cant sleep
I do the same thing, but mine has always been very mild. It’s just that I think it’s giving me anxiety
I want to change
Its hell dude
I do the same thing, dude I count everything, I would count the sides of EVERYTHING, it bothers me, even if I try to stop myself, I cant. And if I'm on the road, I would count Windows, cones, and trees, and my body would cringe and I would get anxious if I miss one, its kinda bad for me anyways.
Hey Todd, thanks so much for sharing this. I was diagnosed with OCD a few years back and have had symptoms for many, many years, since about age 11. My counting rituals are usually mentally played out rather than performed, but I've had a set of 'good' and 'bad' numbers that's changed over the years. Typically it involved counting steps in my head in intervals and panicking if I've reached my destination on a 'bad' number. When I was young 3 was a bad number because in children's fairytales doing something 3 times was involved with magic. As I got older, I began speed counting up to a safe number in my head before I lifted my foot. Nowadays I still count, but I am more comfortable letting go of my compulsions. Long story short, for me it wasn't so much about performing an activity a certain number of times, but completing an activity on a certain rhythmic interval that I considered to be a safe number!
i never told anyone about these compulsive rituals i’ve had to do daily ever since i was a little kid. (im 23 now) i thought there was something seriously wrong with me to feel this way and i was never educated on ocd or other things like that. a few years ago i FINALLY found out about this and everything felt so clear. i hate even numbers cause i think they are “unlucky” and i think bad things will happen if i do something in an even number so i must do things in odd numbers. 7 is my favorite number so i usually do things like locking my car door and tapping something 7 times. this feels good to let out lol i never had a space to talk about this. everyone in the comments gets it lol
For me everythinh is in a pattern. I lock the door 4 times I also have to chexk it I also count how many steps I take it has to end on an even number before I sit and count how many times I wash each finger and my hands. If I mess up go over or under then I have to start over.
I was shackled by my ocd back in my late teens/early 20s. Everything had to be done in even numbers, and I hated odd numbers. I remember stubbing my toe one time and I had to stub it again (though not as hard), but it bounced and made a 3, so I had to do it again to make it 4. I hated being controlled by it. Even numbers were very symmetrical and solid, nothing out of order. Odd numbers were unfinished or unbalanced, and ugly. I would also memorize random license plates by using mathematical processes including order of number placement. I would read things backwards a lot, especially signs, and sometimes still do.
These days I prefer odd numbers over even because they have movement and direction...even numbers are too static. I don't know if it's related, but I can write both right and left handed, upside down and/or backwards. My affinity for odd numbers doesn't control me like even numbers did.
Thank you for this video. I'm grateful to find others who have struggled like myself, and are fighting their OCD.
I also have an obsession with even numbers, though not as often as when I was a kid. Take care❤
I am counting when im doing something like bathing. There's like a sound going around my head. 'one, two, three... '
I'm 12 and I have really severe OCD. I count everything from my blinking and my steps to my coat hangers in my closet! I tap items that are certain colors, I wash my hands four times an hour. First I turn on the left faucet and pump four squirts of soap into my left hand and then turn on the right faucet and pump four into my right hand. I check windows, doors, ovens, faucets and so much more. I lost many friendships because I would meet someone who claimed to have OCD, to have them call me out, telling me I don't have OCD because I'm not clean and I'm like "actually brittany, OCD is not being clean' she was like 'yes it is. you dont know anything' Bich what? Because I'm pretty sure I"M the one on medication and I'M the only one of us who's been diagnosed
I don't count obsessively but I do count. For instance, when I'm cleaning the sink I am counting the number of swipes. I count the number of times I grate the cheese. I count when downloading a program that takes a long time. If I get interrupted it doesn't bother me. I don't even make sure I count correctly. But I count a lot. I also meditate morning and evening for about an hour. I would rather just be present at the times I count during the day rather than fill the void with counting.
