# OCD... while reading?!



## cakesniffer (Nov 11, 2003)

Does anyone's OCD manifest itself in this way? It's been happening for the last six months or so, but I just thought it was a weird quirk that would eventually go away. But it hasn't. I find myself rereading sentences and even whole paragraphs until I feel that I've read it "right." (It happens only when I'm reading books.) When I try to fight the urge to reread, I can't stop thinking about it until I give in and reread. It's rather annoying to say the least.


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## offbyone (May 5, 2010)

Never been diagnosed OCD, just "accused" but I do this too. Generally its from losing focus while reading and having to read again to understand. I'm not sure if that is what you are experiencing.

Are you reading with full comprehension but rereading out of some compulsion?


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## Fiji07 (Oct 24, 2011)

*well*

I don't have OCD but when I find words that are misplaced or misspelled in a book then I want to write the author and point it out big pet peeve I know this is a big problem with some authors so yes I do have a little compulsion with grammar but it is not obsessive yet


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## 0lly (Aug 3, 2011)

Well I've never been diagnosed with OCD either, but yeah I do that. Not just with books though, but also with letters and emails etc. 

I got an Amazon Kindle a couple of months ago, and books on the kindle have famous/important/noteworthy passages and quotes highlighted within the text. That really frustrates me because it's like added pressure to reread the passage over and over again, to try and satisfy myself that I've comprehended the apparently famous quote (even though I most probably comprehended properly the first time anyway.) It means I can get hung up on one page for ages. I feel a nagging sort of compulsion which I can't quite describe.


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## cakesniffer (Nov 11, 2003)

I haven't been diagnosed myself, but I do exhibit some mild symptoms. Mostly organization stuff. This is the most serious one I've ever encountered. It's not a reading comprehension issue. I perfectly understand what I've read, but I'll get this compulsion to reread certain sentences or whole paragraphs. It's this urge to read each and every word perfectly, and if I feel I haven't accomplished that, I go back. Sometimes several times.


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## RawrJessiRawr (Nov 3, 2010)

I do this but I don't think its from OCD, everyone does this if they don't understand what they just read or if they want to make sure they read it right. Teachers tell students to do this all the time so really its not a bad trait at all. Your just freaking yourself. I have OCD tendencies, but in other areas like with dishes... I always rinse out any dish im going to use with water even if its clean then I have to dry it out or then I get a nervous feeling inside, its weird lol but I control it better now.


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## BoilingPoint (Nov 13, 2011)

cakesniffer said:


> Does anyone's OCD manifest itself in this way? It's been happening for the last six months or so, but I just thought it was a weird quirk that would eventually go away. But it hasn't. I find myself rereading sentences and even whole paragraphs until I feel that I've read it "right." (It happens only when I'm reading books.) When I try to fight the urge to reread, I can't stop thinking about it until I give in and reread. It's rather annoying to say the least.


I can relate to this except for me it's not OCD. It's a learning disability on my part. I can read something, turn away from it, and have no memory of it. I wouldn't be able to recite or rephrase what I Just read. I have bad recall and it's very anxiety inducing because in school it's tough for me, did bad on tests and at new jobs (i have one now) there is a lot of information and I feel a compulsion, a pressure, to remember what I've read so well that I can recite it on the sales floor to clients. And when the managers ask us what we learned or gained from the product knowledge material or a meeting, I feel embarrassed because I can't recall much. It makes me extremely self-conscious because otherwise i"m very confident, creative, outgoing, but when it comes to learning and meeting new people and reading material I freeze and put a lot of pressure on myself to read, re-read, exhaustively read some more and hope that something sticks. ugh.


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## Candlelight (Jun 26, 2011)

If I'm reading fiction, I have rules about how I should read it. If it's a first-person narrative, I have to imagine that I'm the narrator as I'm reading it. If it's a fantasy story, I have to read the book out loud as though I was reading it to somebody else. If it's any other fiction book, I have to make myself feel like everything it is a real story that actually happened. I have a lot of other OCD tendencies that don't involve reading as well.


