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The term OCD is often misused in social media, on Buzzfeed, and in various internet memes and quizzes. This blog attempts to dispel some of the most common myths and misconceptions. 

Pencils aligned, one backwards

1. This or this (or this, or this… and on and on).

2.  A choice.

OCD stands for obsessive compulsive disorder. As our executive director likes to say, emphasis on the capital D for Disorder.  Obsessive and compulsive traits on their own are not a mental illness — we all have things that perhaps we obsess over, (constantly replaying a recent job interview or date in one’s head, examining every last detail for clues to what the person thought, re-writing the same paragraph over and over to make sure the essay or report is JUST right). But for a person with OCD they can’t just “snap out of it.” Research has shown that the brain of a person with OCD actually functions differently in this situation, essentially getting “stuck” on a thought. These thoughts are linked with intense anxiety driving the individual with OCD to engage in compulsive behavior — their only escape.  A person with OCD doesn’t obsessively clean their kitchen just because they like it to be clean. A person with OCD is overwhelmed with anxiety and fear about what will happen if they don’t clean their kitchen properly. Imagine being so consumed about something (such as the previously mentioned job interview, first date, essay, or cleaning the kitchen) that you literally could think of nothing else until you felt sure of the outcome you needed…. so caught up in the thoughts and worries that you could not go to work, or go meet friends, or perhaps even leave the house, because your brain was essentially on overdrive, and completely fixated on that one thing.  I am “obsessive.” However, I recognize this as part of my personality and when things don’t go my way, even if I find it upsetting, I do not feel a crushing, debilitating wave of anxiety as a result.

3.  A quirk.

I had a roommate in college who color-coded all of her textbooks on our bookshelves. Instead of being organized by class or subject or author, they were literally organized by the colors of the rainbow. Perhaps not a practical index system, but it seemed to make her happy.  This is not OCD. It’s funny, quirky, perhaps impractical, but she didn’t organize the books this way because she felt compelled to do so out of a need to alleviate deep-seated anxiety.  She just liked the colors.

Likewise, I have a thing about kitchen sponges.  My house has one sponge for washing dishes, and one sponge for cleaning the counters, and it annoys the hell out of me if people use the wrong sponge for the wrong thing (also, it’s gross). I have a thing about germs, but this is not OCD.  If someone uses the wrong sponge, I throw it away and get a new sponge (and perhaps re-wash the plate that just touched the gross counter sponge) — problem solved. For someone with OCD, there is no obvious “problem solved” moment. Once triggered, their OCD would necessitate doing an elaborate ritual to undo the mistake that was made. These “rituals” aren’t indulgences. A person with OCD doesn’t clean the same corner of the kitchen counter 100 times for fun — they do it because they are terrified about what will happen if they don’t. Perhaps they think they will catch a communicable disease, or worse, give a disease to someone in their family, because they cooked dinner in a kitchen that carried these terrible germs — even when they “know” it isn’t true! OCD isn’t about logic — it’s about anxiety.

Have you ever let your mind wander to the worst possible outcome in a given situation? For example, I’ve been stuck on a bus in traffic and imagined being stuck there forever — playing out Lord of the Flies scenarios in my mind with fellow passengers. This “doomsday” thinking is the bread and butter of someone with OCD. The brain can’t help but go to this deep dark place, no matter the situation. THAT IS NOT QUIRKY. It’s torturous.

4.  A synonym for anal-retentive, neatnik, clean freak, etc., etc.

This is how the term OCD is often misused in pop culture.  It has somehow become a synonym for uptight. OCD is not alone is this — think for a second if you’ve ever described someone as bipolar or schizophrenic when you meant “moody.”  Can you imagine if we started using the term cancer this way? Mental illness can be just as devastating to a person and their family as cancer — it interrupts lives, derails plans, and in extreme cases can lead to a person taking their own life.

5.  A joke.

Despite the severity of OCD and other mental disorders, many people do not get help. Why? Because of stigma. People with OCD and other disorders are often afraid to speak up, afraid to ask for help, and ashamed that they are somehow defective. In fact, some studies have shown that only 1 in 3 individuals with OCD will tell their medical provider about their OCD symptoms. Why is it okay in our society to publicly and proudly fight cancer, but not mental illness? Why is a disease of the brain any less real or important than a disease of the body.

Unfortunately, joking about mental illness is part of the problem. It perpetuates the idea that OCD is something that someone should be able to just “get over” already. It infers that a person who can’t get over it is somehow weak or defective. It makes people hide their illness from friends and family, despite the fact that a strong support network is often the thing that makes treatment work.

Because OCD is treatable. Many people respond well to therapy, some to medication, and some to a mix of both. It is possible to recover from OCD and live a full and productive life.  Sadly, on average it takes people between 14 to 17 years between the onset of symptoms and gaining access to effective treatment. Why are we letting all of those years be wasted?

Until we can stop the cycle of stigma, ignorance, and insensitivity, mental illness will continue to be the cancer that eats away at lives.

204 Comments

  • AMEN!!!! When, oh when, will people understand (or at least try to) that OCD is life altering and absolutely NOT a joke!

    Reply
    • Leo

      I was watching a YouTube video about a computer and the guy in the video said “this might trigger your OCD”; I stopped watching the video after he said that because it annoyed me so much that he would say that. I haven’t been diagnosed with OCD, but I know was it is and so it annoys me that people use it to describe someone that likes things to be perfect and orderly.

      Reply
    • A person

      The “Hollywood” misconception of ocd is what made me suffer with ocd for as long as I can remember (I’m 22)
      Because I figured oh I don’t slam doors all the time so I never once though I could have ocd…..but after reading story’s from other people with ocd it was a huge relief that I was not alone and now I know how to deal with it ….

      Reply
      • Ruth H

        Yes! The way OCD is portrayed is the worst.
        OCD does not mean someone is neat and clean. OCD does not mean that you wash your hands many times a day. It’s frustrating that even when I pick up a book for parents on OCD, it always focuses on hand washing or rechecking door locks. I think those are just easy examples, but it creates a stereotype and hinders others from knowing they have it.

        Reply
        • CT

          I completely get it! I probably have OCD, and I don’t have any handwashing symptoms or anything. I hate cleaning my room.

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          • Jay

            I have OCD too
            And yes I don’t really like cleaning my room
            I only do when there’s this feeling or sth compelling me to do it or I’ll feel disgusted by the sight and I won’t be able to relax until the room is cleaned up
            I guess OCD differs from person to person

          • Sammy

            I think I have OCD over real events. I have recently had a baby and started doubting her name after some comments and then changed it after listening to advice. Now I am OBSESSED with names and have had bad panic attacks about what people think of me and it’s been very bad. I haven’t been able to function and have been feeling suicidal. Now I keep thinking about all of the negative things I have done in my life and I keep remembering all of them and don’t think anyone will let me forget I changed my babies name so I won’t be able to forget it. I am a sociable person but now I feel like a shell of my former self. I don’t know what to do!

          • sbuonopane

            Hi Sammy, thank you for reaching out and please know you are not alone in this! Our Education Community Specialist at info@iocdf.org can connect you to the proper resources and experts who can share insight on the question at hand. We also host regular livestreams with clinicians, experts, and those with lived OCD experience each week on iocdf.org/live– which is a great virtual space to ask panelists live questions and connect with others sharing similar experiences.

          • J

            I agree had ocd as a kid iit went away during 4 years of highschool and a year of college but after college krept back into my life effecting job after job tried to get disability for it got denied probably a blessing in disguise as much as I suffer I am just one of those people who has to work I ocd at work all day ibut it’s the only thing I got sad I know I’m 43 now single lonely because of of ocd it’s tough so please to anyone who suffers stay strong your not alone thanks for letting me share

        • CT

          I know! I think I have OCD, and it’s like a monster towering over my life. I haven’t been diagnosed yet, and no one knows except me and you guys. I don’t wash my hands all the time, and I’m not afraid of germs. I know that some people with OCD have that type of OCD, but I don’t and not everyone with OCD does. There are more types of this disease!
          Thanks for commenting on everything, everybody. It helps some to know there are other people out there.

          Reply
        • Jada

          I’m pretty convinced I have ocd along with other things but my mom won’t believe that I’m struggling even after I told her that I felt insane. She says its normal but it doesn’t feel normal at all. At one point I wanted to commit suicide

          Reply
          • Jessica Price

            Hi Jada, Thank you for sharing your story, and I’m so sorry to hear about your struggles. Please contact us at info@iocdf.org or (617) 973-5801 and our resource specialist will help you find support. If you are in a crisis, or you are ever feeling suicidal or unsafe please go to your local emergency room, call 911 or call the suicide prevention hotline at 800-273-8255.

      • ....

        i just wanna ask. i never take any ocd test but somehow i think i am. aspecially when i keep trying hard like a pushover so no one will gave me cold shoulder and i will keep trying to do something that i even cannot do so i wont be place last on everything. to be precise ofc when i get to be one of the lowest i will strt shivering and think -ve like no one want to be friends with stupid person like u n i’m vary ashame to face my friends because ive already experience it once. so i dont want the same things repeat. so it is sign of ocd?

        Reply
        • Vanessa Marie Clemons

          Umm no. But who knows. No one on here is a doctor that i see. I’d do some research to understand it better oe see a doc.

          Reply
    • Valerie

      OCD is not a joke, I can’t even go to some people houses because of my OCD. The only way I can get though it at times is play tricks with my mind. Most people think it’s just cleaning its lots more than that.

      Reply
      • sandi

        ocd thoughts are the worse my son only had obsessions and now the thoughts and intrusions set in and he is having a rough time. someone who doesn’t know a thing about ocd cant even imagine what one goes through each and everyday my heart goes out to all of you

        Reply
        • JV

          Truly. The first time i mentioned to my boyfriend i might have OCD, he drew a few circles and one square and asked me does this bother you and when I said no, he laughed at me that i don’t have OCD. I read extensively on this subject and after years of controlling and self help, i pushed the OCD to a corner where it’s rarely a nuisance now. It was just mild OCD in my case (if that’s what it was) so that’s good. But there are people who suffer badly because of OCD. And these people really need help and understanding. I wish they get supportive people and not people like my, now, ex boyfriend.

          Reply
      • i AM 66 YEARS OLD AND I DONT EVEN LIKE TO SAY IT OCD, but i have had ocd for almost 55 years, it started when my dad was killed i was 12 years old and i always had to do the rituals or something would happen to my mother, i have children, grandchildren and 1 great grandchild and have always done the rituals in fear of death, its on my mind all the time. It consumes my mind when i go to bed at night and the first thing when i wake up, no matter what time it is, i am on medications and therapy with not much help, its so hard to explain to someone when you tell them your problem and they tell you to just let the bad thoughts go away( not very easy to do) I WISH THAT I WAS THE ONLY PERSON THAT HAD THIS PROBLEM AND NO-ONE ELSE HAD TO SUFFER WITH OCD

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        • Linda LaMarca

          I am 70 and have suffered my entire life, although it waxes and wanes, for the past two years I’m living in constant. Anxiety. I hyperfocus on parts of my body I think may be diseased, lately I stare at my tongue using the flashlight from my phone and a 2ox and i count the direction of my taste buds. I do this over and over till I get it right, and I never get it right. I started Zoloft a week ago and take klonopin so I can sleep. My insurance only allows 15 minutes with a shrink once a month . I just stopped seeing a therapist who wanted to use ETT therapy, an unfounded therapy for OCD. I feel so stuck.

          Reply
          • Jessica Price

            Hi Linda, thank you for sharing your story. I’m so sorry to hear about your struggles. Please contact us at info@iocdf.org so we can connect you with our resource specialist.

        • Cathryn

          the book it didn’t start with you by mark wolynn this book might help

          Reply
      • Tori

        I feel this same way! It is so hard to live a normal even functioning life with OCD. The only way out of it is much deeper then just doing the ritual for me. It is me tricking my brain out of that rule or ritual which I guess is in itself a ritual or compulsion I have developed. My brain basically has to be tricked out of doing a ritual because I can’t ever complete the ritual because it “doesn’t feel right.”

        Reply
    • Ethan

      I think it’s fine if they make fun of it but do it in moderation and don’t attack me or anyone else directly unless you know they don’t mind. Be careful what company you do it in because it could get you in serious trouble.

      Reply
    • Content

      Ok Leo 🙂

      Reply
  • Liz Hood

    I was 8 when all mine started, I also have trichotillomania, & OCD. The hyper focus is so draining, the anxiety through the roof & the deep depression. When I hear someone say “just don’t do it” I could explode. It is my deep dark secret, all of it. It hurts so bad to feel like this, I’m 55 now! 8-55 feeling like this everyday! THIS IS NOT FUNNY! There are days I just do NOT want to be……at all! My faith in GOD is the only reason I am still alive!
    Educate your selves, those who think this is a joke!!!

