I think what you wrote definitely falls into the OCD spectrum, heavy emphasis on the Obsessive part. I definitely get that - if I like a band, I have to buy every recording and bootleg they ever made, if I like a food I also eat it for weeks on end, but that's the extent for me. Sounds like you have it worse, that's for sure.

I mainly have ticks heavy on the Compulsive part. I've always drummed, or tapped my feet, And for the last few years, I catch myself holding my breath. It's getting to be a compulsion at this point.

Sounds like OCD behavior. The thing is OCD is not treated with Anti-depressants. Its best treated with learning alternate learned behaviors and coping skills.

My OCD centers around organization and cleaning and I did have to learn not to let it takeover, I had to get to a point where the house or my office being clean was good, it didn't need to be constantly re-cleaned everyday. DBT skills, coping skills, alternate learned behaviors helped me get those under control.

When you notice certain ticks or compulsions the sooner you work on getting them under control the better.

When i was reading up on ocd, there just seemed to be a lot of common themes that i did not fit under. I know not all ocd falls under all of them but only a few of them i resonate with.
Mistermojorisin_ thank you for your response. Are you diagnosed with ocd? What sort of treatment plan are you on if you are diagnosed? And there are compulsions to like the "got to haves rate now" and the " have to do it rate nows" and stuff. Well, your lucky that I " have it worse""thats for sure" and you do not have to deal with it as kuch. It sucks. I think thats where my eating disorder for 8 years resonated from or other problems such as self harm. Being bipolar has a lot to do with them to though.
Oldercper_ thank you for your comments also. I did not mean that it was "treated" by anti-depressants. I meant only that it was the medicine they usually prescribed for ocd when medicine is used. I have been doing some research and see that there are a ton of alternatives to medicines yes. My ticks and compulsions are all so different. They change all the time. I have some that stay consistent like movements with my hands. I have always had it but it got really bad after i stopped taking abilify. I had such bad weird habits like scratching my head or twirling my curls that my arm was legit soar from lifting up 24/7.

I have ocd around cleaning and organization as well.... my place always looks staged...haha.....

I have to be really careful about spending as well Pretty.....sigh......sit on my hands and stay off of the net and I am pretty good about it unless I'm really looking for something in particular

But I have gotten myself into a mess a couple of times throughout my life with regards to spending

Suncloudjd, thank u for such an honest and real response. I appreciate it. I got in trouble with it before also. At first i was thinking maybe it was a spending thing but it has to do with my actions, music, food, so many different things.

Okay so I need to clarify something you mentioned. Eating Disorders, Self Harm, OCD are all different Psychiatric Issues in their own rights, they don't stem from one another and they don't stem from being BiPolar. There are many people who have 1 or more of these issues that aren't BiPolar.

Eating Disorders, Self Harm, Addictions all come from the Limbic System, i.e. the Pleasure System of the Brain. This is where Dopamine is released in response to actions we do that make us feel good. Its why certain actions become so addictive, like Self Harm, Eating Disorders, certain forms of OCD, etc.

But to be clear OCD is an additional Psychiatric Illness, it is not part of BiPolar Disorder and not all folks with BiPolar Disorder have it. And it comes in varying degrees, for some it's mild, for some its very compulsive.

I've never been diagnosed with OCD, but I used to do the same things as you. Pretty much all my life...maybe it comes with the territory.

It's helpful that you are Aware of this trait...the first step toward bringing it under control, is to See it and say, Hey - I'm doing that!

I guess you're noticing that acting on compulsions has consequences. Like, spending all your money on something, for example. (Oops)

Like others have said, it is something that can be managed. Do you see a therapist and talk to them about this stuff?

Oldercper, thank you for the clarification and the educational post. You seem very educated and habe a lot of great info to share. I did not mean to imply they were all the same psychiatric issue. I was suggesting that maybe they have some sort of connection. I think that makes sense. For example, my eating disorder anorexia/bulimia and the crazy obsession with food, how i eat it, when i eat it, what i eat, the discomfort that comes along when i do not do all this correctly and the crap feelings that follow. The compulsive, uncontrollable decision making in regards to food. Kinda has some similar trates with ocd, the obsession, the compulsion. And self harm, that comes with depression, that is a part of manic depression or bipolar. I obsessed over it, had to do it. Whenever, wherever(shakira voice lol) hence the compulsiveness in it. And these are my experiences. Maybe they are just unique to me myself and i but i doubt that. And i am not saying all ocd bipolar self harmer bulimic anorexics go through all this and have the same experiences. I mean, i know plenty who have gone through it all just like me and some who have done one not the other and so forth. We are all different and experience things differently, i get that.

