DEAR ABBY: I am a 52-year-old man ending my third marriage, and I'm beginning to wonder if my three ex-wives could be right -- the consensus is I'm "nuts."
Am I "nuts" for cleaning the house after my wife said she just cleaned it? Am I "nuts" for ironing a shirt she already ironed? After we'd go to bed, I'd get up in the middle of the night to rewash the dinner dishes and sweep the kitchen floor. I could go on and on.
I finally took the advice of wife No. 3 and went to my doctor. He listened for a couple of minutes, prescribed two meds, and sent me away with, "Have a nice day." Then I went to a licensed therapist, and in five minutes was told this could take years of counseling. Well, we all know what that means -- ka-ching, ka-ching! Tell me, Abby, AM I nuts? -- MR. CLEAN IN OHIO
DEAR MR. CLEAN: No, you are not "nuts." (And no one should call you that.) You ARE obsessive-compulsive. It's a condition that can be treated with a combination of medications and counseling. Please avail yourself of both. It will be money well spent. Trust me.