    Reply
    • wow you are a iperational person. you have inspired me to face my OCD head on and not let it take me away feom enjoying my life you are tru

      Reply
      • Norma Roberts

        Keep going. I’ve had OCD since I was 10/12, I’m 62 now and, for me, it isn’t as bad as it used to be,( I couldn’t finish my A levels due to the obsessive thoughts) I still spend 4 to 5 hours in the bath, and still never feel I’ve done it “right” but, the other stuff, the horrible thoughts/feelings, worrying all the time, have reduced. Good luck!

        Reply
        • My ocd started when I lost my daughter in 2011,she was just 12. It’s taken over my life,my relationship, I carnt work,and with covid no help.

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          • Jessica Price

            Hi Lindsay, Thank you for sharing and I’m so sorry to hear about your struggles. Please contact our resource specialist at info@iocdf.org and she can connect you with some help.

    • Dom

      I feel you all. I don’t personally have OCD but I have a couple different family members who have it. It’s no joke. It’s hard for them to function through life even with medication. I hate it when people clean something up so then they think they have OCD. They don’t even have the anxiety or depression and their not obsessive at all. They do their cleaning quick. People with OCD take a LONG time to meet their certain obsession.

      Reply
      • omggg thank you for saying this!! i have depression and it bothers the bejesus out of me when someone says they might have depression when they feel sad for 0.0000000012 nanoseconds!! it also bothers me when people act like there is an age limit for mental illness (i’m ten years old) or when my family JOKE about me having bipolar disorder when its just me having the “big sad” thoughts again. its not funny if i’m not laughing. mental illness does not have an age limit. people should not assume something about someone if they do not know enough about their backstory, and they should make sure if the person is OK with joking around about mental illness before they say something.

        Reply
        • Unknown :)

          I am 14 years old and I have OCD, and I completely agree.

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          • sbuonopane

            Thank you for sharing

    • Diane T.

      I know exactly what you’re talking about! Supposively smart people look at you so puzzeled like they’ve never heard of it! My own mother who probably has it herself asks me all the time. “Why do you do that?” I always say, “II don’t take these pills for nothing!”

      Reply
      • Matt Holm

        I have it myself and am always laughed ant when I say about it. also, people almost always call me a liar because i have a fine motor disability so i get ink on my hands a lot and don’t bother to wash it off

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        • Candace

          Wow. I have dealt with this for 29 Years. Mine also started when I was eight. It is my Dark Secret and everyday I Pray and wish it would Disappear and Life is so hard. Nobody could really understand. I have cried many days wishing I had a normal mind.

          Reply
    • Missy Dutson

      I have trichotillomania too, and even tho I’m only 18, it has made my life hard, and the anxiety and depression sure doesn’t help. I wish there was a way to make people understand better about how mental illnesses can really affect your life, sometimes to the point where it’s hard to even function. And all they say is ‘suck it up, you’re an adult’ it’s not that easy. I might have the onset of OCD but I’m really not sure. I was in our kitchen walking in circles for 30 minutes and I felt that if I stopped I would be beaten or something like that. But I’m not sure. So I hope you are doing ok, and that somehow and someday people will understand better that’s it isn’t something simple. It’s more complex and deep inside us than they realize.

      Reply
  • Bridget Kostello

    I liked an Aussie humor page on Facebook. In the last two weeks, I have seen “humorous” ecards from this site posted saying, “If you’re OCD and you know it wash your hands” and “I’m starting group meetings at my house for people with OCD. Not because I have it, but surely one of them will be bothered enough to clean it.” I have posted both times that these comments aren’t funny, but hurtful to those of us who have a real, debilitating illness. After all, you wouldn’t post “If you’re going through chemo, just throw up.” So why post something like that about a mental illness that is a burden, not a choice?

    A fellow OCD sufferer responded that she thought a sense of humor was a good thing. I agreed. but too many misconceptions abound about OCD to think that either of these comments were actually funny. She said her OCD was under control, but for those whose symptoms are still difficult to manage daily, these kinds of postings both are painful and perpetuate the myths that in turn must be corrected by postings like yours here.

    Thank you for such a concise and accurate blog post about something that has robbed too much from too many of us. Hopefully someday we will be seen as those who suffer from a legitimate illness and not just a “quirky” personality.

    Reply
    • Giana Brooke

      I was recently writing a story about a boy with OCD, but after reading this, I’m definitely changing it. I was beginning to portray him as a neat freak and silly but I realize now that OCD isn’t any of those things

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      • Nichole

        Hi Mikey! I just wanted to let you know not to be ashamed or scared to talk to a dr or family about this. I wish when I was your age what this was. It would have saved me a lot of heartache and pain. once you start getting hel, it my take time, but it gets sooooo much better. And when youre in your twenties like me, you will be so glad that you went and got help. It will be good to get help the sooner the better. and millions of people have wha we have, but are too scared to get the help. Dont feel aloe bc you arent and it totally gets better

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      • Norma Gray

        I’m glad you didn’t do that for real! I’m sick of my OCD but can’t get anyone to realize how bad it is much less help me deal with it…

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      • Megan

        Hi Gianna! They manifest very different from what I’ve learned, I didn’t even know I had ocd until 32! I seem to fall into a few subtypes so I’m not confident it’s fair to lump anyone into them at all. I have suffered since I was around 8 from what I could remember, and I began spelling everything in my head,tapping my fingers along. Around 5th grade, it became a keyboard, orchestrated which fingers would punch each key on each side. At 9, grade 3, I also mentally concluded that “m”‘s are feminine and “h”‘s are masculine letters and there should be no two m’s next to one another without an h breaking it up. In the case of a word with two h’s or m’s, I would need to put one or the other of the letters before or after to balance the sentence out. When I got to high school, it went from keyboard to my tracfone text typing for my fingers. Then as smartphones became common, typing back on a keyboard but smaller. I’ve settled on visually spelling, as it’s not just random sentences but all words spelled…constantly..I’m fast. Its much less distracting now as an adult than when I was a child, as I wasn’t retaining info,only spelling certain words and sentences and looked like a deer in headlights 24/7 when called upon. Needless to say,I’m a great speller now. I can manage a bit better. My 20’s were a bit rough. I once got stuck on my couch for 4 1/2 hours staring at the wall, spelling a 7 word sentence over and over,powerless to move an inch. This always involved picking at my skin, horribly. It was the worst when my stress was the highest. Those were the days when I also began constantly checking under my coffee table and other hidden surfaces for microphone devices or cameras. Insomnia comes with the territory of checking locks, closing blinds and staring at the ceiling seeing random images of my cat getting hit by a car or other terrible things. Thats when I slowly began talking about my “tics” to friends. It kinda helped. I finally asked for serious help after having my second child at 30, when I realized my behavior was not quite normal, erratic and unhealthy for my kids…as my 3 year old son put it at the time… MOM, STOP TALKING TO YOURSELF ALL THE TIME! As if I constantly had someone else there, knowing there wasn’t! I have been diagnosed with untreated adult adhd,and they believe I developed OCD to handle that. I’m also learning the unwanted thoughts are part of that too. Like, watching an old vhs being rewound over and over with my worst nightmare. After having kids, it went from cat to kids, SO MUCH WORSE. It’s difficult letting my kids do activities, as I repeatedly visualize the worst possible scenario over and over. I’ve gotten better though. Sometimes they pop in so quickly it jolts my whole body. I always thought I was just overly paranoid. Helpful to find its linked to the disorder I have already been diagnosed with. It took me almost 20 yrs to tell the first person about my spelling tics and until I was almost 30 to seek some guidance bc my rituals were so deeply hidden, I honestly could of hid them forever and no one would of known. It sucks hearing people say they’re so ocd when cleaning, the same way I get annoyed when a person with a normal headache says it’s a migraine… eye roll from the person with deeply hidden ocd and chronic aura migraines lol

        Reply
  • Jeanette Murray-Hall, MS, NCC, LPC

    OCD International is such a great resource. I’m an outpatient therapist, and I utilize the resources all the time to give credible information, linkage, and hope to families that I serve. I’ll be printing up this post to give to some of my current clients.

    Reply
    • Leesa Adamson

      How can a person get started on getting help.? My son lives at home, he is 28 and basically has never had any sort of life.we live in the middle of nowhere and the only help is throw them in rehab and take everything away etc…. there has got to be something that can help him have a life. Any information or suggestions would be appreciated. Even appointments over Skype or something that can be done here at home.

      Reply
      • Jessica Price

        Hi Leesa! I’m so sorry to hear that. Give us a call at 617 973 5801 and we can walk you through getting help, and/or check out the rest of our website–click on Find Help at the top right and type in your zip code, and expand the radius to up to 200 miles. If you still don’t see any providers give us a call so we can walk you through your options. In the meantime, Health Unlocked is a great resource for peer-to-peer support. Go to healthunlocked.com/my-ocd to create a free, anonymous account and talk to over 1,000 users affected by OCD.

        Reply
  • Holly B

    My 12 year old was diagnosed with ocd about a year ago. It is NOT a compulsive cleaning disorder. In fact, her ocd I think if as being more chaotic. The couches must be a set distance from the wall, and vacuuming cannot leave lines in the carpet. I never suspected ocd, but the more I learn about it, the more it makes sense when I look at the fail picture

    Reply
    • Norma Roberts

      You are correct OCD isn’t JUST about contamination, it can take many forms. Switching lights on and off , going through doorways hundreds of times until you feel it is “right”, not stepping on cracks in the pavement, counting, getting out of bed many many times until it is “right”, walking around the edges of a room instead of across it, opening and shutting things – the list is as vast as the ocd person’s imagination! It can also change, as life factors can have an influence. I suffer from contamination OCD mainly with personal hygiene, 5 hour stressful, unenjoyable, baths were my daily ritual for 40 years. Now I am 60, I have arthritis, and chronic stomach problems, bathing is very painful, no way can I be in the bath for so long everyday. So, because I know I can’t be long enough to do it “right”, now I don’t do it, I have become a grubby person, who only bathes about once a week (or less!) If I was “normal”, and could feel clean with a 30 min bath, I would be bathing every day, but I cannot do that, so the easiest, least stressful, way for me now is to not bathe… I HATE it! When I do get in the bath I want to stop when the arthritis pain hits, but I can’t, I usually end up sobbing and banging my head on the tiles in frustration. OCD is horrible, I hope you are able to get some help for your son, hopefully things have changed a lot from the 1960’s, all you got then were weird looks, and told to “just stop doing it”

      Reply
      • Rhonda Sapp

        My ocd is centered around whether I believe in God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit or the ressurection. I believed in the past ( at least I think I did). This has me in constant fear. I pray and ask God to help me believe, but it is a vicious cycle. Any replies, prayers or help would be appreciated. God bless you all.

        Reply
        • Nancy

          Rhonda, I will pray for you. I am 66. I have had ocd since my early teens. I am a Christian. God knows all about us. I don’t understand our suffering except that it makes us more empathetic to the mentally ill. And that is a good thing. God lives you and understands we are victims of the fall of man. Try to love yourself in the manner that Jesus loves. May the peace and wisdom from the Heavenly Father be with you.

          Reply
    • Chelsie J.

      HOlly– I have a 9 year old diagnosed a year ago… And same thing, her OCD is chaotic too– she actually has rituals to “undo” everything… Like take pillows off sofa, take coats out of
      Closets, move throw blankets off sofas to floor, take shoes out of shoe racks, etc …. What have you done for therapy and has anything helped?
      Desperate here in Ohio… My daughter takes an anti anxiety drug – but seems to not help at all.

      Reply
      • Sophie

        Only taking drugs does not help in OCD treatment. It is a combination of some. Some people find relief by drugs alone but many don’t. Cognitive/ Behavioral Therapy(CBT) is found to be the best form of treatment for OCD. Talk therapy alone has never been found to show much results. The best behavioral therapy is Exposure and Response Prevention.
        (Source- https://beyondocd.org/expert-perspectives/articles/ten-things-you-need-to-know-to-overcome-ocd) You can check out the link that I sent too and find out more about the types of treatments. Find out the one that suits your daughter and will help her.
        Hope this helps and she gets well!

        Reply
      • JannaG

        I can relate to fears about believing right or believing enough. A lot of the issue behind this was contradictory statements made by clergy. Many, many believers worry about this because they see the contradictory statements and are confused. Watching videos by Pastor Tom Cucuzza and reading material by Charles Bing at Grace Life helped me after 20-25 years of struggling. Don’t lose hope. Jesus went through a lot to save you. He cares about you and empathizes with this struggle.

