any ideas.

a mate of mine, who finds my place as an outlet, has had me a tad worried today. he lives with OCD. he had 5 showers almost in a row. he asked if he could have one, no probs, but then 4 more ensued. i am worried, not for me, but for him, i did not have the chance because another mate visited, this mate was perturbed at this behaviour, subsequently the first mate left. obviously he felt the indifference from my other mate. i said he lives with OCD, not to worry as i will talk with him. i want to still be compassionate, albeit i want to help also, albeit i also need to express that yes i am his mate but also to express my concerns regarding his behaviour and that he sees my home as his safe haven. my issue is that this is my home and i feel that this situation is enabling him if i do not bring up this situation here. any suggestions will be received with much thanks and compassion.

jamie

I think that you are right about talking to him. Is this the first time that he has showed this type of behavior to you? It sounds like once he did get comfortable there that is when he let his guard down and then the jestures happened. I don't understand a lot of it, so I am probably not very good advice. But I think that you are right in confronting him and finding out if he is seeing a doctor and if he was prescribed anything. I am sure that you can do this with the utmost care as not to make him feel uncomfortable with the discussion. I guess straight forward is the answer. I hope that everything works out well.

Hugs, Karen

yes great info, i was thinking along these lines myself. thx all jamie.

Jamiee, My son has OCD. He lives with me. His habits and rituals can be overwhelming. He has a problem with showering too. He can never get clean enough. He has clogged the shower so many times I have had to have the plumber to clear the pipes at least 8 times. I understand the situation. I know you want to be supportive of your friend but this is a disorder that needs professional help.  I know there are meds that work to help with the problem. But I think it is necessary to have the counseling as well as the meds.  My son cannot take the meds as he has epilepsy and they would interfere with his seizure meds. He has been to counseling, and it helped some but the problem is he didn't like the therapist so it didn't help as much. You, as a friend, and me as a mother cannot cure these people of this disorder.  The best suggestion I can give you is for your friend to try to find a counselor who specializes in treating OCD. There are also many books available that explain exactly what OCD is and does offer help.  The problem is that as time goes by the condition can get worse and sometimes takes over one's life performing their rituals. It does build up slowly. I didn't realize my son was OCD but I now can pinpoint it to childhood when he always had to take off his shoes at the door and carry them. Over the years different rituals started occuring.  I think the best thing to try is talking to your friend. He may very well be aware that he has OCD. Then you may be able to suggest books he can read. I don't know what kind of reading materials you have available but maybe there is something in the library. Don't know if you are able to order from Amazon.com but I got several books that were very helpful. Also, you may be able to find a website if you just type in OCD or Obessive Compulsive Disorder. Sorry to be so wordy, I am hoping my experience may give you some guidance. Best of luck to you and your friend.

Hugs,

Aurora