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## ShyGuy86 (Sep 17, 2011)

No official OCD diagnosis for me either, but I do the same thing, among with other borderline OCD things. Sometimes I miss a sentence because I get distracted, or read it with not enough attention. I can go ahead for entire sentences before I suddenly decide that I have to go back a read the sentence I didn't give the proper attention to.
I don't think it really qualifies as OCD, because OCDs are supposed to be entirely irrational, and not reading the sentence properly may just be due to a distraction, and wanting to go back to read the sentence has the rational component that the sentence may contain fundamental information plot-wise.
The only irrational component is the fact that I read many other sentences before I decide to go back, when I could simply re-read the sentence I skipped immediately. But that can be explained rationally too, because the plot may have gotten interesting and my will to read ahead outweighs the importance the content of the sentence I haven't read carefully may have.


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## Chrome (Jun 19, 2008)

Oh god that reminds me when I used to have to turn the page back and forth 10 times just to make sure I didn't skip a page, even though the pages are numbered.


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## andy1980 (Apr 11, 2012)

*OCD with reading/comprehension*



cakesniffer said:


> Does anyone's OCD manifest itself in this way? It's been happening for the last six months or so, but I just thought it was a weird quirk that would eventually go away. But it hasn't. I find myself rereading sentences and even whole paragraphs until I feel that I've read it "right." (It happens only when I'm reading books.) When I try to fight the urge to reread, I can't stop thinking about it until I give in and reread. It's rather annoying to say the least.


I have pretty much the same OCD as you but with my particular OCD I have to constantly read the dictionary and try to remember the meanings of words. Therefore when I read something I'll try to define each word according to what I've learnt in the dictionary, and I'll Check the fone dictionary or a book dictionary whilst I'm watching TV reading or listening to someone speak and I'll also define it in my head. So needless to say it's very frustrating, to keep on defining and checking. I suffered from this illness sporadically for 12 yrs and I hate it when it comes back this severe. I'm on medication. My ex/psychiatrist says I have OCD and my current psychologist says its just GAD, SAD and depression.


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## gazingatthestars (Mar 31, 2012)

yes!! I get that whenever i read a book! its so annoying! I feel like I haven't understood it properly so I have to read it till I 'understand' it!


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## JustThisGuy (Mar 24, 2012)

I'm not sure I have OCD, but yeah, I get what you mean. You read but aren't reading. But then feel you need to read it again, with character or narrative in mind to get it right and take in the story.


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## mooncake (Jan 29, 2008)

Happens to me too, it's incredibly frustrating, particularly as I'm taking a degree in English Lit. so have to read a fair amount of books! I can get 'stuck' reading the same sentences or passages over and over again a ridiculous amount of times, although sometimes I find I'm not so afflicted and can get through a book or chapter fairly quickly - I'm not sure why exactly this happens only sometimes and not all the time, it's most bizarre. 

I find that it can really detract from the overall experience of reading, when it turns it into a frustration rather than an enjoyable hobby. And that annoys me. On a related note, when I'm reading somewhere alone I usually almost whisper the words out loud rather than reading them in my head - like the re-reading of lines and passages, I just feel a compulsion to do it, otherwise I don't feel as if I've properly 'taken in' the words. I try to force myself not to do it sometimes, but I typically end up slipping back into to old habits... and it does get on my nerves.


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## BarryLyndon (Jun 29, 2010)

Sometimes I think it's cause the reading material isn't interesting enough maybe


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## Kuru (Jun 30, 2012)

(I found this while googling OCD + reading. How convenient that it happens to be on a social anxiety forum, that's another rather major issue of mine!)

I have the same issues that have already been discussed. I suppose misery loves company, because it is a relief to know I'm not the only one; or to put a more positive slant on it, knowing I'm not alone may help in confronting the issue.

