Naming and OCD?

[Phoenix]

Do you think that an interest in names may be linked to OCD? I find for myself, with my naming interests I tend to make a lot of lists and organize the lists in ways that are 'right'. Also the link betweens names and colours. Like certain names are certain colours and I have to group names by similar colours. Anyone else like this?

[KNY]

Melina has that, with the names and the colors! I don't think she describes it as OCD though.

For kicks, what color is my name? :)

[Phoenix]

Kalee, your names is this colour to me - Kalee. A deep, eggplantly purple. The K is purple and the L is black, and they kind of blend together for your name :)

Oh, and I mean more of the compulsive list making as the OCD in the name obsession. I don't know what the names&colours is. It sounds like synesthesia but not so serious.

[Fog-struck]

Do you think that an interest in names may be linked to OCD? I find for myself, with my naming interests I tend to make a lot of lists and organize the lists in ways that are 'right'.
I doubt an interest in names is an indication of OCD, but my OCD expresses itself through my interest in names.

When I was first lurking on BN, I kept a handwritten and alphabetized list of every single combination posted on NNA. I've stopped doing that (it was getting way out of hand, as I'm sure you can imagine), but still keep a long list, a short list, and a list of some of my favorite combinations.


May I ask what Laurel Nimue looks like to you? I don't see colors when I look at letters, but names usually "feel" like very specific shades to me.

[_Roxanna_]

ive deffinately thought about there being a link between my OCD and my love of making name lists (and grids, and games etc.)

[Antje]

I doubt an interest in names is an indication of OCD, but my OCD expresses itself through my interest in names.

Ditto. For me, even tough sometimes I'm bored with a combo, or like another name more, I can't bring myself to change it or even say "I like this name more than this name", which is like every other thing OCD does to me. I've thought about this a lot before, too.

[KNY]

Kalee, your names is this colour to me - Kalee. A deep, eggplantly purple. The K is purple and the L is black, and they kind of blend together for your name :)

Oh, and I mean more of the compulsive list making as the OCD in the name obsession. I don't know what the names&colours is. It sounds like synesthesia but not so serious.



Ooh - that's pretty :)

And yes, synesthesia, that's the term I was thinking of.

[Sobes]

I dunno - I think I'm pretty unOCD but I'm still pretty into names. Then again I'm not that into names and I'm much more interested in hearing new names, learning about name backgrounds, historical trends - the social science of names I guess, than I am in finding perfect combos or sibsets.

[BabyRae]

The short answer: No.

The long answer, coming from someone who is currently being treated with OCD and loves names: I have taken classes, read self-help books on OCD, as well as see a phsycotherapist because of my OCD. Most, if not all, of the books, classes, professionals and others like me will tell you that OCD has 6 main categories (washers and cleaners; checkers; repeaters; orderers; hoarders; and thinking ritualizers, pure obessionals and worriers).

Your COMPULSION (of writing, organizing, charting, making grids) would fall under the category of orderers and/or repeaters, but your OBESSION is naming. Thus meaning you don't have OCD because of names, rather you make naming one of your OCD habbits.

If you (or anyone) have questions about OCD I'd be more than happy to try and answer them. I'm very open and honest about my situation and how I used to act/behave/compulse until I sought out treatment.

[liren]

I don't think one is a result of the other, but more like having OCD (or synesthesia) influences every aspect of your life, including how you react to/work with names.

In my case, I have a mild OCD, and spatial synesthesia [which means names (and words and concepts in general, even navigating this website) are represented in my mind by three-dimensional spaces/figures and actions/sensations.]

[daisyfay311]

I doubt an interest in names is an indication of OCD, but my OCD expresses itself through my interest in names.


Ditto. I have sooooo many lists and games with names, all hand written and all color coded.