        Reply
  • OCD is not a joke. It creates tremendous suffering and profoundly affects people’s lives. There is effective treatment, ADAA and IOCDF are also great resources for education and treatment and provide a source of hope. Anxiety is treatable-don’t give up!

    Reply
  • Emilie

    This perfectly written…Thank you!

    Reply
  • Liz Hood

    For me, I also count in my head, it could be tiles, anything, everything. I don’t have the cleaning tic..I wish! I have regiments, which have an order (sensible or not), I an order that I have to do certain things. If it is deviated in any manner, It freaks me out, I have to start all over, or something horrible will happen. My heart beats faster, I become agitated quick. I have been to Therapists, Psyc’s, Behavior training, every pill made for my symptoms. Nothing works, I get my peace in prayer. I am so happy that in the last 10 years, I have found out I AM NOT ALONE, & THERE IS A NAME FOR IT! I have lived 45 years in the dark alone. The medical community had no name for this disease, back then…early 60’s. I am totally greatfull for Blog’s like this, & all the websites. Thank You All Liz Hood

    Reply
  • Justine

    There is a seriously long way to go for people to even begin to fully understand OCD and mental illness. Employers need serious educating from my experience.

    Reply
  • Anna

    Thank you for this easy-to-understand article. I now understand OCD and can apply this!

    Reply
  • Ram

    Out of curiosity, what kind of treatments are prescribed for OCD? Is is more of a mental issue?

    Ram
    Social Security Disability Help

    Reply
      • Jan

        I am tring to find someone who knows about any adverse affects of being on OCD meds for 20 years. My son has been on Luvox for 20 years. No one ever mentioned to us about going off them to see if rituals would still be there. I am concerned that he is not thinking ‘normal’. He does not seem to get life. Can’t get a real job because nothing seems to make him happy. He has a bachelors degree but just can’t seem to move forward. He seems like he is about 10 years behind his friends. Anyone know of anyone who has been on meds for this long and any adverse side affects? Does it change your personality? My son’s seems to have changed over the last 10 years. Any help with this is greatly appreciated.

        Reply
        • Norma Roberts

          Hi Jan, I am not medically trained in anyway, so this is just an opinion. I think you should ask the doctor who is treating your son. My mum was on sedatives for years, and she became quite depressed, it might not have had anything to do with the medication of course, but my dad and I always thought it did. I was on Mirtazapine for about 10 years, it did help with the OCD a bit, but I always felt very tired, and sluggish on it, both physically and mentally. Sorry I can’t be of any help. I hope you can get some answers soon.

          Reply
        • Diane T.

          I have been on a low dose of fluvoxamine for 13 years and I don’t seem to have any personality changes. I am definitely much better on the medicine than off of it.

          Reply
        • stan flores

          I know this is much later than the original post, but I’m reading this now, so I suspect others will, too. It certainly hasn’t lost its relevancy!

          I took Luvox for about 10 years. It was a godsend. It essentially cured me of my OCD. BUT, it did come with a price. First, it seemed to make me more aggressive. Maybe it was my newfound confidence (OCD is the “doubting disease” and to be relieved of this made me feel like the most confident person in the world). But, I was the most functional I’ve been in my life and career. However, in time, my body began to react very adversely to it, and this took some sleuthing to figure out. I began to have narcoleptic patterns of sleep, as defined by a sleep study, but they were inconclusive for straight-up narcolepsy. I was falling asleep everywhere–on the road, dentist chair, you name it. I was sleeping 18 hours a day, but still falling asleep everywhere. My sleep doc suggested that it could be the Luvox interfering with my deepest stages of sleep leaving me chronically tired. I also put on weight during this time, which I’d never had an issue with. I went off Luvox. The problems resolved. I went back on it JUST to see (and to make this experiment more scientific), and sure enough, the problems returned. Now I’m back to my baseline OCD and it’s heartbreaking. I tried a few other SSRIs since, but they left me feeling unmotivated, emotionless. This could be the problem your son is having and it is not an uncommon side effect with SSRIs unfortunately. And another note: when I tried the other SSRIs, they didn’t give me the same level of relief that Luvox initially gave. Additionally, I might throw out there that I also suffer ADD and was on dextroamphetamine for many years I was not on an SSRI, and this helped with my functionality to a great degree. I find my OCD makes me absolutely stuck to even get the day started. Dex and even something like selegeline (MAOI) can help with this. It doesn’t solve the underlying OCD, but it helps give you that push over the stickiness sometimes. Some might say they can make anxiety worse, but maybe not if ADD is really a component of the overall picture. However, I developed problems with Dex after many years on only 30mg/day and had to quit taking it, too (severe Raynauds, facial flushing–both went away after quitting and I did the same experiment I did with Luvox, that is, started it up again, and boom, same things happened). These are, mind you, very rare side effects, so Dex might be worth a try for many.

          Reply
        • Erick

          Hi Jan, i have a OCD and if your son is anything like me the way he is acting might not be at all related to the medication, I am 30 years old and I can’t get on with my life, I want to get a job, to go outside and meet a girl, make new friends even spend Christmas with my relatives other than my parents, but I can’t all because a thing happened to me that makes me not been able to touch anything in my bedroom apart from my bed, and it breaks my heart to think that if I touch something I’ll end up spreading the “impurity” to others, so I rather to root myself in the agony of not been able to live my life before affecting others, so I stay in my house, guarding my room so no one ever can get this impurity by going inside it, so maybe your son is in secret in his mind trying to protect someone from who knows what , but believe me most likely he is not trowing his life away willingly, I hope he also is as badass as me inside, because I have not intention to lose to this thing and I spend every moment fighting back and trying to come up with a way to finally defeat it, but also I can be a bit of a slob, not all my mistakes can be blame on OCD haha! at the end we are normal people just handling a constant torture on our minds, talk to him without getting angry about his goals and reasons to not keeping a job, we have OCD but that doesn’t gives us the right to be a bunch of jerks, but comprehension from our close ones helps a lot to give us the time and calm to think of a solution to our problem/condition

          Reply
  • Tyler

    If you were reading this because you think you have OCD then in my opinion you are probably right. Talk to someone about it now without shame . You are allowed to be you! I am a teacher and I want you to know that you can get help to overcome this. Take care of yourself! Talk to someone! You’re not alone.

    Reply
    • holly

      needed this so much, thank you.

      Reply
    • Carol Peters

      Is it possible for a 3 year old to have OCD ? I’m worried about my granddaughter. She has a compulsion to collect . It started with leaves and twigs. But now if she sees something lying on the floor she has to pick it up. She cries and gets worried when she’s out because she says a voice is telling her to collect things. She’s started saying she doesn’t want to go out because she’ll start collecting. The other day she saw some leaves on the floor and starated crying because she had to collect them. We let her do it but we can’t stop her once she starts.

      Reply
      • CT

        Hi Carol. I think it’s possible. In rare cases.

        Reply
    • CT

      Thank you, Tyler.

      Reply
  • Kai

    My OCD was at it’s worst around 20 years ago when I was completly homebound. However,
    I was fortunate – my family got me into outpatient treatment with a very knowledgable ocd specialist.
    I was able to `break out’ of the worst of the ocd within a year or two with a combination of
    behavioral treatment and medication. My case of ocd has been relatively calm since 1994,
    and I have been able to live my dream of building a small house from scratch since then – I’m
    not kidding.
    So based on my personal experience, it IS possible to live a relatively normal life with ocd
    after medication and treatment. Just so you know, behavioral treatment does NOT have to
    be a painful process. My ocd specialist used a tactic of behavioral therapy called `baby steps’,
    meaning gradually eliminating fears over a period of time – just like how ocd gradually
    progresses over time. However, it was a lot easier to accomplish this with medication.

    Point being – don’t be afraid to seek help because of the stigma and shame, because those things
    just arn’t worth a person’s life being destroyed by this dibilitating condition. Good luck to you.

    Reply
    • Mandy

      i’m having troubles leaving the house! i’m afraid it’s going to get to the place that i will never leave what did you do to over come this?

      Reply
      • Kai

        Hi Mandy

        I was only able to exit my house once a month to go out on
        errands and stock up on groceries – I used one of those times on
        one particular month to do all of those things along with making
        the first appointment with the ocd specialist, and that was the
        turning point for me.
        He prescribed medication on the first visit, and he scheduled me
        to see him once every two weeks. Things gradually progressed
        from there. It improved from once every two weeks to once every
        two days after a few months.
        It’s important to note that I had a few relatives go along with me
        during the first appointment – so any kind of positive support,
        whether it’s from family, friends, or other people with ocd, played
        an important role with overcoming my case of ocd along with the
        meds and tharapy.

        Good luck with your case.

        Kai

        Reply
      • Hi Mandy-

        We have a few resources that may be of help. Some therapists will actually visit your home to provide treatment. You can search our treatment provider database to see if there is someone near you who conducts home visits: http://ocfoundation.org/treatment_providers.aspx (select “Home Visits” from the drop-down menu under Treatment Strategies). There are also online and phone-based support groups that may be of help: http://ocfoundation.org/yahoo.aspx. Some therapists even conduct sessions via Skype nowadays, so that is something else you can ask about. If you have more questions, feel free to email us at info@ocfoundation.org

        Reply
        • Nichole

          Hi Joel! I really am praying for you that your symptoms have let up a little bit. If not be patient. I have the exact same thing going on with my ocd. I just recently got diagnosed a few wees ago, but have been struggling with ocd since I was a kid. I just never knew what it was. I’ve been with my boyfriend for two and a half years now and have noticed that my disorder started attacking my relationship a few months ago. It never used to be that, it was normally stupid stuff like focusing on hurting people, the end of the world, etc. But once I started therapy I figured out that once I would get over one thing, my ocd would find something else to obsess over or try to ruin. I guess I’m just writing you to let you know you arent alone. There will be days you feel like you don’t have attraction, dont want to be with her, etc. And each time it may feel new or not like any other time. But keep in mind those are not you feeling that. It is the chemicals in your body and your disorder. I know how real they feel, trust me. but please remember it is ok. You are not alone and it will go away with time. And maybe even talk to your girlfriend about it. I did. My boyfriend had a hard time understanding at first, but he eventually understood that those thoughts and feelings I have arent me. He actually reassures me all of the time that he knows I love and adore him. AND HE IS RIGHT! If she is the one for you, she will learn to be patient and accepting and learn to understand. YOU arent alone.

          Reply
          • Geoege

            Hey guys
            Really struggling lately tbh.
            Few people that were rough looking made me feel dirty/contaminated so my clean zone is my house and my family or girlfriend xant go places I’ve been because I’ve made it dirty or contaminated from seeing the people who have made me feel like everything is dirty.

            Lost and confused with what to do

          • Jessica Price

            Hi Geoege, Thank you for sharing, and I’m sorry to hear about your struggles. Please contact our resource specialist at info@iocdf.org so she can connect you with support.

    • CT

      Thanks, Tyler. You’re right, I probably should. I’m just afraid that…I don’t even know anymore!

      Reply
  • Kat

    So I have OCD, I told my friend, she said she has minor OCD, for example she said if she finished writing something at the end of the paper but it’s not on the line it will bug her, well that’s not OCD no its not that’s just something that bugs you. I have OCD and I can tell you I hate it, I have to clean places in my kitchen so many times or else I worry that bugs will come to that corner and go in my food and I won’t know and I eat some and then I eat the bug and it will be crawling in my mouth and I bite it and its organs and stuff squirt in my mouth and it will be germy and I get sick and I have a terrible fear of bugs and I will be so TERRIFFIED. Also OCD, I always have thoughts about worst case scenarios, and what would happen if my family died, I think about this almost all day at school, I zone out and my teacher calls me to answer a question an it’s really hard to deal with. I have anxiety OCD is a kind of type of anxiety. I can just tell you it sucks. There is so much more to OCD.

    Reply
    • Kat

      I somewhat understand, I have OCD and my friend I Skype with and play Minecraft with keels saying he has ‘Minecraft OCD’ because he has to have stuff straight and even and stuff. It bothers me but I haven’t yet corrected him… But I will next time he says it. I also recently came across a post on Pinterest that said things people with ocd would really hate’ or something like that. And in the comments 2 people in a row said “im so ocd about this stuff” and it bothered me so much.

      Reply
      • Eloise

        I don’t know if this is a type of OCD or not but here goes… for me everything needs to be in its place all the time, it’s things that range from just tidying my room to spending like 10 minutes making sure my mirror is at the right angle. I also get stressed and can’t deal with it when things go wrong or not how they were supposed to go/not how it was planned in my head. It’s not anything to do with good grades or being naughty it’s more like little things. For example once i was putting on fake nails and I was getting the glue stuck to my fingers and the nails and I actually needed to tell myself to ‘just calm down, you’re fine just relax’ and I started crying and had a mental breakdown and like a panic attack about it. It’s not all the time so I don’t know if I have actually got OCD or not so can you please help me?

