My sister

[Fiction]

Well i'm sure i've posted in here before about my sister, but new things have come to light.

My sister has always been very weird with certain things. When she was younger she was incredibly fussy with her shoes. If they don't feel right, she won't wear them. She would sit there for 30 minutes just trying to get her shoes exactly right. If we tried to get her to hurry up she'd shout at us.

She's also had a very strict bedtime routine. Ever since she was a young toddler (she's 11 now) she's had a routine that has to be carried out. My mum has to be there for all of it. She has to sort out her teddies and pillows and get them exactly right, then go to the toilet one last time. Then my mum has to get her water and then they have to say the same thing that they've said for the last 8 years or so. Always the same speech, she knows it off by heart. If my mum does it wrong, they have to start again.

I also latley found out that she lip bites. I suppose this is self harm. I was looking it up and I read this:

http://www.netwellness.org/question.cfm/60586.htm

She does do it sevrely. Until it bleeds everywhere.

My mum has mentioned to me in the past how she thinks my sister might have OCD, and my mum is a doctor. As soon as she says it though she always goes "Oh I shouldn't say that". Almost like she's denying it.

What do you people who actually have OCD think about it? Or anyone else without the disorder?

Thanks for anyone who replies :)

[Syvelocin]

Could be something. The nightly routine is what I'd mainly look at. I do a sort of same thing with certain things. The same with my aunt, she has a sort of "getting ready" routine that has to be followed exactly with every detail before she can leave the house. When something is hindering that routine, we get extremely snappy and stressed. Either it's that something bad will happen if we don't do it exactly like that, or that we're just more at ease when we have things in our control.

The lip-biting could be self-harm, but also could be a nervous habit if she were to have anxiety problems. I do things like that when I get anxious, whether it's fiddling with and mutilating whatever's in my hands (a plastic bottle, my sunglasses, etc.), bouncing/shaking my foot/leg constantly, or picking at my nails. I used to bite my nails, but I got rid of that habit by constantly painting my nails :P Though I don't know why I did any of it. It's just an automatic response to anxiety. I completely destroyed my first pair of sunglasses because I brought them in with me in therapy :P I'm a nervous wreck in therapy just because of the awkward silences and not being comfortable around therapists.

[Fiction]

She did say the lip biting happened when she stopped like.. ripping her nails off with her hands. Like biting her nails but with her fingers. SO sounds like it could be a nervous habit.
Is that associated with OCD?

[Syvelocin]

Nervous habits themselves I don't associate too much with OCD, but compulsive habits definitely. I personally have other anxiety issues other than OCD. Since her lip biting sounds more compulsive, how you said when you asked her she didn't know why she did it, she just did, it could definitely be a part of that.

[Fiction]

Ok, thanks for your replies Rith :)

[Syvelocin]

I discovered this a bit ago. Oddly enough, it's something I'm going to be talking to my therapist about next time I see her.

BFRB (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body-focused_repetitive_behavior) (body-focused repetitive behaviour) is an impulse control disorder that involves anything of the sort, damaging a part of your body caused by depression, stress, or just a compulsion. It can be lip-biting as well as hair-pulling, skin-picking, etc. I think it's something to look into.

[Fiction]

That does seem to fit! Thanks Rith. Let me know if your therapist says anything interesting or relevent about it :)