If not OCD, then what?

[dpe65]

I didn't know about OCD until a couple years ago when my older sister told me about it. I thought maybe thats whats been going on with me all these years. I noticed I started doing small things that would annoy me but for some reason I felt like I had to do them. I'm 19 now, soon to be 20 and it started around when I was at least 8 or 9. Is that normal? First I started out counting things, for example I would be sitting in a car I passed a light post I would count it, then there would have to be one on the other side to make it even. That was the big thing with me everything had to be even or else it would just bother me the rest of the day. I was always doing something, even at night as I fell asleep I would click my jaw on each side, if that makes sense. As I got older it got worse, I began touching things. If I touched something with this hand I had to touch something with my other. I grew out of it somewhat but I still find myself doing my "routines" now and again. So anyways I want to know is this normal? Will this ever go away? And what causes this? If not OCD then what?
Thanks for taking the time to read..

[mercedeze]

Defintly sounds like ocd. Its a chemical imbalance and with the right med it cn be controlled. Its nt your fault its more common than you probably think

[LivingwithOCD07]

Yes, it sounds as if you have ocd behavior. ocd is caused by a chemical imbalance in your brain, I don't know too much about the affect in your brain, but I think the main area that is affected is the caudate nucleus. These ocd behaviors can be significantly reduced, if not eliminated through CBT (cognitive behavior therapy) by retraining your brain of its responses to your obsessions. It is estimated about 5 million people in the US, or about 1 out of every 40 people, suffer with ocd of some form, so I guess in a sense it is "normal" to have this disorder, but it isn't normal to NEED symmetry to feel ok throughout the day, the same as for me it isn't normal for me to be afraid of contamination the way that I am. Hope this has helped.