        Reply
  • IambiggerthanOCD

    Thank you.

    Reply
  • Joel

    I have relationship OCD. Ive been with my girlfriend for four months now (we’ve known each other five). I am in Australia and she is in China. We literally speak every single day. Many days we will chat from morning until bedtime. We will also spend many days video chatting for hours and every single month I will call her at least once on my phone. Despite this, my ocd constantly changes my feelings and emotions. It also makes me think ridiculous things such as she is a stranger or she is an irrelevant part of my life. Sometimes it will go so far as to put thoughts of other girls in my head (which I try my best to reject). This is torture for me and I have spent so many days crying because of it. I know deep down that I love my girlfriend to death and Im completely lost without her. My ocd attacks the feeling I have for her because she means more to me than anything else ever could. I really cant bear it anymore.

    Reply
  • Mike

    I’m 18 and have ocd. It seems to be really bad when I have exams coming up because the anxiety just builds up. If I don’t do something then I will fail. My parents just say stop it and just say weirdo, but it really isn’t something that they can understand. When I was younger I used to check that the back door was locked about 10 times every night and would sometimes be there for 10 minutes just checking it. I really hate it when people say that they have an OCD when they like things to be perfectly straight or are clean freaks. By my account that is not at all OCD as you mentioned in this article. The phrase is so overused, but few actually know what it means.

    Reply
  • Mikey

    I’m 14 and have it, however I feel ashamed to say it to relatives, though. It started when I was about 10 and has literally be torturing me ever since, do you guys see any way of overcoming it without medication and such?

    Reply
    • Mikey,
      The best treatment for OCD is a combination of CBT and meds. The meds help initially with symptom control while you work on the CBT. For some people (I have been one), meds have been the answer–for others, merely a stepping stone they are able to then leave behind. Please do not shut yourself off to any treatment avenue so early. Trust one who knows–the longer you let it go, the worse it gets, and, just when you think you have conquered it, it will eat you alive. It is a monster as you know–feel free to call in any troops you need to defeat it.

      Please seek treatment and be open to options. There’s a lot of false and scary information out there that a psychologist and psychiatrist will help you sort out. The earlier you get on this, the better.

      You did nothing wrong. You are a sufferer of an illness, just as someone with diabetes, epilepsy or cancer is. They would go to a doctor in a minute and you need to as well. This is not about anything you did–please make sure that, if you are suffering guilt over not being “strong enough” to manage this, that you let that go. You are a strong person just living with it and wanting to go on. You have all of our support in the OCD community and we will cheer you on from the sidelines–my prayer is that you have those in your life that will help you as well.

      Best to you!

      Reply
      • Mikey

        Thanks a lot for this! It really helps to know someone cares, this has changed my views a lot since I have never really spoke to anybody about it

        Thanks again!

        Reply
    • Mikey-
      As Bridget explained, OCD is typically treated through Cognitive Behaviorial Therapy or medications such as SSRIs, or both. You can learn more about treatment here: http://www.ocfoundation.org/treatment.aspx

      You might also find support groups helpful — there is even an online support group for teens with OCD. http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/ocdsupportforteens/info

      Best of luck, and feel free to contact our office if you need more information or would like help finding an OCD specialist in your area: 617-973-5801.

      Reply
      • Victoria

        I am 24 became mentally ill around 7 years ago. It became clinically significant 5 years ago, and I have been on the waiting list for psychotherapy for 2 years. I believe I have one of the most severe cases of OCD that I know about. I have been unable to work for a long time, in and out of the psychiatric ward and on and off the streets due to my illness. Cognitive behavioural therapy didn’t help me at all. My therapist said it stems from my childhood. I have been on 12 medications, antidepressants, antipsychotics, anti anxiety, 11 did nothing and the 1 that did work almost killed me as I had a severe adverse reaction to it. I agree with most of the information I read about OCD, about it being a serious disorder, not a joke. But sometimes I think it is even more than just an anxiety disorder. A psychiatrist would say I have very good insight into my illness. This is because I acknowledge that, to a normal person, the rituals I do and the things I am scared of make no physical difference to my life and therefore are “not real”. They fail to see that, real or not, the mental effects it has on me are BAD. and no one can tell me that those effects are not real. I believe in the thing I am running from, and every day is dark. Balancing in an awkward place where I don’t have enough symptoms of psychosis to be called psychotic, but too many symptoms for it to be just an anxiety disorder, I have been passed like a hot potato and never received much help from the services. I feel like I am crying out for help constantly and receiving nothing but judgement and contempt. This has destroyed every relationship and most of my young years, I can only hope to recover with psychotherapy and I want to promote awareness about how severe and complex OCD can be.

        Reply
        • sandi

          My son is now 36 dx at the age of 8 has been on over 80 different drugs behavior therapy hypnotic’s natural healing and no where he is so down is on disability and just wants help. We are looking into acupuncture. He was going to do the ocd surgery not the stimulator about 11 years ago but backed out. He also has Tourette’s and life is rough for him I am his mom and caregiver. I pray for all of you I know from day to day the challenges how sad this disorder is.

          Reply
        • Geoege

          Spot on with how I feel

          Reply
  • Kinink

    I feel very frustrated when someone has an habit of keeping things neat and orderly and call themselves OCD – I don’t know, maybe they are, but I doubt it sometimes. It was very, very hard for me just to seek help and tell my most intimates about my problems in the first place – it took several years…maybe 10 or more even to considerate doing it – and them they look about themselves and see that everyone has a little ‘mania’ over this and that and saying this is OCD that they don’t take what I say seriously and think it I’m probably like everyone else – It makes me helpless, because of the amount of strength and effort it cost me – in my mind it even costed peoples lives – and one takes it slightly. Just to write this paragraph is a bit of a miracle if I look back in times that I would freakout just because I couldn’t proceed with my ‘rituals’ because there was people around. Even now, I’m most anxious about hitting enter and what it will follows from that, I’m shaking inside, but I’ll make it.

    Reply
    • sherin

      Hi i am from south india.Actually in my case it was more like fear.if i do this that way will somebody get hurt or something will fall or sometimes i won’t throw away junk stuffs out.Anyway i had a good friend who helped me a lot and compelled me to go to a psychiatrist.Then i controlled my ocd thoughts and rituals to 70% without medications.The dangerous part what i felt was ocd tricks you into believing these thoughts are real.Yes like one of the guy above said since the doubts are more illogical and stupid,we are afraid to tell someone and also most of the people who cannot understand how ocd works,it would all seem silly!!!

      Reply
      • Helen pires-pedro

        How did your psychiatrist help you control your ocd thoughts and rituals by 70% without medication?

        Reply
  • Sam Janow

    My friends and classmates always make fun of me because of my OCD and they try to leave books and pencil un straightened, unaligned, out of order, and on the ground just to get me to either respond compulsively violent, depressed, distresses, helpless, or angry, or to immediately fix their ‘mistakes’. They also will sometimes call me names, and get unknowing teachers to ask me to get the lights when they know that every time I turn on or off the light I need to flip the switch seven times while counting to seven aloud. I feel ashamed to practice my counting to seven in class and it leaves me will a great feeling of anxiety until the teacher leaves at the end of the period in which I count to seven while flipping the light off, and then back to the on position seven times. I make sure not to let my family know by never practicing my “rituals” as you call them in front of my family members. I am seeing a therapist, but with all the added distress from friends, family, and peers, it makes it difficult to make any progress, or even to stop the OCD from getting worse.

    Reply
    • Norma Roberts

      Sam, You need to tell your family, and your teachers. I am sure that even if they don’t really “get it”, they will try to help you. You will find life much easier once you do tell them, please do. None of us can go it alone, we all need somebody. You have nothing to be ashamed of, you are ill, just the same as if you were ill with the flu!

      Reply
  • I really appreciate this. It’s like ever since I was diagnosed that the term is used more than ever before. “I’m SOOO OCD, y’all!” Or, “You’re OCD? …Really?” as they look at my chaotic home/car/life. There’s a major difference between OCD and OCPD. The biggest, and probably most defining, part of it is also the one which is never discussed. The intrusive thoughts. The feeling that your body will force you to do something you don’t want to do. Something unspeakable. The idea that the world is sitting on your shoulders and one false move could tear it apart. I’m tired of the false stigma. It leads to people having no sympathy.

    Reply
    • Your post is spot- on.

      In my opinion, OCD (along with autism and some other conditions) is a spectrum and I suspect that everybody has them to a more or less degree. However, most people’s ‘OCD’/ ‘autism’ (or whatever) is very mild and well within the ‘normal’ end of the spectrum.

      For instance, I have a few autistic tendencies (as do many other people I know), but this ‘autism’ (or slight autistic tendencies) is so mild that I wouldn’t be medically diagnosed as having ASD- and I certainly wouldn’t describe myself as having autism. For me, this term is reserved for people with *significant* levels of autism. Although the average ‘neat freak’ probably does have a very mild form of OCD (albeit within the ‘normal’ range), it wouldn’t be classed as what I’d term *clinical* OCD.

      Clinical OCD is more severe, scary and debilitating. I know some people with very severe OCD *are* mainly fixated on issues pertaining to hygiene, phobias of germs/ viruses and/ or orderliness. I don’t belittle those people’s struggles, but it would make life a bit easier for me if more people realised that OCD sometimes takes different forms, which can be equally difficult. I do have some issues around hygiene and cleanliness, but, for me, this is a secondary and relatively minor manifestation of the condition.

      I suffer from a form of primarily obsessional OCD, often described as ‘harm OCD.’ I have horrible intrusive thoughts and I fear temporarily losing control over my body, or that I’ll stop caring for a brief moment, and do something that I’ll regret for the rest of my life. If the OCD has a particularly strong hold over me, I’ll sometimes confuse the thoughts with reality (thought/ action fusion) and feel like I’ve actually done something terrible when I haven’t. For instance, I once feared that I’d kicked my dog who I love dearly. I later realised that I hadn’t acted on the unwanted thought (he hadn’t yelped, gasped or moved from his original position, and when my head became clearer, I was better able to separate what had happened in my mind from real life.)

      My fears of harming others has sometimes taken over my life and I’ve been under psychologists and psychiatrists for my OCD and depression. Although I now drive a light motor vehicle, I’ll never learned to drive a car because I’m afraid of running somebody over (particularly a child or an animal.) I had to quit a job because I became so anxious at the thought of hurting or neglecting the people in my care and I’ve given up on the dream of becoming a parent because I know my OCD will focus itself upon the child and probably impair my ability to be the kind of parent I want to be, or the one that the child deserves. The weird thing is, other people have told me that I’m a gentle person and great with kids, but part of my brain insists that they’re wrong. I’ve also feared, from a young age, that certain thoughts alone could lead to accidents, disasters and harm to others. However, it took me at least seven years to tell my parents about this (I’d had the fears from the age of ten or earlier), and a further three years to confide in a doctor.

      I was particularly bad with OCD around the age of seventeen (I was sometimes almost convinced that a plane crash or earthquake was at least partly my fault because I’d inadvertently ‘wished’/ ‘willed’ something bad to happen), but I somehow managed, matriculate, complete a degree course and work for a few years. However, the OCD returned with a vengeance when I reached my late twenties, and I suffered a nervous breakdown. I’m doing a lot better now and I’m even hoping to embark on a new career, but it’s taken me three years (from suffering the breakdown) to reach this stage.

      I can now tell people that I have OCD, but, unless the person has a similar form of the condition or is a mental health specialist, I’m not comfortable going into details because I fear their judgment. It’s annoying because I have to tell employers etc that I have a mental health condition if I want any support and understanding (which I often need), but if I mention OCD, I suspect most people will assume that it revolves around cleanliness (and then possibly decide that my OCD ‘can’t be that bad’ because hygiene is a relatively minor focus for me.) It also seems to surprise some people that I can sometimes struggle to distinguish between my own thoughts and reality, regarding my obsessions and phobias, and yet be perfectly rational in other areas. .

      Hugs to anyone else struggling with OCD and the people close to them.

      Reply
      • Bridget Kostello

        To me, what is in this reply is everything that is wrong with the mental health field today. The entire idea of “spectrum” disorders has made diagnosis more difficult and has made the public at large more weary of people’s illnesses because, with spectrum disorders casting such a wide net, everybody has something. This is wildly inaccurate.

        That’s not mental illness. People can be highly compulsive–doesn’t mean they have OCD, nor does it mean they are symptomatic of OCD. People can be clueless about social cues–doesn’t mean they are autistic or on any autistic spectrum. Sometimes, a trait or symptom is just a trait or symptom. If we went by this criteria, if I was symptomatic of a cold and I walked into a doctor’s office, suddenly I would have a diagnosis of a “pneumonia spectrum” illness.