It is incredibly frustrating. I recently took a little "how fast can you read" online test that's making the rounds, and evidently I read as fast as a third grader. I write fiction a bit rabidly, participate in online communities with others who do the same, and am enamoured of knowledge. All of this makes people assume I'm very well-read, but in reality I'm not because reading causes so much anxiety, tension, and feelings of shame/inadequacy. I have so many books I've begun to read and never finished.


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## Hanalila (Jun 30, 2012)

I do this! Although, it seems to come and go, in phases. Usually it's just sentences, but sometimes paragraphs. It can be reading books but also thing on the net. It really is bothersome. Sometimes, though, I don't have the problem. It's strange how it comes and goes.... and I thought I was the only one who did this! Wow. 

I wonder if it's related to something specific in our lives... or atleast, in my case. Since like I said, sometimes I have this problem and sometimes I don't.


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## AlazarRamir (Jun 26, 2012)

I tend to do this when I am exhausted. I'll practically stare at the sentence as if trying to reconfigure it. Read it a couple of time and repeat the process. Then I give up and stop reading.


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## David10 (Feb 9, 2012)

My OCD would really get to me a few years back. I have gotten better about it, but sometimes I find myself reading each word carefully in my mind until I'm satisfied that it's been read properly. I love books, but it has really deterred me from reading as much as I would like. It seems like I have to read _every_ word and if I skim over something by "accident" I find myself with the compulsion of reading it over again multiple times. But yeah, it's very distracting and takes away from a good read.


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## PeakOfTheMountain (Oct 3, 2010)

i think this is common. i've got this too.


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## Xenos (Jun 24, 2012)

Yeah. I don't have this specific problem, but in my OCD group a couple of other people have described doing this. Reading and re-reading passages again and again for fear they haven't really absorbed it.

Lately when reading I've developed an OCD fear that I'm going to skip a page by accidentally turning two at a time. Whenever I turn the page I have carefully check the page numbers on each page to guard against this. It's really annoying.


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## kilgoretrout (Jul 20, 2011)

I used to do this a lot when I was a kid. I liked reading out loud to myself and whenever I mispronounced a word or read it wrong, I would reread the whole sentence until I got it perfect.


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## certainlynot (Oct 31, 2012)

*OCD + rereading*

I've had identical issues for the past 10 years, unfortunately worse than anyone reports on here. I once spent several hours re-reading the same sentence. Trying to move onto the next sentence in any text I care about reading is like trying to put your fist through a concrete wall. The irony is that I'm a professor, so I have to read fairly constantly. Even more ironically, I study & teach about the psychological processes that underlie reading. I might think it's something like 'intern's disease' but I've had this since I was about 20 (10+ years ago).

It's quite clear that this is OCD, based on various things I've read. It's a shame it's not reported more in books on OCD because it bears all the hallmarks of OCD: it's a complusive feeling that's not enjoyable; the more you re-read, the stronger the compulsion is to re-read again; it abates with distractions. Also, I think it's worth pointing out that people who report this phenomenon are not necessarily bad readers or suffering from dyslexia. I read at a very high level when I'm not concerned about absorbing the content carefully.

Most likely, the process relates to other OCD behaviors like 're-checking', since there's a need to make sure 'you didn't miss anything.' I think that the "way out" can take different forms: I once managed, unbelievably, to avoid reading anything beyond a newspaper for almost a year and thus got out of the bad habits for a while. But this, in general, is a very hard OCD behavior to beat, because while you can will yourself (with a great deal of effort) to not, say, wash your hands if you have a hygiene compulsion, the opportunities to re-read show up after every sentence, and re-reading is a fairly normal process anyway, so it's easy to slip back down the slope. Anyway, if anyone else has strategies or tips for beating the compulsion, please share.


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## IcedOver (Feb 26, 2007)

Yes, I sometimes have this. The first time I recall it happening was back in high school, while reading "A Tale of Two Cities". I found myself having to look at each period, quote mark and comma, so that I could feel I read it, as you say, "right". Nowadays when this happens, it's less about punctuation and more about feeling I've actually read every word thoroughly, so this can cause me to slow down, although I don't really have to go back and re-read sentences again and again. It really only happens if it's a book I was looking forward to and am interested in (especially if it's one I own as opposed to rented from the library). When that's the case, I find I read more slowly because of this problem, although the OCD in this case is not as bad as it used to be. If it's a book I'm just reading for the hell of it, or if it's a newspaper or magazine, I can read it very quickly and have no "OCD nag" during it.