[Panya]

I had a colllege psyche prof who was also a practicing therapist say he thought I prob have Asperger's Syndrome, and my obsession is names/words.
This is me exactly. :yes: From a very young age, I was copying down names and words from the dictionary into notebooks. Up until I got a computer, this was how I made my lists -- I have dozens of notebooks half-way filled with verbatim text of some dictionary or name book [even one novel]. Anything that has to do with words/names is utterly fascinating to me -- to the point where, if I get fixated on a particular word/name, it gets stuck in my head -- sometimes for days. I once went three entire days with the name Vincent D'Onofrio playing in the back of my mind -- I couldn't concentrate, I couldn't focus on anything else -- it was just
VincentD'OnofrioVincentD'OnofrioVincentD'OnofrioVi ncentD'OnofrioVincentD'OnofrioVincentD'Onofrio
over and over and over and over. [Usually this happens with music though, a few lines of a song, or a melody, will play over and over in the background of my thoughts.]

So...
I doubt an interest in names is an indication of OCD, but my OCD expresses itself through my interest in names.
Ditto this.

[from out some valley]

Kalee, your names is this colour to me - Kalee. A deep, eggplantly purple. The K is purple and the L is black, and they kind of blend together for your name :)

Oh, and I mean more of the compulsive list making as the OCD in the name obsession. I don't know what the names&colours is. It sounds like synesthesia but not so serious.



I'm not sure what is "serious" about synesthesia. Is it going to kill me? lol, I have synesthesia this exact same way. Personality has a color for me, as well as words, letters, names, and music. I LOVE my synesthesia. At the same time as I want to answer No to this question, I do think that I have a mild form of OCD... maybe expressed through the lists and charts and things that I make about names.

And no, I don't pick names based on their color. It does bother me that some of my names don't match in color but the sound is more important to me. Like Melina, I don't even notice my synesthesia sometimes... especially when I'm driving and there's music playing. My fiance will turn to me in the car and say "What color is the singer's voice?", and sometimes I get frustrated because with all the different meshing sounds and everything, it's hard at times to distinguish one from another. And even harder to do it when I'm trying to block the constant sensory overload so I can focus on not hitting another car. :lol:

[Rusalka]

Hmm all interesting stuff.

I used to be more obessive over list making with combos, doing the meaning and orgin along with each name too.
Do it way less now probably because I don't have the time and it seems more 'real' as I get older, so am more about having a select few I truly love.

:rainbow:
I do the colour thing too, though not really with anything else. Often names with the same first letter have the same colour (e.g. E names are a yellow shade, H are dark green, K are dark blue, C is light slivery-blue, R is red, etc) but not always.
And for a combo they have to match up for me to be entirely happy. With my own name it's Sage Clair [last name] ... so that all works. My brother's does too in a way, Richard Thomas ... hmm christmassy.

Always knew I wasn't the only one because I read a passing reference to it in a book. Can't remember what colours they applied to the names, but I disputed them. ;)
Remind me never to take a job making custom personalised stuff, lol.

[sunkissed86]

I don't have the colors association but I think that makes lots of sense, because I do find myself making zillions of lists and re-categorizing and writing names over and over. I am so glad other people do this because I'm pretty sure my fam and friends irl are planning to take me to the total looney bin. :lol:

[Blackbyrne]

This thread is VERY interesting to me. I'm a thinking ritualizer and names DEFINITELY have colors for me, as do songs, states, etc...

I'm not sure if it's OCD, as I like names that don't necessarily go together, but I've always been obsessive about names and naming.

Oh, and as a Jennifer (red), I see Kaylee as pink as all get out. A soft, girlish pink. :)

[Blackbyrne]

H are dark green, C is light slivery-blue

Yes!

[KNY]

Oh, and as a Jennifer (red), I see Kaylee as pink as all get out. A soft, girlish pink. :)

Jennifer, welcome to Babynames! :)

A small point - my name has no Y in it, Kalee. Does that change the color for you?

(I think the idea of this is so cool - like a 6th sense or dimension that I just can't experience.)

[LaLaLalena]

My OCD manifests in naming as well. I need to know everyones mn and their siblings names, and I too used to keep a list of the combos posted here.

And the colors is called synethsia (sp?), and Kalee is a dark purple/dark red to me.

[KNY]

Lauren, you and Marina agree, then!

[ckevans]

And the colors is called synethsia (sp?), and Kalee is a dark purple/dark red to me.

It's "synesthesia". Here's one of the more interesting sites explaining someone's personal experience with it:

http://www.zacturney.com/whoamifiles/synesthesia.html