        Everybody doesn’t have something. I know that making people believe that has eased stigma, but that very philosophy is what has created the “Oh, I’m so OCD” phenomenon. People think being symptomatic makes them sufferers of an illness or at least on the “spectrum.” It doesn’t.

        OCD’s definition is inherent in the name. It is a disorder. People are diagnosed when it becomes a behavior in their lives that takes over, when the situation becomes uncontrollable. That’s OCD, and it doesn’t need the “clinical” modifier. Now, people who are symptomatic may eventually have full blown OCD, the same way that cold may become full blown pneumonia at some point; some people will never progress beyond merely symptomatic. And some people will be more severely impaired by OCD and co-morbid disorders than others (therefore, the idea of spectrum once diagnosed makes sense, much as cancer has a typing system to define the progression of the disease), But this idea that we just treat symptomatic people because they might become worse–that can be as irresponsible in psychology as it is in physical medicine.

        And trust me, I’m tired of talking about this. I’ve been talking about this for 25 years–I met the people that originally started this foundation. The sad thing is that OCD continues to be misunderstood, and part of the reason is because our national organization dropped the ball a long time ago and hasn’t picked it up since. There has been no public awareness campaign; every time OCD is portrayed inaccurately on TV or in the media or even in real life (there actually is a company called OCD Cosmetics and cleaning companies called OCD cleaning, for crying out loud), the national organization should be all over it. This blog post was great, but how many did it reach? What are we doing other than blogging to people who already know what OCD is? How do we take control of the direction of the public image of this disease now?

        Reply
        • random human with internet access

          I feel called-out… unfortunately, I fit into the category of people misuse(d) the term OCD

          I’ve said “that makes me OCD” and things like that pretty often. I haven’t gone to the extent of using OCD as a joke, but I certainly haven’t taken it as seriously as I should.

          I thought OCD just meant you’re really bothered by imperfections (I didn’t know there were intrusive thoughts, and I didn’t know the extent of how hard it is to control the compulsive actions).

          I even thought that I had “Mild OCD” just because I get bothered by a crooked row of pencils, and sometimes I feel the need to rewrite a paragraph until it’s perfect. But now I know the difference. I *want* to have stuff organized right. I *want* to have perfect grammar. I have an urge to make stuff aligned correctly, and I feel good when I do that, but I can stop myself at any time. A person with OCD *has* to do those types of things, whether or not they want to. If they somehow manage to resist the urge, they get anxiety from not doing the thing. And I’m amazed by the impact OCD has on just your idle thinking. It sounds like something that’s pretty tough to live with.

          Oh well, at least now I know…

          Reply
  • OCD

    This is a good post. I have been living with this nightmare since I was a kid. My parents refused to let me get treatment for it when I was younger and now that I’m an adult on my own I am unable to get proper treatment due to costs. It is hell to live with but everyone thinks that I’m ok because I look fine on the outside.

    Reply
  • Carol

    I love my life but I hate me. I am 51 years old and OCD has consumed me since I was about 12. How I’ve been able to have a family and friends is beyond me. Everything I do takes up so much more time than the average person. Every ritual from brushing my teeth for 20 minutes to tying my running shoes so that the laces are perfectly aligned, pains me. I guess I should say I hate this part of me. Why do I have it and why can’t I control it when I’m telling myself to stop. I’m a prisoner in my own body. I tried to get help a few years back and saw a therapist for a year. He had me on so many medications. I was tired all the time and I’m a very active person. He actually laughed at me when I told him how long it took me to brush my teeth. He told me to set a timer for 5 minutes. I never went back and haven’t seen anyone since. I will never win this battle. I wish sometimes that my life would just end but I don’t want my family to hurt. Although I really think they might be better off and I don’t think I would be one that would be deeply missed by friends, etc. I worry about everything and I want it to stop so bad.

    Reply
    • Carol,

      This is exactly the story we hear that is core to our mission at the Foundation. Individuals with OCD should not have to wait decades for effective treatment nor be laughed at when they do reach out for help. Please contact our office to see if we can connect you with a therapist who is trained to treat OCD effectively and respectfully. You can also search for a OCD specialist near you using the Treatment Provider Database on our website:
      http://www.iocdf.org/treatment_providers.aspx

      Or contact our office at 617-973-5801 or info@iocdf.org

      Reply
    • CT

      Carol, I feel like you except I’ve never seen a therapist and I’m 10. Also, and luckily, I don’t have to take long brushing my teeth (I’m so sorry, that sounds terrible) because I have a built-in timer. Yay technology! Also, I DO NOT like your former therapist just by what I heard about this person. I’m sorry for your experience!

      Reply
  • Kyle Armstrong

    Thank god I found this page. I don’t have OCD, but I study psychology. I get REALLY ANNOYED when people misuse the term ‘OCD,’ like people don’t take it seriously enough

    Reply
  • @ Bridget Kostello
    Please, please read all this reply, and not just the part about whether or not OCD etc is a spectrum.

    You wrote: “To me, what is in this reply is everything that is wrong with the mental health field today. The entire idea of “spectrum” disorders has made diagnosis more difficult and has made the public at large more weary of people’s illnesses because, with spectrum disorders casting such a wide net, everybody has something. This is wildly inaccurate.”

    You’ve completely misread what I wrote and I find this comment really disparaging. I don’t mean this in an arsey way, but did you bother to read the rest of my post?

    You wrote: People think being symptomatic makes them sufferers of an illness or at least on the “spectrum.” It doesn’t.

    OCD’s definition is inherent in the name. It is a disorder. People are diagnosed when it becomes a behavior in their lives that takes over, when the situation becomes uncontrollable. That’s OCD, and it doesn’t need the “clinical” modifier.”

    What I said was virtually the same as what you’re saying: OCD/ autistic etc tendencies are fairly common, but this isn’t the same as having a clinical disorder.That’s why I talked about the ‘perfectly normal’ end of the spectrum (i.e. the person has symptoms/ tendencies, but doesn’t have/ doesn’t yet have the disorder) versus the ‘it’s severe enough that it’s a disorder’ part of the spectrum.

    I feel like you’re implying that I’m one of the ‘I’m so OCD brigade’ and I find that really hurtful. The problem with ‘you either have OCD or you don’t have it’ thinking is that people can swing too far in the opposite direction to the problem mentioned here. In other words, people with the disorder are dismissed as just having a few tendencies, like the ‘I’m soooo OCD’ brigade, and this doesn’t help either. It can easily become the case that, no matter how much the person is suffering or struggling, other people refuse to acknowledge they have a disorder because they (the other people) don’t deem it ‘severe enough’ to be ‘real OCD.’ It’s really hard for a lay person to assess how much a person’s obsessions/ fixations or compulsions are troubling them and there’s a danger that a person who is really suffering will be told, “That’s not *OCD*; that’s just… [insert rest of sentence here]

    I don’t know how much of my first post you read, but I have been diagnosed by several medical professionals as having the condition.

    A few years ago, I had a nervous breakdown, from which I’m still recovering, and the underlying cause was my OCD fears and the guilt and confusion this condition can create. However, I’m still occassionally paranoid that I’ve been misdiagnosed (even though the fear of harming people with thoughts is fairly classical OCD), and that the professionals have missed the ‘fact’ that I’m just a bad person who is more dangerous than they realise (I have harm/ primarily obsessional OCD.) It also worries me that people won’t believe I have a real illness (despite the psychological and psychiactric treatment I’ve received, including medication, cognitive behavioural therapy and Exposure and Response prevention.)

    To be honest, I got really upset when I read “”To me, what is in this reply is everything that is wrong with the mental health field today” and “People think being symptomatic makes them sufferers of an illness or at least on the “spectrum.” It doesn’t.” because I took it that you were saying I was one of these people, and that I didn’t have real OCD. I sometimes wonder how bad things have to get before people will acknowledge you have a real illness and stop dismissing you as being ‘trendy’ or just plain weak (I already feel really judged because I struggle to cope with a lot of aspects of everyday life.)

    I identify with the points made by sugarbush43, because this is how OCD affects me too. I do have a fixation with hygiene/ cleanliness, but I don’t know if this is part of my OCD or just a few OCD tendencies. The main focus of my fears is that there’s something morally wrong with me and that I might/ have caused harm to others. I can’t have kids because I’m too scared of harming them in some way and I know that my behaviours and anxieties will negatively affect them (I’m prone to avoidance behaviours and they could easily mistake my efforts to avoid harming them as coldness/ not wanting them around.) I find this particularly hard, because I love children and I always wanted to be a mother, but I just don’t trust myself.

    At times, I cope relatively well with the condition and I seem to have a certain amount of control over my fixations and compulsions. At other times, I feel like the obsessive thoughts completely take over and my fears that I’ve done something wrong/ won’t be able to stop myself from doing something wrong feel so real. I know this sounds melodramatic, but I’ve had periods in my life where I’ve wished I would die and attempted to overdose, because I felt unable to cope with the fear and guilt. My mother admitted that, when I was at my worst, she tried to prepare herself for losing me because she worried that one of my attempts might eventually succeed.

    The thing is, OCD waxes and wanes, but it never seems to completely go away. When I’m at my worst, I believe that I’m a bad person who doesn’t deserve to be loved (or even live), and I question whether I actually have OCD, or if I’m just a horrible and potentially dangerous person. Ironically, when I’m doing well, I tend to worry that I’m just weak and I start to wonder if I exagerated how bad my obssessions were (i.e. to use as an excuse for my failings.) A lot of the time, I feel really confused about a lot of stuff, and I’ve lately taken to asking family members ‘Do you *really* think I have OCD?’ or ‘Do you think most people would think I was *that* ill, or would they just think I was being weak and feeling sorry for myself?”

    Reply
    • Bridget Kostello

      First, I did read your entire post. Second, it is clear you have OCD. That’s not meant as anything but an honest but sincere and heartfelt evaluation. I can feel your struggle in what you write, and my heart aches for you on your journey.

      OCD does wax and wane. It gets worse when you are stressed emotionally and I know many who find it recurs when they are stressed physically. It is a prime characteristic of OCD and why so many wait so long to seek help. Unfortunately, by the time many do seek help, it has resulted in breakdowns for a lot of us.

      That waxing and waning does not put you on a spectrum, and to me it is clear you are struggling with evaluating yourself based on society’s perception of OCD, but also of mental illness in general–that MI is weakness, not illness. I probably have been dealing with this a lot longer, and I have been where you are. My breakdown came at 17; luckily I was put on Anafranil shortly after that and was back on the road to recovery. After the birth of my second child, I had a recurrence I didn’t think would ever happen and I nearly suffered another breakdown. It has taken me 10 years to get my life back to any kind of normalcy. But I still struggle with societal perceptions–luckily, I’m old enough and have dealt with it long enough to realize that if someone judges me for fighting an illness (because, let’s face it, they wouldn’t judge us if we said we had cancer), that says more about them than it does about me. My recommendation–don’t give a flying fig about whether people think you are weak or sick. Harder to do than to say (it still hurts my feelings), but the sooner you stop subjecting yourself to others’ evaluations, the easier it will be to deal with.

      It’s also clear that you feel I implied that you are not really sick–that, as you said, you are part of the “I’m so OCD” brigade that doesn’t even understand the illness (they couldn’t, or they wouldn’t be saying that). I never implied that. You are not one of those people. You have OCD. And remember that OCD will attack on several fronts–it is very common to have one or two main types of OCD and more than one or two secondary types. For example, my main OCD problem is germs/hand washing. But I also struggle with checking and scrupulosity. So the fact you find OCD in more than one place in your life is very, very normal for the illness.

      However, saying a spectrum runs from “normal” to “severe enough to be treated”–that’s part of what is wrong with mental illness treatment today. It’s that people are taking a few symptoms to mean they have any type of a certain illness. A report came out today stating that record numbers of adults are on meds for ADHD. My guess is that a lot of them diagnosed themselves from lists in newspaper stories or found med-friendly psychiatrists ready to write prescriptions even if not necessarily convinced they have ADHD.

      ADHD and autism rates have exploded not because the illnesses are more prevalent–it’s because the range of those diagnosed is so much greater than it ever was (the spectrum is wider). For example, one of my children could be described as having Asperger’s based on a symptom list. However, he doesn’t meet the clinical definition of it, and, while he presents with some symptoms, some of those symptoms occur because he is anxious socially. Not Asperger’s, but Social Anxiety Disorder.