Gtt_ thank u for your response and the encoursgement. Super appreciated, for real(smiley emoji). Nice to hear some encouragement. I feel like thats the point of this whole thing. Butttt to yourquestion.i legit wrote a post previously about my therapist situation. I was signed up with two. I canceled the one for the other then the other canceled me. Lol. Im going to get there though. So what, like cognitive behavioral therapy is effective for ocd or what? I mean my doc said he thinks thats what it was but didnt like diagnose me like on paper. How is one properly diagnosed?

Idk about diagnosing it - I bet Older person would know more about that.

I took DBT in counseling and it helped with some of my O/C issues...(it would help with More, if I let it. Lol)

I know what your saying about "if you let it". Sometimes, even know this sounds odd, but you want help yes, but your almoat unmotivated to make a change. You know what your supposed to be doing but you cant find the will power to do it. But thats not to day you still dont want a change, cause you do. I feel like that goes for a lot of stuff. But the point is atleast you are aware there is some sort of issue going on.

Your Pdoc would DX OCD, any Psychiatric or Mental Illness Diagnosis has to come from a Psychiatrist.

As for your situation, often when you have more than one concurrent psychological issue, like an eating disorder, self harm BiPolar and OCD tendencies they do tend to feed off of each other. When your depressed and your chemicals are off balance its harder to make yourself want to eat properly/easier to give in, harder to practice handling emotions safely/easier to give in to self harm, etc.

CBT and DBT are the main Therapeutic techniques to deal with Addictive/Obsessive Emotional Disorders like OCD, Self-Harm and Eating Disorders. Depending on how strong the Disorders are depends on whether CBT can help or if DBT is more helpful. Generally you have to retrain your brain to learn new behaviors to handle stressful/emotional situations. That's more DBT.

For Self-Harm I had to do intensive I-Patient DBT Therapy years ago to get it under control, and still use those practices for many different things to keep Stable.

My OCD is very specific revolving around extreme organization, cleaning and me being a germaphobe, since I was able to recognize the issues, learn the triggers, I used learned skills to get that under control. When I have the occasional Manic Ep, once a year or so, it can get out of control, but it doesn't last....and if I want to over clean my home like crazy...so be it.

I'm still "funny" about certain things, my sons know better than to make a mess (by mess I mean take their shoes off in the wrong place or toss a jacket on a chair, lol) in my home and not pick it up immediately or move my stuff. My side of my house is totally off limits, master bedroom and bathroom...nobody else beside me and my S.O. are allowed in. And my employees know that my office is off limits and nothing is to be touched....ever. I have my own bathroom and my own kitchenette in my office because I don't like sharing those kinds of germy things/places with others. So it's not like the OCD is just cured and goes away....I just manage it without driving too many people nuts if possible.

I've never been formally diagnosed with OCD, no. I do think that my antipsyche and antidepressant meds slow it down in some ways. I've also thought it may be a tourettes tic (the drumming especially)

It's never been so extreme that it would warrant me seeking treatment.

Oldcper- i knew a pdoc had to diagnose it, i meant like is it a diagnosis when he/she prescribes you meds for it, when you guys talk about it, when its written on paper, when it is added into some system? I havent had my eating disorder in years, not to say i dont think about it. And i have not self harmed in years either. Those are things of the past. The new "in" thing is my dumb bipolar and ocd. And of course, i am kidding about it being "in". I simply mean the things that play a role in my life as of rate now.
Haha im pretty specific about how i like things to. I mean, no body is allowed to do laundry in my house, even if it is their laundry. Only me lol. And obviously there are a few other quirks also.

Mistermojo- im glad u got something working for u and its somewhat stable. Im still going through the process of finding the right meds and my doc wont prescribe me an antidepressant till i find stability with my bipolar and meds. But, if they are pulling from each other and somewhat enhancing each other, i dont understand why not. If its all causing distress, anger, annoyance ect and what not, why not kill two birds one stone... But then again im not the one with the degree and credentials after my name so who am i to say?