Hey girlfriend, I was diagnosed almost 20 years ago....Every little thing has to be in its place...Neat,clean orderly and tidy.....I can't stand to be around slobs. I guess they may really be called normal people, but I all them slobs. I am a fanatic when it comes to neatness. I like it though! Makes me the true girlscout! My shrink explained to me....I had a tramatic childhood,i could not control my inside world where all the hurt and pain was coming from, but I could control what was on my outside world.. So, I like it neat my parents divorced when I was 5, I went thru the wicked stepmother deal, ran away and got married, divorced, married again, divorced, had a daughter ...Who is a slob! Met a wonderful caring man, who understands my "showcase" life. We've been married 10 years now.I don't understand why you are freakin. I am proud that you have found out you are "special". Those few of us live in an organized lifestyle, instead of unorganized helter skelter unkept. Not being judgemental, just trying to tell you you are not alone....And its real fun here!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, u r not a freak. Lots of people have ocd. It comes in so many forms. I was diagnoses around three years ago. Now that I think about it, I have been this way since I was very young. Like six or so. I am on medication for it along with depression and social anxiety disorder, so my brain is confuses. First, it was the neat and clean, everything in place thing. But that is not all for me. I count everything. That must sound so crazy, but I count everything. Ex: how many cars I pass while driving, people in the room, number of tiles on the kitchen floor, etc. I cannot rest until it is counted. And it is not even like I give two craps how many of whatever there are. I could care less, but I have to count it.
So, do you fell any less crazy, or did I make you feel worse? Well, any time you fell crazy now you will probably think of this and laugh because I am more messed up than you are!!! But seriously, who cares, it just makes you more interesting than the general population. I personally think that we are like this because we are so smart that our brain has to keep busy...Lol

Relax, i'm 48 & can't remember a time I didn't have ocd yet i've never been officially diagnosed!! Ocd comes in mnay forms & degres just like people (actually I think we are people??) for me I can not I actually shuddered at the thought, touch rubbish, heaven help anything to do with smoking & hate to touch public door handles because I don't know who touched them last!! I also like to pair everything off, sometimes i'll bewatching tv & realize that i'm pairing the letters li ke th is an ds of or th, which means like this and so forth & I have to stop myself.

Relax & laugh at yourself - my children ask me how I can buy one top & I say it has 2 halves!! Come to terms with what you feel you have to do & what you feel you need to control (like me & pairing letters in a sentence) & what you can make into a fun thing like buying a top (2 haves) or instead of a pound/kilo of sausages buy a certain number - even of course!!

Purple333 I totally agree with the even thing. I thought I was the only one!