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## Disintegration (Sep 8, 2012)

I do the exact same thing. I used to read every word in my magazines before. Everything. Even the adds and stuff that meant absolutely nothing to me.
I'll make sure I'm not skipping pages and I have to re-read the whole sentence if I make any "mistake". Most of it's just empty reading, where I'll be daydreaming while I'm reading...

It takes me at least twice as long for me to read as the average person, due to my lack of concentration and lack of interest. I used to read alot. Now I never do.


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## probably offline (Oct 8, 2012)

Disintegration said:


> I do the exact same thing. I used to read every word in my magazines before. Everything. Even the adds and stuff that meant absolutely nothing to me.
> I'll make sure I'm not skipping pages and I have to re-read the whole sentence if I make any "mistake". *Most of it's just empty reading, where I'll be daydreaming while I'm reading...*
> 
> It takes me at least twice as long for me to read as the average person, due to my lack of concentration and lack of interest. I used to read alot. Now I never do.


I hate when this happens. A lot of time can pass without me realizing that I've stopped reading.


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## Disintegration (Sep 8, 2012)

I know,right? Sometimes I can read multiple pages before I "snap out of it"... Then I'll have to read it all over again.
It's becoming a problem. I think I might have dyslexia or something...


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## Unkn0wn Pleasures (Nov 24, 2011)

Hmm. I experience something similar. I read fairly slowly and sort of say out the words in my head (if that makes sense). Often my eyes glimpse ahead and I take in a full sentence or so in an instant (I heard somewhere the subconscious mind can read alot faster than the conscious ). Though I _know_ what it says I have to re-read it at normal pace, just incase I missed something. I do the same thing as you with the page numbers. Also if I encounter a particularly long word I count the letters, then keep doing it for all the long words, like comparing them. SO ****ing ANNOYING! I've never been diagnosed with anything, but have been wondering for a while whether I have OCD. It never occured to me that _this_ could be related to it.


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## louiselouisa (Jul 12, 2012)

I can relate!
I reread word by word until I feel I read it perfectly but more often I get frustrated because it feels not perfect yet. then, a pleasure comes from reading the passage perfectly.

it usually happens with boring books/articles, a lack of concentration maybe or I just don't like reading.


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## Ryukil (Jun 2, 2011)

All the time my friend. Really. I can't read anything without my OCD manifesting.


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## MobiusX (Nov 14, 2008)

yeah it always happens to me also, when I was a teenager I am sure I would of been diagnosed with it but not anymore, only lasted a few years though until I forced myself to stop many of those behaviors, I still do just a few things that can be considered OCD, most of them have to do with checking, it's also because I have derealization 24/7 and it's like I am checking to see if what I just saw is what I just saw since everything looks dreamlike to me


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## IcedOver (Feb 26, 2007)

Perhaps reading this thread a few days ago "triggered" my OCD to flare up again or something, because I'm reading the ridiculously overrated book "Cloud Atlas" (hopefully the movie is better) and finding that it's going pretty slowly because I'm making sure I'm reading it "right" and "thoroughly". I had been finding that my reading was pretty fast recently, but I think the combination of thinking of this OCD problem and the fact that I bought the book as opposed to rented it is causing it to recur.


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## Roman56789 (Oct 10, 2012)

Actually, I've never understood a book by reading it once. 

So, I read it atleast 3 times. 1st time, I only absorb 40%, 2nd time 60%, and 3rd time, maybe 80% but never 100%.


