YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

My depression is starting to ebb a bit. I'm having very positive interactions with my kids and my wife and I'm starting to feel better about myself and my prospects for the future.

But I'm beginning to wonder if I'm developing low level OCD. Or maybe it was there all along and I just didn't notice because of the depression and mania.

My wife was away with friends this weekend and I obsessed all weekend about how the house would look when she got home. I cleaned and re-cleaned dishes, arranging them carefully in the cabinets when they were dry. I bought shelves at Home Depot, cleaned out the garage and put everything that was sitting around in boxes neatly arranged by function on said shelves. I just folded two loads of laundry and it's just past 7 AM.

I dunno. Maybe this is not a bad thing if the house is clean and my wife is happy with the results.

I'm glad to hear you're getting better. Rumination is a normal part of depression, so I think obsessing over something (like a chore) over a short period is pretty within the normal spectrum of life.

Be careful not to get hypochondria though!

Rumination is a good way of putting it. Being obsessed over tasks sure beats the hell out of obsessing over suicide.