Dorm living with OCD?

<p>I've been diagnosed with moderate OCD and am going to face the challenge of living in a double dorm room with communal bathroom and kitchen facilities. This is going to be pretty rough as my OCD mainly manifests in cleaning things, the cleaning best done thoroughly by me. For some reason I can eat in cafeterias (but have to rinse off trays and utensils and cups first) but I freak out at the prospect of sharing a fridge or worse, toilet, shower, and sink.
Has anyone here dealt with this at college before, or known someone who has?</p>

<p>anybody?</p>

<p>i've been experiencing severe nausea and terror thinking about this lately. the idea of someone moving my stuff, touching my stuff, sitting on my bed; worse, vomiting or copulating on my bed. i'll need to constantly clean hard surfaces with non-chemical all-natural cleaner and i know i'll feel the need to clean them even worse with a roommate around. i think a lot of this would be alleviated by having a single room. i know my college holds back a certain number of single rooms for students with disabilities but i don't know if this would qualify.<br>
i think maybe i should receive some counseling. hopefully a counselor could fill out a recommendation form for a single room as well. i mean, i'm sure i wouldn't be a particularly pleasant roommate to have anyways...</p>

<p>anyone have any experience with this at all? parents? current students/alums? housing coordinators?</p>

<p>are you reciving treatment?
sounds like you would qualify for single.
My d got a single without asking and she has ADD</p>

<p>If you are not in treatment I would recommend finding a therapist now before you go to school. You may be amazed at the progress you could make in a summer in dealing with your OCD and it could make a difference in your quality of life for years to come.
Good luck to you -You are not alone but there is help available to make it an easier transition.</p>

<p>emeraldkity4, did she mention she had ADD in her housing application? i found out i have ADD inattentive type under a year ago and am concerned about how residence will work out - need lots of alone time and have my own idiosynracies for studying etc.</p>

<p>My son mentioned ADD, inattentive type, on his original application, but not specifically on the housing application and he got the single he requested. It never occurred to me that he may have been given preference due to his ADD, but I am quite sure it will be helpful. The OP needs to call the director of housing asap and explain her situation, but I think it was mentioned in another forum that she had not been formally diagnosed (?) or was not receiving treatment currently (?), so that might complicate things. A single might be best if she is already having such a strong reaction to the idea of sharing with other people, although some kids do adjust quite well.</p>

<p>I don't know how your particular school would handle this issue, but many psychiatric conditions are legally defined disabilities (including OCD). The school will be required by law to address your needs. I think the best approach would be to have your treating psychologist or psychiatrist write a letter on your behalf. Sometimes schools will require a diagnostic evaluation report, but I find that to be less common for psychiatric disabilities. </p>

<p>The transition to college can be extremely stressful and often brings out symptoms for students who have psychiatric difficulties. Luckily, great treatments exist for most conditions (including OCD) and I would encourage anyone with these kind of problems to proactively seek treatment.</p>

<p>I have OCD (severe) and know that treatment doesn't always work or help. That being said, if I could go back in time, there are a LOT of things I would do differently in college. </p>

<p>One is that I'd find a good behavioral therapist near school. I was in CBT before college, but sort of stopped because I was away from home and unable to see my regular therapist. </p>

<p>Another is, I'd forget what my parents said about "learning to live with others" and gotten a single room. People with OCD, we need our space, and roommates --especially 18-year-old roommates who may not have even HEARD of OCD--are not necessarily the most understanding people. </p>

<p>Good luck to you.</p>

<p>I second the idea of finding a therapist within a short distance of the school. When my kid needed help, I found a therapist and paid in advance for the weekly sessions so he would feel compelled to go. It turned out to be one of the best things we could have done. I would advise anyone with a disability to look into this if they can afford to do so.</p>

<p>I have moderate to severe OCD, and I have to say - request from the school that you receive a single room and contact student services as well. I made the mistake of thinking that I could function with a roommate, despite being fairly good friends with them my anxiety levels soared and I found that my grades were severely suffering. I'm not a cleaner, but I have certain rituals that I have to do daily (my OCD is strong on the O, weaker on the C)... it's a really, really difficult situation living with another person when you have OCD because first off, many people do not understand what OCD is and they may not think that your compulsions are really as essential as they are... It's very, very difficult living with someone who does not understand your condition - worse yet, you may end up with someone who finds it FUN to mess with you (like my once good friend did)... she always felt like I was "just faking it" and began intentionally undoing things that I needed - like waking up in the middle of the night and unlocking the doors and opening the windows, opening the blinds and the curtains in the middle of the night... It was a really difficult situation which manifested in me having anxiety attacks, crying all of the time and never going to classes until I convinced the school that they were leaving me in a situation that was dangerous given my condition.</p>

<p>You can't "learn to live with others" if the other people don't respect and understand your problem... I hope my story serves as a good example of why it's important for you to contact your school ASAP.</p>

<p>LACtransferhopes,
Any update on how this has gone for you this year? I know a senior who is worried about this for next year?</p>