      Then we deal with people putting diagnoses on what used to be seen as just different personality types. For many Asperger’s patients, we used to describe them as having “engineer” brain. If you’ve ever known an engineer, you know they just think differently than most people you meet. Not bad or good, just different. Well, now that we have a society where everyone has to have something, we call it Asperger’s. While Asperger’s does exist, my guess is about 1/4 to 1/2 of people with it either are so high functioning they don’t need the disorder label or they have “engineer” brain.

      That’s why we need to remember that someone who is very compulsive but functions well isn’t necessarily sick–they’re just compulsive. Those are the people who would say they are “so OCD.” But we know OCD is so much more than that. It cheapens the diagnosis to have people who don’t understand it call themselves that. OCD is a monster of an illness, and it is so much more than a personality quirk. But when we open it up to such a wide spectrum, all those people who are mildly compulsive or focus oriented start diagnosing themselves with OCD. OCD is an illness that is diagnosed when it becomes a problem with dealing with daily living. Other than that, it might be OCD or it might not be. But to say one has “mild” OCD (and I have heard that before) makes me so angry because those of us who truly suffer from it know it robs us of so much and there is nothing mild about it.

      Does that help put my comments in perspective? To summarize, I think “spectrum” illnesses have gone way too far to include too many. OCD is definitively a monster of an illness–it isn’t a quirk and it isn’t mild. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have it. It means too many who don’t understand it (mostly because there has been no major public awareness campaign) think they do and assert they do thinking there is a wide spectrum when there isn’t.

      Reply
      • ^ First of all, I’d like to apologise for my first post. I can be prone to flying off the handle and getting pretty arsey in the heat of the moment. I wrote the second post after I’d calmed down and I’d assumed the first post didn’t get through the moderation process.

        Secondly, thanks for your kindness in your latest reply, and I’m sorry you’ve struggled so much with this horrible condition. I’m glad you’ve been able to have a family of your own, because I know OCD can make parenthood an even harder job than it is already.

        I’m also pleased to hear that your life is getting back on track. I feel like OCD has sent me to hell and back, but I’ve been supported by some fantastic services and I’m currently doing voluntary work which I love. I’m also hoping to start a course in September on a part time basis, which will qualify me to teach key skills to learners aged 16 +. At my worst, I couldn’t imagine getting to this stage, so I’m just trying to stay positive and move forward at a steady pace.

        I wish you the best with staying well, and I hope you’ll excuse my earlier snottiness. Take care.

        Reply
        • I’m 13 and I have OCD but it’s not as bad as a lot of you guys Like I have the cleanliness and exactness and depression. My friends think that i’m Emo because i’m depressed a lot but I said I wasn’t (they don’t believe me) But anyway at my mothers house my mom and aunt have OCD so at my moms house every weekend we have clean day my chores are clean the bathroom which takes forever I don’t like doing it but my body is like telling me to do it or something bad will happen I vacuum for like 30 minutes each time because I don’t like the lines on the carpet and things but I also get mad at my family members a lot for no reason at all I don’t want to but when I was younger.My parents tried to take me to some therapy but it did not work out so well because I would get mad at the therapist because she would ask me question after question and While she did that I would put things in neat rows. I think my OCD is not that bad it happens of and on but when my room is dirty, It takes me two hours at a time to clean all of it and put in to places.

          Reply
          • Sydney Nolan

            Hi Steven — Have you visited our OCD in Kids website? It has more information on OCD in kids and teens specifically, and might be helpful if you’re ever looking to learn more or find a different treatment provider who is familiar with pediatric OCD. Also feel free to reach out to someone at our office if we can help with anything more specific as well!

    • Lydia

      Thank you. I’m 12 and I have OCD. While I was writing this message all I did was backspace, retype. Backspace, retype. Backspace, retype. OCD is completely a disorder. I come home from school every day crying because it’s so hard. People who think it’s not a disorder just don’t understand. ‘Just don’t do it’ is the most annoying and repetitive phrase in the world. But then I thought, ‘they can’t help it; they just don’t understand what it’s like.’ Then one day at school in 6th grade, someone fixed a small detail on their project, and someone said, ‘You’re SO OCD.’ This made me very annoyed. First of all, you can’t ‘be’ OCD. It’s not even the right grammar. Second of all, there are so many types of OCD, and people only seem to know one. Being a clean freak. I do not wash my hands 3 times to feel better because I’m afraid of germs, but because it makes me very uncomfortable and I don’t know why. It’s the weirdest thing. Anyway, anyone who thinks that OCD isn’t a real life struggle, your so wrong I can’t even explain it. Please research a disorder next time you want to say rude things about it.

      P.S. Ravenfirebird thank you so much for writing that. I really appreciate it. :):):)

      Reply
      • CT

        Hi, I’m 10. I think I have OCD, but I’m not sure. My biggest obsession seems to be the number 3. I love this number! I have no idea why. My OCD symptoms started last year. At first it was nothing. But then things started. When I put one hand on the fridge, it got cold, and then I had to put my other hand on the fridge and let it get cold, too.
        A few months later the number 3 came in. WHY? And then the number 8 started being ominous. And then I had to freeze at 9:11. If I looked at the clock at 4:48, I was unlucky. Are there any other kids out there like me?

        Reply
  • Katie

    I struggled greatly with my OCD when I was younger and still do, just in different ways. People want to say it’s an illness but it’s not, it’s a condition. It cannot be cured or dismissed, it will always be there. I’ve learned to live with it and how to sustain it all because I got lucky with an amazing therapist as a teenager. I never took a drug for it and I was never told by him that there was anything remotely wrong with me but only that I had a different mind. People need to read this article and know that it’s not that simple and saying things like “I’m so OCD” or “I’m just really depressed lately” should not be thrown around like a hot potato when you actually know so little about it. Being on the receiving end of somebody saying those things when you’ve actually experienced it is hurtful and you feel insecure. Real anxiety is not be glamorized, but shouldn’t be described as bad either because my experiences personally, have given me a unique outlook on people and life and as well as utilizing my sometimes, obsessive analytical skills in a positive way. I love this article so I needed to rant as well (I never comment these types of things but I had to for this one) thank you so much for writing this article!

    Reply
    • Mr Hawk

      Well said. I have been saying this for decades. Its not an illness, but it is a condition. This is comforting to read that there are others like me.

      Reply
    • Mona

      Yes I agree with you I think it can’t be completely cured it’s a situation that you adapt with in its better and it’s worst condition, me too I didn’t take medication for it I have had it for 20 years now , I had my bad and very bad time but I didn’t want to take medication, I wanted to Lead my life and face everything including this condition with a full clear mind and attitude, I think what I tried was just facing it (If this is cold cognitive therapy, to face it and try to ignore it though I failed a lot in doing so, but also succeeded in other times )and in the same time focusing on other things , I believe that during your (trying to help yourself) its better to keep busy doing things you like , I adapted myself that this pain and discomfort (whether it’s moderate or severe) is occurring in certain conditions, so try when you are not in this condition to not think of it try to enjoy the other hours, minutes or even moments that you don’t have to face that condition, sometimes I just say, (ok I know I need to think of this situation but I will not do it now , after I finish the nice enjoyable thing I’m doing I will come back to you) and sometimes thank god I forget about some things, maybe when doing this it will not completely disappear from your mind no you will feel like you have something with you but it’s something in your background, please do not delve deep inside it when you are in an enjoyable moment , that what I tell myself , I say (it’s is staying don’t worry come back to it but not now) ,my ocd (condition :)) is not a small one or in just one thing it’s in a variety of things but I feel that with years passing some adapted and other new ones appear , but I keep telling myself that’s fine as the others were better adapted this too will, again I say I’m not cured or I’m not having full day without any attacks but I feel I’m normal With condition yes I change things in my life to adapt with it but I told myself everyone has his own troubles and this is mine face it and deal with it and Be grateful for Anything you feel happy in and savor it to increase the more joyful things
      We have our bad days or hours a day and others have theirs as well but maybe in different ways but maybe because it’s related to the brain we don’t talk freely on it like other things so it’s more exaggerated.

      Reply
  • I am so sick of people posting those dumb 15 photos that will trigger your OCD crap. I have OCD. I almost ended up dead from being unable or unwilling to cope with it any more. I’ve spent thousands of hours and dollars on cleaning and rituals and supplies. I’ve stolen when I was unable to pay any more. Because I had to or is get diseases. It’s hell. I’ve lost friends. I’ve been left out of family events. I’ve pissed my pants when I was stranded at a school overnight for fear of the restrooms. Not before I threw up from holding in my urine so long I ended up with near kidney failure. My home safe space was a 6ft by 3 ft area. It’s where I felt safe and clean. My life was resigned to that small a space. Yet people find it okay to post dumb stuff making fun of OCD. Then they tell me to get over it when I’m upset. Google OCD is not funny. You get jokes and pages of people making fun of it. You won’t see 15 photos that will trigger your leukemia. Or 20 things to trigger your breast cancer. If anyone posted that they’d be shunned. Thank you for being a voice for those like me who his due to stigma, almost died, then fought back. Much love.

    Reply
    • CT

      Hi, The lunacies of Tamz. I read your post and Googled OCD memes. A whole bunch of memes appeared. One said, ONE FOR THE OCD AMONGST US. It showed a picture of dice lined up in columns. Like, ten or fifteen dice (one facing up) in one column, then two, then three, and so on. In the six line, there was a die with five facing up. It said, WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?
      Another depicted a person whose arm was bleeding. It asked another person for help. The second person pulled out a knife and cut the other arm. The second person said, “Now you’re symmetrical.” I hate them! I can’t believe anyone would post anything like that.
      I am ten years old and I am pretty sure I have OCD. I have not told anyone but my sister. My mother figured out that I think I have it, and I reassured her that I don’t. I don’t even know why I lied to her. But if I tell her now, she’ll ask why I lied. And I’ll say, “I don’t know,” because I REALLY DON’T KNOW!!! But what if she says, “I think you do know.” like she sometimes does? I don’t know! And even if I worked all that out, how would I get help? It’s the middle of a pandemic! What am I supposed to do now?

      Reply
  • ct25

    I am on here because as i type im having an episode.. i woke up and looked over and saw things on my husbands night stand that should not be there (crumbled up receipts and coins) so i got up and tried cleaning it up and then as i walked over i felt sand where he took his pants off.. he started waking up and so i walked back to the bed.. its as if im hiding the fact that im trying to clean up because im ashamed.. but now its been over an hour and i cant stop thinking about how im going to wake up and clean.. people think its cool that i have this obsession because i literally organize and clean anywhere i go(work or family and friends houses) but its the fact thatif i dont clean i get this over whelming anxiety where i think of my son and husband dieing from cancer… im ok with being clean.. i just want the anxiety to go away.. if something is not where its supposed to go i literally can not stop thinking about it till i fix it and god forbid something gets in the way.. and i dont know if this has anything to do with it but ive come up with this reward system that if i feel like its clean enough then i want and deserve a glass of wine.. im so over it

    Reply
  • Marisa

    I didn’t finish writing. My rituals change with time I always have at least a few rituals at once and I’ll keep the same rituals at least for a few years. My mom suspected I might have OCD when I was 10. She said don’t do any of your rituals today at all so I didn’t so she thought I must not be OCD, but what she didn’t know was when I didn’t do the rituals I felt a sense of anxiety but I could still reassure myself after a few minutes to let it go there was no reason to feel anxiety. It’s still that way I can almost always stop my from doing the compulsions, rituals, and compulsive thoughts – except late at night I can almost never control myself late at night – but I always feel the anxiety not doing the things I want to do. So I think I’m OCD, I just think that I’m good at not letting it control me overly much.

    Reply
    • Marisa

      Also I meant obsessive thoughts.

      Reply
  • Emma

    I have a ‘friend.’
    Every time I say something about my OCD–which was honestly much worse when I was a kid–she goes “Oh my gawsh, yeah, I have OCD tooooo, haha! It sucks having to make sure everything’s alphabetical, ahhahaa!”
    And I nod and grin and say, “Okay.”
    She doesn’t have OCD.
    Fact is, she wouldn’t know anxiety if it tore off her nose and threw it in a pond, and she certainly doesn’t understand the debilitating fears I had as a child just knowing that if I didn’t call my parents’ cellphones every two seconds to check up on them or go with them wherever they went, they were going to die a miserable death in a car accident somewhere and I was going to be left alone in the horrible(1) foster care system.
    And it *kills* me that she thinks having OCD is making sure her freaking pencils are color-coded correctly or her room looks clean, because that will never, ever, ever amount to the pain that people with actual OCD go through on a daily basis. I hope she reads this article–I shared it on Facebook–and maybe realizes that her ‘cute’ & ‘funny’ quirks don’t equal OCD, which is labeled a disorder for a reason.

    1: I’m not saying the foster care system is horrible, only that’s what little me thought. Little me was uneducated and kind of rude.

