Am I a perfectionist?!


Question: I work at least 3 hours on homework a night and I always do my homework. I obsess over a question to the point I'll get into tears. I worry about my teachers next year, about grade 11, grade 12, about university, about whether my child will have High Functioning Autism like I do, or something fatal, or maybe I'll have a boy (Which would be a nightmare), or I won't be able to help my baby because of my disorder, or my mom will die of cancer, or my sister will get in a car crash, or I will die. (I'll stop here, but I have many, many more worries) I also have to straighten my pencils before I take a test, and if I tap one finger with something I must tap the rest. I also find patterns in everything, and I'm obsessed with numbers. My arms and legs shake whenever I'm really stressed out (which is about once every two weeks since I've been on depression/anixety mediances, but usually much more). I never swear, I don't lie ever, and I'm freaking miserable. Who am I?


Answers: I work at least 3 hours on homework a night and I always do my homework. I obsess over a question to the point I'll get into tears. I worry about my teachers next year, about grade 11, grade 12, about university, about whether my child will have High Functioning Autism like I do, or something fatal, or maybe I'll have a boy (Which would be a nightmare), or I won't be able to help my baby because of my disorder, or my mom will die of cancer, or my sister will get in a car crash, or I will die. (I'll stop here, but I have many, many more worries) I also have to straighten my pencils before I take a test, and if I tap one finger with something I must tap the rest. I also find patterns in everything, and I'm obsessed with numbers. My arms and legs shake whenever I'm really stressed out (which is about once every two weeks since I've been on depression/anixety mediances, but usually much more). I never swear, I don't lie ever, and I'm freaking miserable. Who am I?

Who are you? I think you are me.... No, you're still doing homework, so you're still young, which means you have lots of time, which means HOPE! Yes, you are a perfectionist, and you sound as if you have compulsive-obsessive disorder. Ah, been there, done that. It is a tough life that few understand. I used to figure out how many syllables a person had just spoken, and if it didn't come out to an even number, it drove me nuts. I kept working at it until somehow it did come out even. License plate numbers? Don't get me started. I have worried about every syndrome and disease known to man, and feared that my children/grandchildren had them, etc. When I start reading about nutrition, I go totally ballistic. People have called me the nutrition nazi. I am getting better; for awhile I think it was from the antidepressants and therapy, now perhaps some of it is just age and experience. Yes, you're miserable. It's a scary existence, isn't it? Life can be so much better. Please get help. Talk to parents or a counselor. As much as I hate medication, it does help and may be necessary. Life itself can also be great therapy. This I know; you don't have to continue this way. It feels like reality to you, and it probably makes perfect sense to you, as well, but it is also a living hell, is it not? I imagine you're a very intelligent and sensivite person. A couple of books I can recommend are Healing Your ADD, and The Highly Sensitive Person.

OCD. It moved past perfectionism a while ago, and now it's OCD.

you might have an OCD. & ur a little paranoid! just relax!! & dont worry so much. but yeahh. defff OCD

i agree with the first comment i belive you have OCD

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric anxiety disorder most commonly characterized by a subject's obsessive, distressing, intrusive thoughts and related compulsions (tasks or "rituals") which attempt to neutralize the obsessions.

The phrase "obsessive-compulsive" has worked its way into the wider English lexicon, and is often used in an offhand manner to describe someone who is meticulous or absorbed in a cause (see also "anal-retentive"). Such casual references should not be confused with obsessive-compulsive disorder; see clinomorphism. It is also important to distinguish OCD from other types of anxiety, including the routine tension and stress that appear throughout life. Although these signs are often present in OCD, a person who shows signs of infatuation or fixation with a subject/object, or displays traits such as perfectionism, does not necessarily have OCD, a specific and well-defined condition.

To be diagnosed with Obsessive-compulsive disorder, one must have either obsessions or compulsions alone, or obsessions and compulsions, according to the DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria. The Quick Reference to the diagnostic criteria from DSM-IV-TR (2000) describes these obsessions and compulsions:[1]

Obsessions are defined by:

Recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses, or images that are experienced at some time during the disturbance, as intrusive and inappropriate and that cause marked anxiety or distress.
The thoughts, impulses, or images are not simply excessive worries about real-life problems.
The person attempts to ignore or suppress such thoughts, impulses, or images, or to neutralize them with some other thought or action.
The person recognizes that the obsessional thoughts, impulses, or images are a product of his or her own mind, and are not based in reality.
Compulsions are defined by:

Repetitive behaviors or mental acts that the person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession, or according to rules that must be applied rigidly.
The behaviors or mental acts are aimed at preventing or reducing distress or preventing some dreaded event or situation; however, these behaviors or mental acts either are not connected in a realistic way with what they are designed to neutralize or prevent or are clearly excessive.
In addition to these criteria, at some point during the course of the disorder, the sufferer must realize that his/her obsessions or compulsions are unreasonable or excessive. Moreover, the obsessions or compulsions must be time-consuming (taking up more than one hour per day), cause distress, or cause impairment in social, occupational, or school functioning.[1] OCD often causes feelings similar to those of depression

this is probally over stress you shuld probally meditate more often like just sit down on the floor not in school at home and just think ofy yourself what u want to be and think about your body you know just relax when you get out the shower tell yourself u love u for who u are and lotion ur self and just be glad your still alive. Also find something that sooths you like soft classical music or sounds of the ocean or something.

i agree with all of them that u do have OCD but i dont agree with the girl that said just to calm down and relax cause its not that easy. i know cause 2yrs ago i was also known to have OCD. i would wake up in the middle of the night to put a shirt that was on the floor away cause i could not sleep cause i thought i was a mess. and it also toke me for ever to finish my homework cause i wanted it perfected. but i got sick and my mom toke me to see someone and i was as in medication. and i helped. if u r taking medication already then u need to talk to doctor and he will get u counseling for this problem. they give u tips to control it, it really helps if not. then they will tell u ur next step.

i think you have OCD

I have a VERY similar thing. My doctor calls it OCD. I worry about things that I don't need to. I freak out, obssess, I don't go out with my friends when the call me because I apply for jobs in a different country - jobs that I probably don't even want.

I take a drug called lexapro. And I read the bible because the bible says If you have the faith of a mustard seed you can move the mountains. I got it really late. I don't want to say anything that will scare you. But here is REALLY something to worry about: if things are bad right now how much worse will it be in hell?

I'd say you have high anxiety OCD-I would stay on the Paxil and learn meditation or relaxation techniques. Your therapist may be able to teach you; you may find them on-line; and I would highly recommend Tai Chi Chuan and especially Yoga.





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