Starting Again

Quirky Behavior

My sister and I were talking one day about all the "quirks" and "bad habits" we have. She chews her nails and I am forever twisting my hair and used to crack my knuckles. I am obsessive about some things being just so. When life wasn't going so great I looked at things like that as things I did out of stress or being depressed. But when we look at the big picture could we consider them as a symptom of something bigger or even different? I have a friend who always jokes and says I'm obsessive compulsive. No way... you see people on talk shows with OCD and there was no way I could fit myself in that group. These people were crazy spending the whole day cleaning then starting over when someone got a spec of dust on something that had already been cleaned or washing their hands 500 times a day or making sure items are perfectly spaced on a counter. These obsessions ruled their every thought. Sure depression runs rampant and I will be the first to admit my family suffers from a higher than average rate of depression, suicide, and suicide attempts. So could it follow that in a rigorous effort to protect your life from the pitfalls of depression you could develop behavior that others might consider obsessive? If it's a choice between wanting to kill myself or checking 50 times that the door is locked when leaving then I'll happily check the door 100 times.