OCD kind of sums up anything we do out of balance =
it's OBSESSIVE
it's COMPULSIVE
it's DISORDERED (out of order/balance)

blessings... dr fran xoxo

Although its not diagnosed (yet), I believe i have some form of OCD. I crave order and cleanliness to a point that its almost unhealthy. I also have food addiction. I can't understand why I can keep everything in my life orderly and clean, but not what I put in my mouth. Its very frustrating.

I read a bit about compulsions in general - including eating, cleaning, picking, etc. Some people talk about it as kind of like addictions in general, so yes that would relate the two of them.
I've read that it is common for people to compulsively do things, take drugs, eat, clean, find unhealthy relationships, drink, etc. all as ways to avoid feelings - all methods of distraction from things we're too uncomfy to process/handle. I think there's some truth to this.
A few supporting observations/facts:
A young girl I know feels anxious often and she chomps gum when she doesn't want to handle it. People who come from homes where positively expressing emotions isn't taught/encouraged are more likely to become addicted to drugs or alcohol. Sexual abuse survivors (resulting in a lot of hard to process feelings) are more likely to have eating disorders.

Sometimes, though - I wonder if everyone has addictions of some kind. To some people, it's food. Others do gambling, smoking, alcohol, cleaning, whatever. Even food addicts alone it seems like make up a huge percentage of the population. Granted, most don't call themselves food addicts, but look how many people are persistantly obese. If you add up the number of people who have addictions to everything, I wonder if it pretty much includes all of us. Is it really about stopping having addictions or is it about finding things to be addicted to that don't really hurt us??? Anyone else have thoughts on this?

Jalal you asked: "Is it really about stopping having addictions or is it about finding things to be addicted to that don't really hurt us??? Anyone else have thoughts on this? " My thought on this is that our lives need to be in balance so if we include and/or persue an addiction that we hope will not hurt us then we're once again knocking that balance off kilter. So no I don't believe there's any such thing as a healthy addiction.
In my professional practice I find that anyone who is compulsive about anything ie. cleaning, eating, drinking, drugging, etc. has control issues. In order to take back our lives in a healthy manner we need to give up all control. You can read about this in the Big Book of AA.
Remember: WE WIN...blessings... dr fran xoxo

I feel sick just thinking about giving up control of everything! How is that even possible? If we give up control, how do we know that other people won't pick up the slack and start controlling us?!

Perhaps obsession with food or eating disorders are more common in people with other forms of mental health issues? I know that I have struggled with OCD surrounding "checking" in the past - e.g. checking things are where they should be, doors are locked etc. My issues with food - either I feel out of control because I eat just whatever I want and don't follow the way of eating that is healthy for me or else I follow a healthy way of eating and become obsessive about it.

Vicksta when i speak about giving up control and i'm not saying that i'm giving that control over to someone else and i don't become a doormat or a victim. Giving up control can be something as simple as saying to myself: "If I don't do such and such (compulsively/obsessively) it's not the end of the world. " And I give myself permission to not do the 'whatever'. Again, it's the balance 'thing'.

Re what you said about food: "My issues with food - either I feel out of control because I eat just whatever I want and don't follow the way of eating that is healthy for me or else I follow a healthy way of eating and become obsessive about it. " = In this situation giving up control would mean finding the 'perfect' meal plan for you that eliminates being pressured and leaves you satisfied knowing that what you've done for yourself by making this food choice is a good thing for your health/life. I suggest that you do a word study and get a full/total/complete understanding of what control means as it can go in many directions. It's really very interesting and may answer a lot of questions you have.

Keep searching girl!... you're on the right track!
Remember: WE WIN...blessings... dr fran xoxo

Thanks Dr Fran. That makes sense now! :o)

THe book called brain lock , i felt it really explained OCD and yes i can relate to it xtending into a behaviour with food.