What are your views on obsessive compulsiveness?

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Is it a general co-morbid condition in those on the Autism spectrum? I remember reading somewhere that people on the spectrum lack a chemical barrier in the brain that helps control obsessiveness. So is indulgence common in most people on the spectrum? And how do you overcome obsessiveness?

Well depending on the sort of induldenge you're referring to would determine if I induldge in indulgence......but I do not feel like I have an issue with obsessiveneness. I have a limited amount of intrests but I am not all that obsessed with most of them. I also don't have to do any repetitive things to decrease anxiety.

I do not have obsessive compulsiveness, people that have that do rituals to ward off intrusive thoughts or to stop something fatal happening to someone they love.

I, however, do get obsessed with certain subjects and I may do repetitive things but it makes me feel calmed, it doesn't get rid of any distressing thoughts. It does decrease my nervousness though.

I watched "Obsessed" on A&E. It's a show about people with OCD. I don't know much about obsessive-compulsiveness beyond what I saw on the show.

I don't intuitively understand the obsessiveness of OCD, because I don't have obsessive thoughts about bad things happening or any other obsessive thoughts.

I think that I do understand a little bit about the compulsiveness, because I feel anxiety and distress and mental pain and discombobulation when my routines are disrupted, although I don't think that my anxiety is quite the same as the anxiety that must be relieved by the compulsions. Based on what I saw on the show, I don't think that I am nearly as severely affected by my ASD-related routines and rituals as the people are by their compulsive checking and cleaning and tapping and counting that can take up most of their time. My routines and rituals help me keep order in my mind and make things predictable and free up space for doing productive things. I let myself do them, because they are functional for me. If they start taking up too much time, however, I will remind myself to get rid of some.

ASD-related special interests, sometimes called "obsessions", I don't consider to be obsessiveness at all. I just love to think about my special interests as much as possible. It's really enjoyable for me.

ASD-related repetitive behaviors, like saying or doing the same thing a bunch of times in a row, are not compulsions, because they are mostly automatic and don't have anything to do with anxiety.

Don't know what you mean by "general co-morbid." Do you mean "Is it a common co-morbid with Autism?"

I'm not sure it's all that common.

But yeah, "Obsessive" isn't the same thing as "Obsessive-compulsive." Aspies may or may not obsess about certain topics, but they aren't necessarily obsessive-compulsive.

Obsessive-compulsion involves ritualistic behaviors, like turning a doorknob exactly three times before opening it, or touching various objects in a set order every time a room is entered, or shutting off and turning back on, then shutting off a stove burner a set number of times before leaving it off or on (whichever the OC is doing). It can also involve lining things up. Always having labels facing forward and perfectly aligned. Phobias are often part of it too. OC's are frequently known for washing their hands many times a day, and longer each time than most people would.

OC is fear and anxiety driven, and since Autism can and does cause anxiety, OC can be easily co-morbid with Autism, but I doubt it's very common. I think a lot do have it, but most don't, but I don't have any proof to give you for that.

Most of us who do obsess, probably obsess over our special interests, and that's quite different from OC. That's not usually ritualistic.

Thanks for the insight. This is prolly more like what I mean - compulsive obsession rather than obsessive compulsion. Its like okay so now I have nothing to do so I'll go get obsessed about something.

I wash my hands a lot but that's because I'm always picking up my cat or patting a dog and my hands feel dirty.
I line thing up but that's nervousness.
I recheck locks and stove switches because I have a bad memory.
One thing I do for anxiety is check if I have my purse or phone. Also due to a poor short term memory.

When I'm thinking about my special interest it's not like I'm bored and have nothing to do but I have a strong desire to spend time on it. My interests are now on a kind of a roster. I will plan to write one day, if I have time I'll focus on reading. Sometimes I have to choose a day to focus on my air force book or Star Trek book. Sometimes I focus on them when they happen to be on TV like a physics documentary or a history one or one of my favourite sci-fi shows.

