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687561 tn?1238400426

Is this OCD or Part of Eating Disorder?

There are a lot of things that I do or used to do and I feel like I cannot control them but almost all of them have to do with food and eating so I'm not completely sure if this OCD or just part of an old eating disorder???

Some examples:  cutting food into even numbered pieces and separating into pairs, eating even numbered bites including counting chewing and swallowing, licking both sides of my fork before eating, washing the knife in between cutting different vegetables, smelling my fingers every time I touch food and wiping my fingers on the napkin each time... When I cut up fruit I can't eat it until I count all of the seeds and if there is an odd number I can't eat it.  These things make it very very difficult for me to eat with other people and basically I don't eat with anyone ever. I have been told by that this is just an excuse to not eat or "play with food" but I really don't think so. When I was forced to eat with groups (when I was hospitalized for eating disorder) I had major anxiety attacks and I could never eat with anyone watching me to the point where I even asked to have the nasogastric tube to avoid the group eating... so I think I also have OCD because even now that I eat well and am recovered from anorexia I still have all of these rituals.

I've had this since I was very young...

Does anyone else have similar feelings? This is really not something I discuss in therapy because I really am recovered from the eating disorder part of it... and I want o get over this on my own. Any suggestions? What helps? I am not interested in any drug-therapy.

Thanks!
5 Responses
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345079 tn?1299202476
sadmum I am so sorry that your daughter is having such a rough time. Why will they not admit her unless she collapses? Is she very underweight? There must be some option out there for her. She finds fault with all food? Can you convince her to drink Boost or Ensure plus calories so atleast she is intaking calories. I am very picky with my food as well. I have to prepare it all myself as I feel that no one else can cook it enough or properly. Is she able to prepare things herself and maybe feel more comfortable with that?
As her mom I would exhaust every option you have, demand that the doctors do something for her. It might take alot but be as firm as you can be.
I really hope someone is able to help you both.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Im desparate for help!my 11yr old daughter hasocd and is under cams,its so bad that she refuses to eat for up to 10 days at a time because she cant find food without faults,she scared of meet contamination,she doesnt go school because shes so ill i dont know whot to do,docs wont admit her unless she colapses any advice please?
Helpful - 0
687561 tn?1238400426
Thanks ILADVOCATE... well, I will clarify - I worry a LOT about everything and now that I am focusing so much on myself and my feelings and what causes my apparently "abnormal" behavior I am searching for reasons. Maybe I am self diagnosing myself but everyone else is so focused on my weight and eating that I am worried that they are going to miss the real root of the problem. So I have been researching and reading up on other things such as OCD... I admit that I have really difficult to break behaviors when it comes to eating and it seems similar to OCD so that's why I posted my question here hoping someone would know about it but no one answered my post before I wrote that it's not OCD.....

I got up the courage to ask my doctor about it... and I was told FLAT OUT that it's not OCD. Not that the answer was exactly explained to me... I am not really satisfied with the answer because even now that I am recovered and gaining weight etc. I still have these very difficult feelings about counting and cutting food. People who know me think I am just doing it so that I don't have to eat in public but I honestly have physical symptoms when I know I will be observed cutting my food and counting it etc. while eating...

You asked me about the help that I received. Well, I have been in and out of treatment and help practically since I was born. I was a premature baby (31 weeks gestation) and spent a long time in the hospital. I was a FTT baby (failure to thrive) and was diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux.I obviously developed an aversion to having anyting put in my mouth or throat and even my mom says that I became hysterical if she came near me because I was "afraid of breastfeeding".  I didn't gain weight well so I spent a lot of time being tube-fed with nasogastric and orogastric tubes and when I was older I had a gastrostomy tube put in surgically... so I have a long history. When I was a baby it was called FTT and "feeding problems", feeding aversion, swallowing disorders, aspiration, pneumonia wnd the list goes on and on etc., and when I got older it was called "anorexia" and when eating caused me to vomit I was "bulimic" and so on... so now that I am "recovered"... I need a new diagnosis for what I am because I just have problems with food and I don't enjoy it and everything to do with it causes me pain and suffering and I have "abnormal" eating behavior which to me seems like OCD... so I guess it's understandable why I wrote that original post - I am just confused and I am trying to find a way to get better. Obviously all of these things have really messed me up as a person and I am trying to put my pieces back together and have a normal life.
Helpful - 0
585414 tn?1288941302
That's fine. We would accept it regardless but as I had a relative who had anorexia and recovered from that and was diagnosed with ocd but still has some continuing issues it might help if you could less us know what they did to provide help for you.
Helpful - 0
687561 tn?1238400426
It's not OCD according to my doctor...
Helpful - 0
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