h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi there Adams_Rib. Just to say I read 'Your Space; I found my way there after reading 'The Singing River', which I read out of curiosity to see what it's about.

My daughter who is 26 and an unmarried Mum has OCD.

(She doesn't talk to me about it, but only to Mrs RBA. This is because she likes no one e;lse whatever to know about it).

One manifestation is that she insists on everybody who enters her house take of their shoes, not to soil the carpet.

This is so bad that, when we offered her our Vax machine (which washes and vacuums the carpet) she refused it because we have 3 cats and a dog in our house and if she used the 'Vax' in her house it would contaminate her house.

From time to time she is prescribed medicationfor this condition but, as I say, I am supposed to know northing about it. Mrs RBA tells me about it, but I have toensure that my daughter doesn't find out that I know.

She says that this started during her schooldays when she couldn't sleep at night. She used to empty her bag to ensure that she had all the necessary books/equipment for the following day (Wish some of my own pupils would behave a bit more like this!)

BIGAL

Hello bigal, pleased to meet you.

I sympathize with your daughter. This illness is so insidious. Trying to explain to someone that their fears about ............whatever.....are all in their head just dosen't work. Not saying you do this.

My own particular OCD is not the superclean kind. Mine is in the form of causing harm to someone else. I check and recheck around my car for instance, so I can be sure that there is no child near.

Mine also seems to come in cycles. Sometimes I can go for weeks with no problems then suddenly I will be driving in circles, going over the route I took, to prove to myself that I did not run over someone.

Like I say though,,,,,,humor about this keeps me going. I can usually look back on a situation and have a good laugh about it. Never during, though.

I wish your daughter well and hope the meds work for her.

take care and thanks for reading my entry.