    Reply
  • Emily

    It wasn’t until a friend of mine told me about her OCD symptoms that I became aware that I myself suffered OCD and sure enough a week later after speaking to a doctor I was diagnosed. What really upsets me is that I lived for years and years under the common misunderstanding that OCD was an issue to do with cleanliness, due to pop culture references (as you mentioned) and what I personally suffered psychologically was extremely unnatural and wrong. I feel like a bit of a hypocrite for getting angry at people who reference OCD as being “a thing about being clean” but it truly upsets me I wasted a fifth of my life (when symptoms became inescapable) suffering a disease I didn’t even know was possible to have. The truth about OCD needs to be shed on youth because how many others are living like my past self? Scared, depressed and living in fear and anxiety because they feel too much of a freak to ever admit their issues to people. It needs to be changed!

    Reply
  • Jason Guess

    Hello everyone. I have read a lot about Pure OCD an Scrupulosity and believe I have these. I am currently seeing a mental health therapist. He hasn’t officially diagnosed me yet but he talks to me like he believes I suffer from this. I trusted and accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior back in my early childhood. Then one day when I read a passage in the Gospel of Matthew about how the Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out demons by the power of demons I immediately had the same terrible thought about Jesus and quickly asked The Lord to forgive me for it and from then on I have feared and obsessed over whether I have committed the unpardonable sin. I remember the first time I felt the searing anxiety that thought gave me. It’s been about 12 years ago since that day and frequently I still deal with blasphemous thoughts that cause great anxiety and immense depression. It makes me believe I can’t love my Lord and that He can’t forgive and accept me. I have scoured the web, family and friends for constant reassurance. I guess that’s my compulsive ritual that gives temporary relief. I also have had fears of being a serial killer, pedophile, rapist, or other terrible things that I have never done nor want to do but feel the need to seek reassurance that I’m not any of those things. I have struggled with the relationship form of it as well. I have often thought about taking my own life because I have seen myself as just a curse to everyone especially my wife and 2 year old daughter. I feel so depressed and despairing a lot if the time even though I force myself to go to work and church and do family things. Recently I have avoided Bible study except for a verse a day app on my phone. I just feel beyond spiritual hope and don’t want to have blasphemous thoughts and such. I guess what I’m wondering is does it sound like I have OCD in the Pure O Scrupe? Maybe it would help me if I knew that is what I suffer. Sorry for long post. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Doe-a-dear

      Hey it’s ok I was raised as an extremely conservative Christian and I had similar problems with my OCD targeting the unpardonable sin as a source of anxiety. I had terrible thoughts that would have been total blasphemy if ever voiced, and I was terrified of them. But then I realized that it’s not me thinking these things. I didn’t want them in my head, and I certainly hadn’t asked anyone to put them there. I think once you realize that this is not your fault, you’ll finally be free from them. In addition, you have to believe that God is greater than your perceived sins, and his grace has already covered them.

      Reply
  • Jason Guess

    Well my therapist officially diagnosed me with PURE OCD SCRUPULOSITY and depression as a result. But I still would like to hear from any of you out there. If anyone is still there that is.

    Reply
  • Anonimous

    Actually >.> Colour OCD exists.. My mum found out mine when I was four, She saw me placing everything in order and placing it by colour, she took me to a specialist and I discovered I have OCD, fearing that people will think I’m disorganized and messy, and that I’m colour blind.

    Reply
  • […] not having collections of erasers or having an irrational fear of bandaids. And according to this blog (read it, it’s actually interesting), it’s not a choice, a quirk or a […]

    Reply
  • Yergaderga

    You are my stinkin’ hero….

    Reply
  • OCD-freak

    Thank you for this post. It is absolutely ridiculous when people try to claim they have OCD simply because they’re neat and they think it’s quirky. I actually had OCD and this one girl had the nerve to claim that she had it simply because she didn’t want to do the tough work in our science class, and just wanted to clean up instead. People claiming to be “so OCD” need to stfu and realize that it’s not some cute personality trait. I had the obsessive thought kind of OCD where I would constantly see visions of myself having sex with old men or family members, and being raped by or raping others. I obviously did not want these thoughts. Having thoughts like those as an extremely sheltered, very conservatively raised child was extremely traumatizing and horrible. It took a while to realize that this was my disease and not me thinking, and the healing process came after that. However, before I knew it was OCD, this was my deepest darkest secret, and I would never have thought of bragging about it, let alone telling anyone about it. I thought I was a monster.
    So to all the people who talk about having OCD because they think it’s cute or interesting, grow the f*** up. Some people have actual problems.

    Reply
    • i have so many mental disorders i don’t even know every single one i have

      Ack, my school is basically the opposite.
      I remember this one time I was mumbling to myself over something, I can’t remember exactly what, but it had been messing with my OCD (which lately has been rare to occur irl- mostly just happens now when I’m drawing or there’s asymmetrical buildings in minecraft tbh unless I made it like that purposely and it’s not like.. a block off but like, oh I’m getting distracted sorry anyways) and when something messes with me, well, I mumble to myself.
      Basically what happened was this:
      “this is messing with my freaking ocd.”
      then this dude, who I don’t remember the face of or name (apparently I hated him so much that my brain deleted who he was) decided to chime in, saying: “you don’t have ocd”

      I’ve been diagnosed for as long as I can remember. (And more since my memory sucks) And this dude knows nothing about me and decides to just say that.

      I don’t remember what I did next but remembering about it makes me want to throw a chair at him, not gonna lie. Wish we could have a world where people didn’t lie about the things they had (both mentally and physically, I’m not just saying OCD here) but also not just assume things about someone you know lmao

      just wanted to rant with you, since people are a**holes, and we sorta had vice versa stories.

      Reply
  • Cat

    Thank you for this article. I struggle to explain to people that OCD is a severe anxiety disorder, not just wanting to keep things tidy (and I’m actually one of the least tidy people I know, mostly because obsessive thoughts get in the way of everything!).

    On a more positive note, I had a look at the comments on the first BuzzFeed post you linked and was pleased to see most of them pointing out how wrong it was.

    Reply
  • Augusta

    I have just learned to accept im not crazy or a bi $@h, thats what people call me alot. If not could prevent being consumed by this I would. I cant help it. Most people play it off as a joke, I hate that. They don’t know how this feels or how it controls my life. Thank you for making me not feel crazy

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  • nisa

    At first,i’m not sure if i have ocd or not,but then i learned i do.I used to have intense religious fear last year (i think i shouldn’t bring it up because i’m over that tremendous phase) i started repeating the same phrases,imagining the same things over and over again thinking it was normal to do so.i also felt fearful as if i don’t have the courage to stop.My mother is a lecturer and teaches psychology,but when it comes to me,she always ignores the symptoms of ocd in me if i told her.I’m so afraid to recover.Any word of advice?I’ve been suffering for 9 months now (october 2014-present june 2015) i do have a history of depression.i was just recovering from depression last year but next i have ocd

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  • Roswell

    Hey, can anyone help me. I think I probably have OCD. I think it started just around 8-9, about a year after my Father died (Im 17 now). Story short, somewhere I seemed to have developed an overwhelming fear of contamination. I feel the need to be clean, but the need is never satisfied. I have a hard time touching door knobs, ive gone around my own house cleaning them more than once. If I have intrusive thoughts i’ll wash my hands until I think they are fine, but they rarely seem fine. It’s very hard to keep up with this kind of stuff when you have to go to schools. Usually i try to stay calm and make my way to restrooms, waiting until someone opens the door. Often i cant sleep because I have intrusive thoughts and try to fight them, but I always surrender and have to wash my hands. Its never about being physically clean, its always about being mentally clean. I think my mom shows some of the same signs, just not as bad, and she refuses to acknowledge that she has it or that i do. And my Grandmother shows a lot of signs of schizophrenia, if that has anything to do with it, i don’t know. I just hate keeping up with this anxiety. In times of stress its unbearable. Im usually very calm around others, but there are too many times i feel overwhelmed and that i cant handle anything and out of control, so I tend to turn to isolation. I just have no fucken clue what i should do. I think its getting worse, like when i was young. I feel like im at a crossroad here, where I either can confront this or just let it continue and hope i’ll be able to manage it, and look where that’s gotten me. If i do get help, it might as well be while im 17 and not to where i push it off and confront it when im 27. I kinda need advice or something of the sort. Help?

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  • norelief

    Beautiful article. My mother is OCD and now also schizoprhenic. She covers everything with newspapers and hoards them in the house. I have OCD, too. Mine is the need to check, check, check and fear of harming others through something that I do. I have actually driven around the neighborhood trying to check to see if I accidentally ran over someone. I have horrible obsessive fears about poisoning people due to unsanitary food prep which makes it hard for me to entertain. I obsess for 72 hours after a party until I can be sure nobody has botulism. I am extremely fast and people do not know what I am doing. I am also a physician and I cannot let people know about my problem. However, the good news is that I am 100% sure I have never made a mistake with any treatment, drug, or dosage, because I check everything three times, even though I KNOW the treatment, drug, or dosage and actually do not need to check. However, the anxiety was too much because I could not check people after they left my care and I don’t actually practice in that way anymore because the cost to me personally is too intense. I can only smile grimly when people say, “you are the best, most thorough doctor I have ever encountered,” and they think it is a compliment. Yes, I am very high functioning but it literally kills me on the inside and I cannot form memories of my life. My life is kind of a blank after 52 years because I have spent my entire life inside my head. I wish I could have lived and been present and enjoyed a moment or experienced happiness. As I get older, I just can’t keep up the pace that the facade requires of me. I am just not fast enough, and I get tired. Now I am very afraid that my daughter is like me. And I am afraid of getting worse like my own mother. And this whole thing just sucks pretty hard.

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  • A

    Excellent article I am so sick of hearing “oh I’m so OCD!!!!” If only they knew and I’m glad they don’t what it’s like to be stuck in your body or mind and cannot step even a foot forward. Or having to put down the answer a on a multiple choice question when you know it’s b.

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    • I hate it when kids at my school come up to me and say “OMG I have OCD to, just like you, we should totally be friends! Like I said before I only have a few symptoms, not like full blown like others have. (I really feel bad for you truly) I told them “You wouldn’t be proud to have OCD even if you did, you don’t have OCD so f@!% off.” they just look at me in disgust and run to a teacher and tell. I don’t feel that depressed anymore but when i’m not depressed I tap my fingers while counting to a random even number like yesterday it was 140 Other people would think it was a random number, but I would say it was a even number Then my aunt came into the room and said I had to mop. (40 minutes of OCD) when I was done I ran to my room and cried.

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      • CT

        🙁 I’m sorry. I understand. Or try to. Maybe someday I will write a book about OCD. People need to know that it is NOT a joke.

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  • Anon

    I appreciate this post as one of my friends has OCD and people have commented on her mental illness like it’s a personality trait not a serious problem. Thankfully she is doing well in treatment and she even helped me with my own anxiety issues. I’m inspired by her bravery.

    I wanted to ask my friend this question but I didn’t want her to worry about me: Is it possible to have OCD and NOT have the compulsions? For years I’ve been dealing with horrible thoughts that I can’t seem to shake. For a couple years they lessened enough that they didn’t bother me too badly but I recently made an educational choice (I can’t explain in detail or I will start thinking about it again) and now the thoughts came back intensely. It’s been almost two weeks and they haven’t gone away. I try to remind myself that I won’t do what my thoughts make me think I’m going to do and I avoid certain situations because I’m afraid I MIGHT do what my thoughts make me think I’m going to do. Sometimes I wonder if I am a _______. and I need to be locked up. (I can’t write it otherwise I will feel disgusting.) Sorry, it’s hard to explain but I HAVE to be vague otherwise I’m going to be bothered for a while. Like I think about this shit for 30mins-3hrs a day and but I don’t line things up, wash my hands or check things in order to stop the thoughts. Although if I had a way to stop them I would damn well use it. Sometimes I find ranting to myself in my head about how I would NEVER do that or thinking about ______ in safe situations helps but usually I just avoid _____ or do ______ to feel like I won’t do _______. Is that a mental illness of some kind? (If you can even figure out what I’m trying to explain.) It might not be ocd but could it be something else? Anyway, is it possible to have the O but not the C?

    Also, it’s awful because I can’t even see a psychologist because then the psychologist might think I’m a monster and put me in jail even though I’ve never done anything illegal and I DON’T want these thoughts or do ______. Will they just go away on their own again? This stuff started six years ago but it went away for almost two years before it resurfaced a week and a half ago.

    Reply
    • Sydney Nolan

      Thank you for the comment. Dr. Jeff Szymanski, a clinical psychologist and the executive director of the IOCDF, reviewed what you posted and thought it would be most helpful for him to respond in several places to different parts of the comment. His answers are marked in bold below, and start with his initials (JS).