I have to count people's syllables in my heads until I reach 25 and it starts over. In my head I have a cross and I start from the top of the cross then right down left then center. If somebody stops counting exactly at 25 in the center I feel such a sense of relief and I can stop for an hour or two before I have to start again. Otherwise the cycle never stops. Unfortunately the former has only happened 4 times in my life, and when I talk about it I start counting my own syllables 🙄
Great video with details clearing up some confusions! Your example with the counting numbers definitely helped!
Very interesting video. I don't think I have ever seen this before. I will be watching to see if i see someone doing the counting rituals
I was diagnosed with OCD when I was about six and I shared my counting obsession using this video. Ticking clocks make me count and I don't like them in my house. I get angry because I'm 30 and it's something that keeps recurring.
I’m here because I turn all my wall plugs off and then go round to check I turned them off, sometimes I feel the switch while looking to see if it’s off. Then I check the taps including the washing machine plumbing to make sure waters not leaking. When I lock my door I always go back and check I locked it even though I pushed it to check the first time, il push it again to check. Is this me just being over secure with things? I worry all day at work if I don’t double check and feel the need to go home to check. I don’t count how many times I check things, I keep going until I’m happy it’s all safe. Plugs switch’s keep breaking because how many times I turn them on/off and taps keep leaking because I tighten them down so tight to make sure they don’t leak. It’s annoying because it takes me ages to get out in the mornings.
thank you for your video! i have tourettic ocd. my counting doesn’t seem to make sense haha. i count almost everything i come in contact with, in preferably 4s, but sometimes in 2,6,8, or 16. some examples are drinking liquids in 4 swallows at a time, counting my steps in 2s where i can only step on a new surface with my left foot, clipping my fingernails has to be 4 on each nail but if i have to do more it has to then be 8 on each nail.. etc. pretty much everything i do. it drives me nuts. i have a lot of tics but that’s another story.
Heyyyyyyyyyy Lana (and everyone here) Me too! Nice to meet you... Hey Dr. Grande! Thanks for the video. My beverage of choice was the humble 4. ( I can only guess I took on that mantle to distract me from the pain of my Mom leaving home when I was a preschooler.) I spent my waking hours repeating physical actions (gross and fine motor movements) 4 times or powers of 4 (16, 64, 256, etc). Over time, I naturally developed a base-4 visual counting system. Things got real after that as I found the ability to count things and repeat actions on a massively larger scale. One night, when I was five (and supposed to be sleeping), I tapped on the wall 4^7 times (16,384). I learned to tap dance at a young age to interact with unpredictable floor materials in public. "Why is that kid doing that?"... "Oh, he just has to dance!" haha. Anywho, I appreciate your video here! OCD devoured years of my life while defending and protecting my mind. Personally, I have come to perceive that torturous experience as a kind of brutalizing bootcamp that stretched my attention span to super-human levels. Now, my mind is perfectly happy to focus on tasks without limit. In this regard, I wouldn't trade that beautiful (in my personal retrospective opinion) training ground for anything. I wish you and everyone in this comment section the best. Much Love, Ashley
I’ve heard of counting rituals and seen it happen on TV but it’s nice to have clarification about OCD and one of the behaviors a person with the diagnosis engages in.
Yes, it’s very time consuming!!
This video answered many questions that I had about individuals I know with OCD. I have always believed that many compulsions/counting rituals were linked to safety, however one female friend admits that she doesnt know why she does counting rituals with her doors.
Every time I read a word or paragraph I try to find the middle of the paragraph and the middle of that line. I have an obsession with finding the middle number or letter.