My mindset is obsessive but not my actions. Some days if I'm not multitasking three ways upstairs I feel worthless for not trying to accomplish enough. I remember in 2nd grade I would count the vowels in words and multiply them as far as I could without getting stuck (usually about 30 times). If I did not do this I would start losing focus because of the slow pace of the class. Once homeschooled I could finish a whole days schoolwork within an hour or two. Then I would exercise or draw nonstop (about 9 hrs with nothing but bathroom breaks). Again though I don't consider my obvious actions or impulses obsessive. I have far more self control than the typical young adult and once I start doing something I find worthwhile I have no reason to stop.

I have OCD and AS, but I don't know if that's a coincidence or not.

These posts are very helpful to me, thank you.

My 6 year old has Asperger's and has also been diagnosed with severe anxiety with OCD. He obsesses about halloween all year, every day. At times he has rituals such as touching from head to toe every few steps to keep me from dying in a car accident, but that is during rare anxiety flare ups.

But he gets the stuck record skipping thing when it comes to thoughts. He scripts how a conversation should go and if we don't answer how he imagined in his head it was going to go we have to repeat it over and over until we do it to his satisfaction. He will get 'stuck' when he's doing an activity as well and have to go back to the beginning over and over until it's as he thought it was going to be. some days getting out the door takes forever as he has to complete his pattern correctly or he has a total meltdown.

So it's different then how OCD is described, it's more of getting stuck in a pattern, but he does have fear that something bad will happen if the pattern is interrupted.

But it's been very helpful to hear some of you describe your obsessing over the things you like as he does this big time. He even says he hates all holidays that aren't halloween as he wishes halloween to continue all year. Lucky me, lol.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is not a good coping mechanism. It is an artificial attempt to control things that cause stress. If you let it get a hold of you, it will become destructive.

I've been through a bout of that but I was 14 and was at the age where I was starting to reason for myself. It can be overcome though. I went through lots of prayer and time in behavioral centers in which I was showed compassion I had never received before. Anytime I went to my mother with these problems her response was "you shouldn't be like that" or "you just want more attention than you really need, you're trying to mask something". At one point she told me the devil was trying to use me to kill her. Of course that freaked me out and to this day she still thinks my suicide attempt at age 6 was just a front. However even at 6 I wanted to live badly enough to see something other than the **** I called a home. Give him time and love and maybe he'll just feel lifted out of it like I did. I wish you the best . Nowadays I don't feel compelled to act on the thoughts and they're a mere annoyance not something I feel has to be acted upon. Personally I believe our imaginative minds that often accompany these things are able to give us hope. Did it for me.

thank you, very helpful!

I've been very supportive of him, I had the same kind of mom you describe, she always thought I was trying to get attention away from her and onto me if I needed anything, so I have always been careful to not treat others, and especially my son, that way.

I was told when he was 3 that he had the most severe OCD this child specialist he was seeing had ever seen in a child that young and that he'd have to be medicated and would not make it in main stream school.

Well, I'm a believer in holistic maintenance first before popping a 3 year old with anti anxiety meds. So I started teaching him yoga and meditation. I've taught him mindful meditation in which he has learned to track his thoughts and see thoughts for what they are.

He hasn't tried to hurt himself in two years, he's not on medication and he's made it through kindergarten and is now in 1st grade in public school.

Early intervention and constant understanding and support have been key for him. While he still has lot's of problems with obsession issues, he can stop and take a look at his actions and thoughts with a few verbal cues from me and can either stop it telling himself "This is tricky thoughts again, I don't need to do this." or just admit that he wants to finish out the pattern and then move on.

At school it's more difficult for him, but for his age he's doing amazingly well, I'm so proud of him!

oops, double post. sorry.

I have both AS and OCD. I have many of the typical OCD "checks". The oven, doors, light switches. I didn't always have the OCD. It's been building up since I was 16 and has slowly become more and more a problem in my life. It affects my life every day over and over again no matter what I'm doing.

My therapist has told me that the two go hand in hand.

That's so good to hear. I'm glad you two got through it together. I'm sure when he's older he'll love you for it even more than he does now. Success stories make me happy because all I get to see is the people getting sick not better. I still wonder about all the girls at the behavioral center I was with.