(01-06-2011, 04:47 AM)Sila Wrote: A lot of SPD signs can be mistaken for OCD, but really OCD is composed of obsessive and compulsive behaviors like the name suggests. Being sensitive to light touches doesn't mean you're OCD, it means your nervous system overreacts to light touches. Going out of your way and doing certain "rituals" to AVOID said light touches doesnt necessarily make you OCD either.

I think you should have a good talk with your primary care doctor honestly. You don't want to waste money, or time, on a diagnosis/evaluation that most likely won't help you. Explain to her how SPD can look like OCD, but how you lack certain tell tale signs of ocd- such as obsessive compulsive thoughts, etc.

I can see a lot of signs of OCD looking like SPD. Tactile issues for sure, and then avoidance of things that irritate.

Like, say your hands feel "off". Something lightly brushed against them now you can't make them feel 'right'. You wash your hands, thinking maybe that'll help. But it just makes it feel even more weird, so you continue washing them to try and counter it.

Closing the door lightly makes a soft sound that sends shivers up your spine. To counter it, you could (in theory) open it and re-shut it, this time harder, in hopes of achieving a louder sound that doesn't irritate.

Idk, stuff like that I think makes sense to me.. Idk if I managed to get it across.

I did some calling around today, and found that there aren't any OT's in my area that work with adults, unless SPD is a secondary diagnoses to something more severe like cerebral palsy. I'm going to keep searching, but in the meantime, I do have an appointment to see a psychiatrist since I have to get a referral in order for insurance to cover OT anyway.

I also ordered "Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight" from Amazon and am waiting for that to get here. Hopefully the book will have some ideas that might help me.

I totally agree with you about SPD looking like OCD. For the longest time, I believed that I had OCD but when I looked at the symptoms, only a few things fit. And now that I am learning more and more about SPD, it seems that a lot of the things that I thought were OCD behaviors were really coping mechanisms for sensory issues.

Anyway, that's where I'm at right now.