Wow, thank you so much for this, Im trying to figure out why I count numbers, why I think I have anxiety/OCD and this really helped, I thought I was kind of alone, and its reasuring to know that counting like this has a name or even a diagnostic, thanks!
same I feel if I don’t check these things over and over again something bad may happen to my love ones if I let the thing that I’m paranoid with go
Hello, I am a 36 year old female, and since a young girl, I’ve counted everything in two’s. People, objects, animals, buildings, basically everything. Example: I’ll find a square and would count in two’s each side of every square in my room, (2, 4, 2, 4, 2, 4) ex: the ceiling, floor, walls, T.V., door, and closet door curtain rods, blinds. It brings me an odd since of comfort, completion, and satisfaction, and doesn’t interfere with my daily living. Just wanted a professional perspective on why I do it, and if it is considered OCD. Thank you!☺️🙏🏾❤️
Queen N I do various counting throughout the day, but never thought it was a huge issue for me. Maybe a mild form of OCD. Counting how many times my dog goes to the bathroom, counting how many steps it takes to get from the front door to my car in the driveway, counting how many days between getting gas for the car, counting how long it takes to brush my teeth. These are daily things I do, but this counting never stopped me from living life.
My 11 year old son had to touch thing in 3s. He has to touch 3 surfaces or 6 surfaces 3 time to make 18. I knew about the 3s, but watching videos about it together he told me about some things he does to 18. He sees a neurologist for Tourette’s so we are going back to address the counting. It is less obvious than the tics, so I didn’t realize he was spending so much time on counting.
I had no idea I had OCD. I am a counter. My left foot is odd and my right foot is even. if a tile or sidewalk piece has an odd number of edges/points it has to be my left foot. Same with stairs..left foot starts at the bottom and if thing dont work out where my right foot get to the top I have to skip the step. Going over any line in the ground my right foot goes first. Hard to explain, I have a whole system lol. Also, if I think of something bad that can happen I have to tap something 123-12 to make it go away.
Not sure if this part is OCD: like if I learn or see something disturbing I can't stop obsessing over it for months to the point where it drives my out of my mind. Right now it is demodex mites that can live in our eyelash folicles. I have gone to the doctor and she says I dont have them but I cant stop thinking about it. Last year it was bone cancer and the spikes that protrude out of the bones. It it seriously all so disturbing. The demodex thing is still making me miserable. Anyway, thats my deal lol.
I used to always count to 5 and it really annoyed me because whatever I did it never stoped but without realizing a year later I stopped and I still don’t know what made the number 5 so important I’m glad I don’t have it any more
I am all the time counting: For example the edges of a window that is : 1, 2, 3, 4. The floor tiles by 3 that is: 123, 456, 789 and so on. Counting car number plates: for example if the plate is 769, I will count 7+6+9. It is endless. When I wake up I start counting from 1 to 10 and also during the day. I read colours with their lighter version for example if there is a paper etc with the colours red, black, red I read red black red and then pink grey pink and so with everything. As well if something is not straight for example a carpet, a table, a chair, I have to move them to a straight position. Thank you
Your videos are very helpful. I really appreciate you. I have learned so much about myself because of you. This video hit home for me. Generally speaking, what is the purpose or outcome of doing these things?
Even when I drink something I always count the number of sips and always make sure the right side of my mouth gets more sips than the left side and I always keep it at four or eight sips on the right side! And one of my teachers has it too.
3, also five. To eliminate guilt and stay safe. 7 is safe also.😟
I can see how rituals can become very time consuming! Do people with OCD experience guilt associated to their disorder? I believe they would and is one of the things that separates OCD from OCPD.
TSBCMHC20 guilt! Can’t get it off my mind if I haven’t completed a sequence before I go to bed! Started to interfere with daily life..I thought I was going mad u till I had a google.
My ocd has been severe and I felt a lot of guilt I would consume my time by actually watching a video at a certain time every day 4 times, it drove me crazy but if i didn’t I thought it would make me do bad in school
What would you call a mental ritual but... not tied to a physical compulsion. For example repeating something that has no significance without stopping in your head, but maybe not even giving it your full attention. Or maybe counting to 12 over and over without stop but also not giving it your full attention.
Does anyone else feel compelled to count the corners of windows, doors and any square or rectangular object by flexing their fingers in a patterned way? I’ve done this since around age 12 and I’ve only recognized it as OCD recently
I have ocd with refreshing things or opening apps a certain number of times. From 13 to 20 so 8 times. I normally do it twice when on the app but i often get the compulsion to do it over and over. If i dont dont it i get anxiety and its just so hard to control. I dont know when my compulsions began but it sure can be frustating
My daughter does counting and tapping .. Tap three times , and a bunch of different numbers...
