Cleaning and order obsession. Always getting rid of my stuff!?

Question: For the last 4 years I am constantly making sure my stuff in my bedroom is in perfect order. I have a 0 tolerance on clutter and all always getting rod of things and giving to Goodwill. Sometimes it gets out of control and i get rid of things I like. I feel that the more i get rid of the better the better the room will be and the better ill feel. I deal with this obsession every single day. All I do everyday is clean my room. Its my only hobby now. This cant be normal can it? Whats wrong with me. Why am I like this?? Please help.

Answers:
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:

Obsessions are defined by:

1. 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.
2. The thoughts, impulses, or images are not simply excessive worries about real-life problems.
3. The person attempts to ignore or suppress such thoughts, impulses, or images, or to neutralize them with some other thought or action.
4. The person recognizes that the obsessional thoughts, impulses, or images are a product of his or her own mind.

Compulsions are defined by:

1. 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.
2. 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 (Quick Reference from DSM-IV-TR, 2000). OCD often causes feelings similar to that of depression.

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If it is interfering with your normal daily function, it's time to see your doctor. There are lots of medications that help people deal with these kinds of anxiety disorders, so there's no reason you should have to struggle on your own. :)

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