OCD is Serious

I agree with you that OCD is often misrepresented in the media and in day to day life, the amount of people i hear saying "Im so OCD" or "I cant believe you just did that i have OCD" even when i know that they don't.

However i would be careful on urban dictionary because its a mix of good and bad, quickly googlingit this came up: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=OCD

I never thought I was OCD in any way until I started my current job (restaurant/food service) and I've been told numerous times that I must have OCD because of how I work. When one of my friends watched me as I did some cleaning at my house she remarked that I came off as OCD because I was putting way too much into it...I do have PDD and ADD along with depression and anxiety, but I had never considered myself a "perfectionist"...although it does take me a long/longer time to complete tasks as I want them to be done correctly and thoroughly...but sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who cares on that level. It doesn't really feel like an obsession though...but I do tend to put things off because I know how log it'll take me and I get overwhelmed and procrastinate because of it. Could it just be due to my ADD or PDD, or does anyone think that sounds more like a mild form of OCD?

At my new job the girls always say "I have major ocd and need to fix this" but it is always in situations that dont spark ocd. I am actually diagnosed with ocd which makes it frustrating to hear them say that all the time since they don't know the true definition of ocd. People like you that make the disorder seem like its something that it's not.

Hi Lena, what a great thread! I think it's so important to broaden everyone's education of conditions like this - and I will definitely agree that OCD seems to be one of the most misunderstood.

As someone has already said, it gets misused as an 'Oh I'm so OCD' for someone who wants to highlight their quirk or habit. Or it gets glorified on TV with 'Compulsive Cleaners'.

I have never been diagnosed with OCD, nor do I think I suffer with it - but I believe that every disorder has a scale, and we can all be placed on there at some point. I've had an eating disorder, so obsessive behaviours are not new to me!

If more people were willing to share their experiences the condition would be better understood. Well done :)

Pandaxia

I like this thread. People in school bully and make fun of me coz I have OCD. They say why won't I clean the whole school.. and it hurts a lot. They don't know the fears I had in my mind. The "what if's" I had. Its really hard living so paranoid.. I always arranged things by color by height by size and when I can't find anything to arrange there arw times that anxiety kicks in and I will have a panic attack. I need to brush my teeth not less than 10 times and wash my hands 20 times in a day. I dont like anything yellow..So just imagine the struggle I have to go with in school whenever there is something yellow. And I need to lock the door 7 times before living the house or my room or in the school toilet. Its hard having OCD..yet they make fun of me and bully me.

Hey Everyone, I am new here and really struggling in my relationship and dealing with my SO's anxiety, OCD and drinking issues. We have been in the middle of a very long seperation due to issues within our relationship for several years now. About a year ago things started to get really bad and have progressively gotten worse with my so's drinking and finally about 6 months ago he started accusing me of online dating, having affairs with essentially every person we know. Previous to this he had a very long and extensive history of sexting and chatting with other women on CL and other such sites. I feel as if his OCD has somehow switched around and focused on me doing what he had previously done. That is not the case however, he is so hyper focused on searching for imaginary online profiles of mine that simply do not exsist, that it has progressed to full blown paranoia as well as ocd and severe anxiety issues for him. Looking back on his previous online activities I now see that the sheer volume of the chats etc. Most likely was OCD or a sex addiction fueled by too much drinking and our relationship deteriorating. The progression over the last 6 months finally worked up to full on attacks to the point of being extremely scary for me. We have since set some boundaries with regard to sobriety and hostility which seems to have helped a bit but there is a severe lack of trust on my part that he is willing to commit to the therepy that is needed to address this and recover from it. One of my biggest concerns is that I am not handling the situation correctly while we are waiting to get in for counseling. I also find myself now dealing with severe panic attacks and I guess I am really just seeking some advice on the best course of action or ways to ensure that the situation does not escalate into a violent situation. Any advice would be very much appreciated.

How do i know i have OCD???

People athave made up this fake "OCD" thing where if someone always uses a ruler or something like that, they are labeled as "OCD". As someone with legitimate OCD and social anxiety, I always find this extremely frustrating.. any ideas or suggestions as how to deal? (I'm hoping no one replies with "Just ask them to stop).

Hey, sorry it took me so long to respond, life has been crazy!! I'm sorry that you are having to deal with OCD and I completely understand how agrravating when people say things like that.

My First Suggestion: Remember that people are ignorant. They don't know how hard it is to deal with OCD, if they did know, they would never say anything like that. Have pride that you can live your normal life even with your OCD!

My Second Suggestion: I know you said not to but..... If its your friends saying something like that, tell them that it hurts, and remind them that your life gets rough and its not a joke. If it is strangers, say "hey, be careful when you say that! People with OCD live a hard life and may get offended." say it lightheartedly... this way, they are more like to accept what you are saying and actually think about it rather than put up a defensive wall.

I hope i could help. Good luck!! feel free to continue to chat in the forum!

Almost 3 years ago a psychology diagnosed me the OCD. My principal obssesion is the clean but I don't have it very develop because six months after I try to k*** myself so the OCD stopped (the worst thing was that I had a very strong deppression). After I try to suicide, I went to a psychiatric and since this I'm having a pill of 50 mg of Sertralina and sometimes I take a pill of 50 mg of Bromazepan. The Sertralina is an antidepresive and the bromazepan is an ansiolitic. The pill of sertralia I must take every day in the morning but the ansiolitic pill can take when I feel that I need it, it is not necessary take every day