She's very frustrated, what should she do!!??
I tap four times. I've been doing it for as long as I can remember
Gotta see a doctor before its 10 years from now and she can’t even be in school/work
My OCD as a child consisted of listening to what people were saying, choose a sentence mid conversation and counting every letter that was in that sentence, then divide that number by how many word were in the sentence... It was really hard being so young and not understanding why I HAD to do this, it was as if I couldn't even function properly anymore because my head and fingers were counting as soon as anybody spoke to me. It took really hard work and extreme self control but eventually My OCD faded away as I got older.... Though I know if someone ask me to "show them" then I refuse in fear that doing that would trigger my OCD again
in Sri Lankan Buddhist temples the light switches are actually almost always really dirty... they actually are... should I be worried for noticing this and feeling like cleaning them?
i had to self diagnose myself with OCD, cuz i don’t know what else i could have if i don’t have OCD.. and i can’t get a diagnosis either
I would equate alphabwts to numbers and add them up. Like a is 1, b is 2, c is 3 and so on. So ‘ bad’ would have a score of 7
I use to have it but over the years I have overcome it , I used to have favorite numbers linked to things I liked or preferred , and numbers I didn’t like to things I hated , I would count 1-10 till I needed in a number I liked , but then I told myself this is all fake
Great video on Obsessive- Compulsive Disorder, a lot of good information was explained. It made me wonder how would a person react if a counting ritual was disturbed or interrupted by someone or something? Would constant disruption of counting routines affect the disorder, or the way the person would go about their ritual, especially if the persons ritual is a higher number? This video assisted me in wanting to learn more.
Virginia Murrey it’s nice to see Someone actually talking about this I have had this problem for years all the way back to being a young child and I would have counting rituals. Sadly I hear so many people use term ocd incorrectly if someone likes to clean. It’s way more intricate than that and very time consuming.
One thing that happens with me is that, i feel better when I’m able to justify or excuse myself for having to do that. Like it makes it 20x worse cos I feel like what I’m doing is completely sick/crazy or un-human. I feel better when I can forgive myself for it in the end. Also, my numbers reach up to the 100s hundreds now for touching (thousands/even millions, mentally). It’s sad...
I count five times , starting from 1 often . The start like 1,2,3,4,5.. 1,2,3,4.... 1,2,3... 1,2... 1.... Didn't know it related to OCD
I once heard a story about a person who would count the alphabet on the board in school. Then divide the amount of letters in the alphabet and get anxiety when they could not evenly divide the amount of letters into an even number.
I did similar in school. I’d put the letters into groups and get frustrated they weren’t the same amount of letters in each group and it would end on an odd number.
I do this with everything. They have to be in 2 groups of 4. In my mind it is 4 dots on top of another 4. The alphabet sucks because I keep going through it in my mind until it comes out as 2 groups of 4. So I would have to count 104 letters (the alphabet 4 times) instead of 26
Joe Dirt I also do this. Most of the time. ☹️
I hate the number 3, too uneven. Number 6 is way too close to 5, id rather 7.
I count things too, but if I don't I think something bad's going to happen, and when I'm walking, I go back and touch something again
bro i had that when i was like 14-15 or smth idk and i couldnt finish a 24min (anime) ep without having to count stuff up within the vid. so one ep for me takes like 1 hr. same with reading books so i rlly struggled at school and i didnt want anyone to know
I’m obsessed with counting the letters I’m words, then making a phrase that results in 16 letters. 😤ik that’s random but it’s been my life for the past year and a half now
my OCD is not so intrusive, it is like i managed to put it almost always out of consciousness but often i still find myself counting syllables in phrases or words with slight movements of my teeth, usually organizing them in groups of 2, 3 or 4, checking for balance. less often i discover myself counting my steps on blocks in the sidewalk or on shadow or light on the sidewalk, even there trying to organize them in ordered groups. i'm 42 and this happens to me since childhood.