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## Ryukil (Jun 2, 2011)

I wanted to resurrect this thread.
Basically I have to read very slowly and make sure everything is pronounced correctly in my head. I lip the things I am reading most of the time (although I think that is a fairly new habit). Basically it's really frustrating and it takes me much longer to read things than everyone else. It doesn't apply to everything I read, just the things I care about. Like homework, or some article on Wikipedia (because I like to learn). I guess the solution is obvious, right? Why do I even bother asking? Just read without going back because of soem "pronunciation error," right? lol


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## Blueshine (Oct 26, 2012)

I don't reread, but sometimes I feel really uncomfortable with the pages. It's hard to describe. It's like a gnawing tickle between my eyes and I have to run my nails along the inside of the book, properly. Even the texture or turning a page can make me feel like I'm going mad and I have to throw away the book for a while. It happens once in a while if I've been reading for too long. As I said, really hard to explain. It feels like a physical problem but it's all in my head. Just like when people with long nails run their fingers along a page to read. Ugh.


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## mesmerize (Oct 19, 2012)

i do that cause i cant focus..... i reread the same **** up to 20 times sometimes..


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## airguitargrrl (Jan 28, 2013)

*I know exactly how you feel*

I have suffered from OCD for years, and have the same symptom you described above. Re-reading is pretty much the last lingering symptom that I could not treat with behavioral therapy. I found meditation really effective for overall OCD symptoms and it does help get the re-reading under control, temporarily. It is frustrating though to buy a new book and then discover you're having a flare-up after chapter one. I've had so many problems with this symptom that for years it was not worth opening a book; I'd simply end up throwing it across the room in frustration. It also affected my school work.

I did a Google search about this symptom a few years ago that yielded nothing. I thought my symptom must be very rare. Today, however, I found heaps of results on the subject, including this thread of course. I would suggest you do a search yourself and you will see that you are definitely not alone in this. My best advice to you is meditation and hypnotherapy, to get the anxiety under control, because that's what's at the root of the problem. I wish I'd followed a psychologist's advice to meditate when I was a teenager, because it could have saved me from years of frustration, or at the very least, mitigated against the problem.

In a sort of post script, and to help in my own understanding, do you have other word-related symptoms? For example, when people speak, do you spell out the words they say in your head? I used to, and I think these symptoms are part of a particular cluster. Just a little theory I have.


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## airguitargrrl (Jan 28, 2013)

*Triggers*



IcedOver said:


> Perhaps reading this thread a few days ago "triggered" my OCD to flare up again or something, because I'm reading the ridiculously overrated book "Cloud Atlas" (hopefully the movie is better) and finding that it's going pretty slowly because I'm making sure I'm reading it "right" and "thoroughly". I had been finding that my reading was pretty fast recently, but I think the combination of thinking of this OCD problem and the fact that I bought the book as opposed to rented it is causing it to recur.


Hi Iced Over, I can very much relate to what you say. I can be on a roll and reading fine, and then I'll think about the OCD, or tell someone about it, or write about it, and what do you know, it returns! And sometimes I think it flares up if I get a lovely new book that I really want to be able to read. It's as if a part of me is trying to punish the rest or something.


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## (onvacation) (Aug 29, 2012)

Exactly, I do the same thing. I hate it. It makes life that much more difficult^. I can't just enjoy the book seamlessly. ^Well, that, but especially all my other OCD symptoms. OCD is killing me slowly.


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## Gloomlight (Jan 19, 2013)

I thought this was normal? Anyway, yeah, I do it too. I lose focus a lot and am worried I missed something so I'll reread until I feel I've absorbed the entire message properly. I used to do it more often and it's obviously worse with certain types of books. I've found that fantasy novels are the most difficult for me. It has to do with all the made up words and environments they use, my brain just takes longer to process some it.


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## AHolivier (Aug 6, 2009)

I used to be focused when I read in my days of public school. Now in my twenties, my mind wanders and I could be on the same page of a book for at least half an hour. 
I seem to put a lot of pressure on myself when I reread sentences and don't comprehend the first time. This little voice in my head yells "You're 25! You're supposed to know the meaning of these words already!" I keep a paper dictionary by my nightstand and my Kindle has a handy dictionary in its program, but the moment I read the definition and return to the text, I forget all about the words. I'm always looking for ways to increase my vocabulary but retaining information has proved to be difficult as the years go by. I get jealous when I'm online and people younger than me are writing 5x better than me.


