Obsessive Compulsive Behavior

[seiki]

I have OCD and im not sure why you put it all in red..
I count my steps when I walk and start over when i step into a new square of cement or tile and i have to end on an even number which can make it awkward. I have to touch things with both hands or legs if I touch them on accident like brush my hand past it. If i skuff one foot on the ground the other needs to have the same general effect and if it's too hard or soft I have to keep doing it again and again. I need to make sure i lock the doors and windows multiple times.

[ozkai]

Returning to the hand thing, I can see the sense in using a toilet paper helmet!


This was the baby I always had problems with.

[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by IcewindDude

In any case, Japan is the only country I've seen people commonly wear face masks out in public... I'm not sure whether it's when they are sick or they are worried about becoming sick, but that's something I'll probably never see in America.

The secret to the face masks really has little to do with worrying about getting sick. The main reasons people wear the masks are because a) they want to avoid pollen due to allergies or b) they want to keep their snot from being visible when they have a runny nose. Remember - blowing your nose in public is a BIG no-no in Japan. And if you don`t blow your nose and just keep sniffling there is a chance you`ll "leak" to great embarrassment.

I`d say almost all the masks sold regularly have no virus blocking ability, and people know this. There are two main types - absorbent and pollen blocking.

[Columbine]

The sound machines in the ladies are really annoying. It's so easy to knock into the infra-red with your elbow (espec. if you're left-handed) and then get blasted by birds tweeting or the sound of running water at 100 decibels.

I've seen urinals in the ladies loos in Japan too and wondered about that until I happened to be in there when a mother came in with her quite small son. Although i really should have guessed; they were very low off the ground.

I don't care about touching things when I'm in the bathroom. It's less wasteful to wash your hands well than use umpty-billion paper towels all the time. Drives me nuts. I lived with a chinese girl who clogged the toilets all the time because she'd steal napkins from the cafeteria to put on the seat before she used it. Although, I wouldn't blame guys for being picky about touching door handles in public loos because I used to work in a pub where the sinks for the toilets were outside the actual area with the stalls. And most men just sailed on by. Gross.

My town came up with a nifty way to stop drunks peeing on the streets, incidentally. We've got pop-up urinals that appear after dark on the weekends.

[bELyVIS]

Originally Posted by Undertherose25

OCD is an extreme anxiety disorder not something someone can be taught. People with OCD have reoccurring obsessions and thoughts that they want to ward off so they have some sort of ritual they follow in order to keep these thoughts at bay. Don't say you have OCD unless you've been diagnosed, OCD is a VERY serious condition. Just because you like to keep things tidy doesn't mean you're OCD it means you are a protectionist or anal and avoiding public restrooms is more of a Germ Phobia than a disorder.

I would more consider them to have a small degree of Germ phobia, since fears are usually taught and you aren't born with them. Or it's a behavior they've been taught since they were young and it's just part of life.

And it doesn't seem all that unusual to me, mostly everyone does that here....

I usually cover the toilet seat, use my foot to flush, hands to turn on the water, use my elbow to get paper towel, use same paper to turn the water off and then use my elbow to open the door. I used to avoid public restrooms at all costs but due to a medical condition I have no choice but to go when my body tells me too.

If you lived in Japan you would see that it goes way beyond toilet use or trying to be perfect. Whose to say it isn't a genetic trait? Most have signs of a mild OCD. And no, it doesn't need to be extreme. Most cases of OCD are bearly noticeable.

[IamKira]

along with my previous posts, everything I do has to be done once, 7 times, multiple of seven, number ending with seven, or 13...
so when I turn on the microwave I always set it and when it gets down to 28 seconds or 1 min 28 seconds or 13 or 49 etc. then I can take my food out...
people learn very quickly not to put me in charge of the popcorn..(it get's burned sometimes..:P) (my food is generally too hot or too cold)
when I do pushups I will always quit on a multiple of seven, but on the last one I always have to hold it for seven seconds before coming up.

[Naoko]

I think that's just something for the hygiene-conscious. I do it, and I don't necessarily consider myself OCD...just a slight germophobe, lol. When it comes to public restrooms, more often than not...I'll avoid them entirely until I get home. xD

When I can't, however...I open the door with my sleeve (most of the doors around here have the handle on the outside coming in), hover (women), flush with my foot if there's a handle, use tissue paper to slide the lock on the stall door, then pull the paper towels down at the sink before I wash my hands (if there's no air thingy), and use my elbow to exit.

Whew, that's a mouthful when I actually LOOK at it..but people are nasty. I still to this day cannot believe the audacity of the people who walk straight out of a stall after using it, and go past the group of people at the sinks watching them do this, and go straight out the door without touching soap nor water. It's gross..and don't get me started on the no-flushing women with no toilet paper in the bowl!!! EEEWWW

[Undertherose25]

Originally Posted by bELyVIS

If you lived in Japan you would see that it goes way beyond toilet use or trying to be perfect. Whose to say it isn't a genetic trait? Most have signs of a mild OCD. And no, it doesn't need to be extreme. Most cases of OCD are bearly noticeable.

They don't know where OCD comes from.

I have [mild] OCD by way of PTSD [no it is not a 'soldiers' disorder but it does affect them the most] and I've been diagnosed with it by a Psychiatrist.

You don't say you have it unless you've been diagnosed, most people don't understand what it actually is. Mild OCD means you freak out about little things, you check the locks on doors multiple times, check to make sure they've turned lights on or off, etc. it doesn't interfere with their daily life but it's still serious.

OCD symptoms range from MILD to EXTREME. There is no 'slight' or 'little bit'.

I think the Japanese are just taught these things at an early age, a man in my Chinese class said he and his wife went to Japan and they were startled by how clean they were, they had a man wiping down the railing of an escalator every time it emptied. I don't think that's OCD I think its learned behavior.

How is it diagnosed?

There is no diagnostic test for OCD. Your doctor will listen to a history of your symptoms and ask you questions. He or she will want to know what types of obsessions and compulsions you have, and whether they interfere with your everyday life and relationships in any way. You may have OCD if you have thoughts you can't ignore or make go away; you feel the need to check things over and over, such as whether a door is locked or a light switched off; you need to clean objects or your hands repeatedly; your obsessions or compulsions make you feel anxious; and these feelings interfere with your normal activities. It is important to answer the doctor's questions openly and honestly. He or she will also ask about any medications you are taking to be sure they are not causing your symptoms. People with OCD often avoid seeking treatment because they are embarrassed by the condition. While brain imaging studies are not used to diagnose OCD, when researchers have compared positron emission tomography (PET) scans of people with and without OCD, they found different patterns of brain activity in people with OCD.

[Ryzorian]

I wonder if it isn't due to the large mass of people in a relatively small area? Personally I have allways suspected some of that behavior was due to the highly formalized public life the Japanese have developed as a way to survive the dense population. It's prolly just a backlash, a way for the individual to express at least something.

It's probably why the Japanese are both shocked and bemused by American's, who's overall informal lifestyle must sometimes come across as mild insanity.

[Miyavifan]

Originally Posted by ozkai

That's exactly RY what the problem was at the airport. The paper towels were ending up on the floor.

To be honest, I now aim my hand for the upper most part of doors when exiting

I do that when entering rooms, when possible. or I just push the door open with my elbow. and when leaving I always use a piece of paper towel.