I don't want to sound uneducated and try to diagnose my self, but I count to an equal number if I feel like a touched something weird. Even when I swallow it has to be at a equal number. From looking to breating and even blinking. It all has to be at an equal number. 2,4,6,8.
This is how my OCD looks, on top of my alcoholism, addiction, depression, anxiety, complex PTSD, borderline personality disorder, binge eating disorder it’s like I feel trapped in hell on this earth sometimes 😢
My son used to count till 10 and now he counts till 20 before opening the door, getting dressed, etc. he told me that he is doing counting because otherwise dragon going to eat him….ok. How do I stop him counting and try to convince him that dragon is not going to eat him?
I'm trying to look for answers. When I was younger, around 9 or 10, I watched a video about people having ocd. I don't believe I have OCD back then and I'm not sure if I have it now. Ever since, I was mortified of having ocd and counting things. A few weeks later, It's like there's a switch in my brain that's telling me to count every single thing that I see. It goes away when I forget about it and it comes back once in a while. I'm 23 now and I'm so confused. My brain will randomly tell me to count things. It's exhausting. I feel like I'm going insane
I totally understand my type was different though, I would do certain things at certain times, for example everyday I would watch a video
4 times at 6 in the morning, I thought I was crazy until I found out that I had ocd, I thought ocd was only being clean but found out a month ago I had ritualistic ocd
Guys ..i need help, i haven't been to a professional, but since i was little ive been constantly counting in my head. Like for example if im in a room im constantly checking in my head if the number of girls equals the boys. It doesn't have to be genders, its for example different colours on some thing on front of me, or if there are different types of tiles under my feet when i walk, even if im staring at dunno my wardrobe wirt sliding doors for example, the light causes shadows over the doors so i count the different colours and the shadows it drives me crazy...i cant stop. The most bizarre thing about that is that my breathing changes when i count the different things no other person can see it but i feel im changing the breathing or im holding my breath in for a certain color... I cant stop ..i cant even watch a movie without imaginatly ,,painting" in my head with my breathing for example the different tones in the hair of the actress..or the shadows on the fase that are the same color... Do i need professional help..?
I count the words that are being said or that I’m reading. I do it all the time and if they dont match up 5 fingers or 10 then I try to rephrase the sentence in my head so I can be satisfied with what is being said/read and move on to the next. I dont know if I’m overreacting or if I actually have this,its rlly annoying and idk what to do.
My OCD diagnoses came from counting everything by 4s as a teen
I do car and house locks. The locks in the house are 20 times and the car is 4 times in a certain rhythm. I’m actually working really hard on the doors though and now I don’t have to do the lock in a rhythm. I also don’t allow myself to check the locks every time I go downstairs during the night anymore. I used to average 60-80 times a night locking the house doors because I’d go downstairs so often now I try not to go downstairs at all at night but if I do I can only do the locks that time if I go down again I can’t touch them.
Hopefully that made some sense. I’m mostly obsessional but do have some compulsions like the doors and a few others.
i just count like to melodies or like 0 200 400 600 800 1000 and if i mess up i start over and i always count in my head
I count things squared. Nothing tok wild but ill count to five five times, or 4 four times. Or even things. Even white posts on the road... if i see another in my periphery i try look away. If i didnt fast enough i have to tey make it even again. Ive done it as long as i can remember as a small child.
Anyone else count their steps while walking or count how many time their hands touch a part of their body when they walk? It’s so annoying! It’s almost ruining my relationships and excitement over different people and things.
For everyone, I have this as well. It's called arithmomania
Lmao, yall. Everytime I'm in a video, i should counts the comments 10x lol
I do the counting will eating 💀
Everything has to be a multiple of five for me and all through out my day I say “12345 12345 12345678910 12345 12345 12345678910 123456789 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20” and repeated. This is because it’s like a stacked pyramid. 5+5=10 5+5=10 and 10+10=20
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