am i suffering from OCD?

i have this constant feeling that my right index finger feels "sticky". i keep washing my hands and wiping clean my mouse buttons constantly (every hour or so). the sticky feeling is only on the left mouse button but i clean them both anyways. this started like half a year back.

has anyone else had similar experiences?

No doubt a lot of people here have a sticky left mouse button as it this the one most used. Perhaps you just sweat a lot?

However, this is not to rule out OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder).

In the United States, 1 in 50 adults currently has OCD, and twice that many have had it at some point in their lives.

Someone has to make up these figures, so why not you? It really depends just how obsessive your hand washing is. Does it cause you distress, interfer with your social life or take up more than an hour a day? If so, the answer may be 'yes'.

One of the most common obsessions is contamination fears, resulting in obsessive washing. The good news is that it can be treated.

The first step in treating OCD is educating the patient and family about OCD and its treatment as a medical illness. During the last 20 years, two effective treatments for OCD have been developed: cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy (CBT) and medication with a serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI)

There's a lot more information about this here. www.ocfoundation.org...

hey thanks for that. am researching it now.

are you washing your finger to the point where the skin is raw? or bleeding?

have you bought a new mouse recently, or because of the sticky feeling?

Does the washing interfere with work or family activities?

Do you wash your finger even when you have not used the computer?

answer those for me, and i'll give my opinion.

Thanks!

Also , if you are washing /cleaning your mouse wiyh a heavy alkali based cleaner , such as bleach , or anything wiyh bleach in it , It will break down the proteins in your skin .

If you rub your fingers together after you clean them or your mouse , and they feel slippery just for a bit , then this is surely the case .

It has been my experience that after this happens my fingers do get sticky after the slippery feeling has subsided , as a result of the dead proteins gumming up and collecting I assume .

Honestly a little soak in some aloe (real uncolored , big jug from wallgreens type) has helped me with this .

I have also found that certain natural cleansers such as Simple Green have some sticky residue unless they are dilluted down to about 20/1 .

Happy mousing !

Originally posted by Bobbo
are you washing your finger to the point where the skin is raw? or bleeding? - No bleeding so far.

have you bought a new mouse recently, or because of the sticky feeling? - No but I have been thinking of getting a new mouse although I just got this one a couple of months back.

Does the washing interfere with work or family activities? - No, I dont think so.

Do you wash your finger even when you have not used the computer? - Yea, I have a habit of rinsing my feet with water too when Im home.

answer those for me, and i'll give my opinion.

Thanks!

Originally posted by oddtodd
Also , if you are washing /cleaning your mouse wiyh a heavy alkali based cleaner , such as bleach , or anything wiyh bleach in it , It will break down the proteins in your skin .

If you rub your fingers together after you clean them or your mouse , and they feel slippery just for a bit , then this is surely the case .

It has been my experience that after this happens my fingers do get sticky after the slippery feeling has subsided , as a result of the dead proteins gumming up and collecting I assume .

Honestly a little soak in some aloe (real uncolored , big jug from wallgreens type) has helped me with this .

I have also found that certain natural cleansers such as Simple Green have some sticky residue unless they are dilluted down to about 20/1 .

Happy mousing !

thanks OT.

you may suffer from mild OCD, but i think you just get overly annoyed by the sticky feeling.

OCD will interfere with everything- the obsession takes over your entire life, and it doesn't seem to have done that with you, yet at least.

Having had a dad who suffered from ocd, I know a bit about the subject (more than I would like really. Most of us have a little quirk or preoccupation...that's not ocd. OCD, as has been pointed out in other posts, is when the fear of germs etc. (or worry over numerous other things) takes over your life and interferes with your work, your family life and your day to day functioning. I would guess you just have one of the little quirks that we all display
joey

REPEAT 1000 TIMES:

"Do you think I have OCD?"

if you are willing to do as instructed, its a good bet you are suffering from OCD.....

ok im convinced. i DO NOT have ocd.