Wow. Aside, obviously, from the details, this was exactly my experience as a kid; the precise set of rituals, the exhausting time taken, and the need for a rest

Wow. Aside, obviously, from the details, this was exactly my experience as a kid; the precise set of rituals, the exhausting time taken, and the need for a restart if there were any interruptions. I was never diagnosed with OCD at the time, and in fact it was only as an adult that I heard of the disorder - something of a damascene moment. Instead I was put through a kind of Freudian analysis to dig out some mystical "underlying problem"; pure quackery that still angers me to this day. I'd like to believe that nowadays the disorder is broadly enough understood that sufferers, especially children, are given the therapy and management techniques that were denied me.