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## The Sleeping Dragon (Sep 29, 2011)

I don't have this very badly but I do this too. I reread sentences or parapraphs just because I get paranoid that I missed something.


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## Duoit (Apr 15, 2016)

cakesniffer said:


> Does anyone's OCD manifest itself in this way? It's been happening for the last six months or so, but I just thought it was a weird quirk that would eventually go away. But it hasn't. I find myself rereading sentences and even whole paragraphs until I feel that I've read it "right." (It happens only when I'm reading books.) When I try to fight the urge to reread, I can't stop thinking about it until I give in and reread. It's rather annoying to say the least.


Hey, I have the same problem but I have not been diagnosed. I know this is a super late reply as its been years already but I wanted to continue to support others who are going through this. I've had a really bad experience with this. It's from my lack of self confidence and it really scary because it makes it really hard to solve unless you are committed to a whole life style change. I went on for a few years being extremely depressed after I was sexually harassed by my stepfather a while back which made me doubted everything I do and caused a terrible OCD for reading and caused really bad process gap issue. After I got older I met my husband and we continue to fight my depression together but I would anyone going through this to find a positive buddy to remind you that its cool to lose it at times but just remember that it's OK to let it go after it has happened to move forward. May it be reading or anything. I used to spend a decade one rereading everything but when your realized life is more important then being correct you stop doubting yourself. I know it's not easy, like I said a new life style, a new mind set. Be open to suggestions and do your best to improve. Sometimes I still catch myself doing the same things but it's a continue strive for success moto I'm working on  I hope this helps and thank you to everyone for being here and letting me know I'm not alone nor crazy at times! I love you, you awesome being!


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## Theabsolutemadchick (Apr 15, 2016)

Yep! I have such a hard time processing a lot at once. I understand the words and sentence by sentence, but I can't add it altogether and have it make sense without forgetting what I read before when it isn't simplistic. I do this with even some of the thing I write, and when I hear other people talk or when I'm talking myself I'll get lost inbetween what I'm saying and pause and stutter a lot. And get so pissed off when I'm arguing with someone and I make a really good point in my head, but when I say it it doesn't sound like the way I had it. Maybe because I over think it? I never used to be that way. I don't think it has to do with OCD though. Adhd?


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## Duoit (Apr 15, 2016)

Also I forgot to mention, I've been meditating a lot more and I think it really helps to clear my mind because before it was like as I'm reading or writing I'm continuously distracting by my forceful nature to get understand and over think things and your right adhd might fall into the same category with whatever that is going on with us.


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## SwtSurrender (Nov 24, 2014)

Yeah same, but I try to shake it off and then when I read I feel like I missed something, but I really just push myself to keep reading and not start rereading the chapter or previous sentences.


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## Nothing123 (Oct 3, 2014)

I read, and re-read emails and txts! All the time! Very frustrating and time consuming! Never with books or magazines tho... Only communication between me and another person i notice i do it alot. I dno how to stop it, either. I already have so many weird quirks/twitches/conerns... So while its annoying, its not my top priority


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## sajs (Jan 3, 2015)

cakesniffer said:


> Does anyone's OCD manifest itself in this way? It's been happening for the last six months or so, but I just thought it was a weird quirk that would eventually go away. But it hasn't. *I find myself rereading sentences and even whole paragraphs until I feel that I've read it "right."* (It happens only when I'm reading books.) When I try to fight the urge to reread, I can't stop thinking about it until I give in and reread. It's rather annoying to say the least.


Yes, it happens to me. And it is worse when I am reading a book in english (although it happens to me with online articles) because it is not my native language.
Some 5 or more years ago it started with mentally "saying" a random phrase (curiosily enough, the phrase was in english), but that went away, though.


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