      Please let us know if you have more questions or would like clarification on any of this as well! A great way to get in touch with us is by emailing info@iocdf.org or calling our office at (617) 973-5801 during regular business hours so someone here can speak with you.

      Here is the original comment, with responses from Dr. Szymanski marked in bold with initials:

      I appreciate this post as one of my friends has OCD and people have commented on her mental illness like it’s a personality trait not a serious problem. Thankfully she is doing well in treatment and she even helped me with my own anxiety issues. I’m inspired by her bravery.

      I wanted to ask my friend this question but I didn’t want her to worry about me: Is it possible to have OCD and NOT have the compulsions? For years I’ve been dealing with horrible thoughts that I can’t seem to shake. For a couple years they lessened enough that they didn’t bother me too badly but I recently made an educational choice (I can’t explain in detail or I will start thinking about it again) and now the thoughts came back intensely. It’s been almost two weeks and they haven’t gone away.
      (JS): In general when someone reports that they have obsessions and no compulsions, what we find out is that the compulsions are mental or internal. Or, the individual engages in avoidance as a way of managing the obsessions and anxiety (which would also be considered a compulsion). The best way to think about it is that obsessions are automatic and intrusive. And they come with a lot of anxiety and distress. Compulsions are any behaviors, internally or externally, that are purposefully done with the intention of trying to get away from the obsession or intended to minimize the distress that was generated by the obsession. For example, you wrote
      I try to remind myself that I won’t do what my thoughts make me think I’m going to do and I avoid certain situations because I’m afraid I MIGHT do what my thoughts make me think I’m going to do.
      JS: In this case “thought suppression” and avoidance would be the compulsions. Similarly, you wrote
      Sometimes I wonder if I am a _______. and I need to be locked up. (I can’t write it otherwise I will feel disgusting.) Sorry, it’s hard to explain but I HAVE to be vague otherwise I’m going to be bothered for a while. Like I think about this shit for 30mins-3hrs a day and but I don’t line things up, wash my hands or check things in order to stop the thoughts.
      JS: In this case “mentally reviewing” and trying to reassure yourself would be the compulsions. “Thinking about this for 30mins-3hrs a day” means that you are both experiencing obsessions, then responding with mental compulsions like the reassurance statements you write below.
      Although if I had a way to stop them I would damn well use it. Sometimes I find ranting to myself in my head about how I would NEVER do that or thinking about ______ in safe situations helps but usually I just avoid _____ or do ______ to feel like I won’t do _______.
      Is that a mental illness of some kind? (If you can even figure out what I’m trying to explain.) It might not be ocd but could it be something else? Anyway, is it possible to have the O but not the C?
      JS: The reason to differentiate between obsessions and compulsions is because of how the treatment works. Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the most effective treatment for OCD and works by having the individual with OCD experience the intrusive and automatic obsessions (“exposure”), but to not engage in the compulsive behavior (“response prevention”). For more about treatment go here. In terms of a diagnosis, OCD is having obsessions and compulsions AND it is time consuming and interfering with your life. The only way to know if you have OCD is to consider talking to an OCD expert.
      Also, it’s awful because I can’t even see a psychologist because then the psychologist might think I’m a monster and put me in jail even though I’ve never done anything illegal and I DON’T want these thoughts or do ______. Will they just go away on their own again? This stuff started six years ago but it went away for almost two years before it resurfaced a week and a half ago.
      JS: A spike in OCD symptoms is also common during periods of stress and transition. Consider reading the book “Imp of the Mind” by Lee Baer. He describes hundreds of people he has worked with who all have reported to him the worst possible thoughts imaginable. There are also great expert opinions on our website here.

      Reply
      • Anon Again

        The thoughts and mental responses are becoming more time consuming and stressful. I am getting treatment for a different anxiety disorder now so I may consider bringing up the thoughts to my psychologist. I’m not sure if I’m brave enough or if I can even say them out loud at this point. But I appreciate your comment. I found it very helpful.

        Thank you!

        Reply
  • Robert

    I know I have intrusive thoughts, I would get thoughts stuck in my head. However I don’t have compulsions that are visible. However it is odd I used to think something it would get stuck, i kept asking myself why did I think that. Then it would not go away. However the nature of the thoughts are most horrible and unwanted thoughts. However I have the thoughts now but they are not as strong as they were. They pop up they are still there the same thoughts. Then they are mental visual images or like a video, then it can get stuck and I feel i have to avoid even if it is a person I had the thought about. Then i had a problem with triggers like if a certain word was spoken or a image or person seen it would cause the intrusive thoughts to resurfaces. I will describe a case i would take the Bible with me everywhere and in the care I would get intrusive thoughts where I would throw it out the door. it started with I don’t want to throw the Bible out the door and why did I think this? and every time for awhile I would get the same thought stuck i my head and I would be basically arguing with my own mind.

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  • Sandi

    Thanks for telling it like it is!

    Reply
  • steve

    Im 18. I suffer from Trichotillomania and pyrophobia and haphephobia. I recently had an obsession with a HTGAWM character to the point of almost being a stalker. Im afraid of killing people, yet I dream of doing some very nasty things to people I dont like, and im afraid of becomimg a stalker and accidentally hurting someone. I cannot stand sleeping without noise or with my arms not under blankets. I love Art to the point where I feel like im going to drop dead if I cant do it at school and I have an irrational fear of the dark and of being forced to swim

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  • steve

    I am a girl, just clarifying that

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  • For up to thirty years, I have suffered and struggled with this monster disorder named OCD. I am a christian and have faith in Jesus Christ. I suffer also much guilt over not being able to gain self-control over my fears. OCD worries are not the same as common anxieties. These “thoughts” shout loudly inside my brain & cripple my perception of things. I end up cleaning doorknobs and car keys and so many things in my home & also get Pure O thoughts which are so bizarre I can’t talk about them openly. There are good days & bad days. I haven’t even told my husband how bad my mind gets. I have been off and on medications & have suffered suicidal thoughts. If God were not with me, I think I would be much worse off. Prayer does help me. I do believe that OCD is caused by demons.
    I have been to a deliverance minister. It seemed confusing to me but I still have faith in God & that’s one place my OCD cannot ever twist or distort. My heart goes out to all of you fellow-sufferers. May we get relief from our torment! Love, Georgia

    Reply
    • Ames

      Hi Georgia! I am also a devout Christian, and have been my entire life. I have a word of scripture to share with you. I John 4:4 “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

      OCD is not caused by Demons. It is a genetically heritable disorder. It runs strongly in families. You can also SEE it on metabolic brain scans. The metabolism and blood flow is different in brains with OCD. The brain is part of the body, just like the heart. If you get heart disease, you have chest pains or palpitations. If you get brain disease, your thoughts don’t work right. Because your brain is like the radio that your soul uses to think. Imagine a radio that is stuck between channels. You will get a hissing static, and the music will sound funny. If your brain is off, the thoughts that you try to think get stuck or turn to obsessions that you hate. In a radio that is stuck between channels, there is nothing wrong with the music. It is just the radio is messed up. In the same way, your spirit and soul is just fine, but when you have OCD, the brain doesn’t process your thoughts right. It is not demonic at all, it is just a disease in the nerves of your brain that makes your thoughts messed up.

      Can God heal you? Sure. But you are not under the power of demons. Ask God to heal your brain. Would you feel “guilt” if you could not gain self-control over a heart attack? I sure hope not. That is why you should not feel guilt about not being able to control your fears. It is a false guilt that you feel. I know a lot of churches have not caught up with medical science.

      Reply
  • Bear Cary

    I have OCD and it is BAD but it has nothing to do with being a clean freak. In fact the opposite. I dont want to touch things if the place gets messy. I dont let things go to the point of mold and cobwebs but I dont clean with a toothbrush and never will. This is what OCD makes me do:

    Compulsively hoard things.Books, shoes, clothes and teacups.
    Compulsively pick my skin. I am obsessed with skin heath and strive to keep my skin as clean as possible. Anything on it such a blemish has to go. One way or another it’s coming off my skin.
    I write compulsively. All day, everyday.
    I count everything in groups of three. If I deviate outside of the “groups of three” when counting I have to start over.

    and on and on. OCD for me is NOT:
    Obsessive planning
    Obsessive cleaning
    Obsessive dieting working out etc
    Obsessive need for order.
    and all the cliches.
    People are so ignorant sometimes. “Oh you have OCD? Why is your house so cluttered?” Educate yourself, please.

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  • Adam

    Hi my name is Adam, I have had OCD since I was a kid and now I’m 37 and still have it. I am on meds for it but it don’t seem to work. I still feel like I have to do it. Like a certain feeling on my feet like a bump or crack on the floor I have to go over it untill it feels like I don’t,or it feels right… That is just one of many things I need to do to feel less anxiety… The anxiety is horrible it is consuming all my energy and I have a hard time focusing on daily life.. Even thow I still hold a job it’s getting worse the older I get… But am trying to get help but no one really understands this OCD thing.. When people say just don’t do it yea right already tryed that it don’t work and you just think about it all the time..

    Reply
    • Alex Bahrawy

      Hello Adam,

      My name is Alex Bahrawy, I’m the Community Support Coordinator here at IOCDF. Have you discussed your concerns with your current treatment provider? Feeling as though the treatment you are currently receiving is not reducing your symptoms is very vital information for your therapist to have. Having an open conversation about this will allow them to come up with a new treatment strategy for you. It may also be that your current provider is not as well-versed in treating OCD as you need them to be. For some helpful tips on making sure you are connecting with the right therapist, please visit this page: https://iocdf.org/about-ocd/treatment/how-to-find-the-right-therapist/

      In addition to this, you can find therapists who specifically indicate that they treat OCD by doing a search of our Resource Directory: https://iocdf.org/find-help/

      Ideally you will want to find someone who utilizes Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy. While medication is highly effective, it does not work for everyone. It could be that you need to be receiving both medication and ERP at the same time in order to properly reduce your symptoms.

      If you have any further questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us at 617-973-5801 or info@iocdf.org!

      Reply
  • Thank you so much for this insightful article. I have been suffering with OCD for many years and my quality of life has been rather disrupted by the troubling fearful unwanted intrusive thoughts and images and sensations caused by my OCD. Now I am feeling depressed due to lack of being able to cope with this. I pray scientists and researchers can come up with a medical miracle.

    Reply
  • Bianca Deetz

    I dislike it when people say they are OCD because they are neat. It’s a serious debilitating illness that I and others suffer with and it’s not a joke.

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  • Anne

    I recently started reading “Talking Back To OCD” and my son is starting the steps of CBT outlined in the book. I’m really excited and hopeful. The author is John March, M.D.
    The cases studies are as if the live in our home….so grateful to know that the EXACT same symptoms of my Son’s OCD are spelled out in the book.
    Also, it mentions that DOUBT and DOUBTING can be a form of OCD and can really mess with your progress during CBT,
    Good luck …. my thoughts and prayers are with you !

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  • Marios Constantinou

    Can you Not throw away the sponge or rewash the dishes? Can you friend Not arrange her things in a rainbow? Of course her quirk is so different than yours with the sponges. Anxiety and OCD are on a continiouum/dimension wheather you accept it or now. That is why severity is an issue. I am willing to bet that in times of anxiety your sponge quirk becomes worse. Like in all people with OCD.

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  • Marios Constantinou

    Whoever wrote the opinion “article” has OCD. And yes OCD, like all disorders, is on a continuoum/dimension. Finding ways and excuses to say “its not OCD” is such a big avoidance and misinformation of the public. Lots of people will start with the sponges (as she describes) feel ok when they do it or see that all is good when I do it (reinforced) and graduate later to severer symptomatology when more anxiety is introduced into their lives. “i throw the sponge away” and then “rewash the dish”… the question is can she Not throw away the sponge and rewash the dish?

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  • Savannah

    Question: if someone with OCD that stays in their room consistently would they only clean their room and take showers regularly but yet leave message everywhere in the kitchen and basement and not wash the dishes thoroughly and still eat food and oils on them? I’m trying to understand someone telling me they have OCD but is very messy person and only cleans up their room and their body but leave messes everywhere else in my house!

    Reply
    • Sophie

      Actually, I read somewhere that people with OCD don’t necessarily clean everything. They usually do it in a particular place and that too, rather unwillingly. Hope that answers your question!
      That last sentence did bring a laugh out of me though

      Reply
  • Carlie

    I have OCD and I’m 14 and I don’t know how long I’ve had it, but most people think it just like being a neat freak or a germaphobe. It’s a lot more than that it having constant thoughts or fears that if you don’t do something a right way or a certain number of times that something bad could happen from it, and usually it really specific things for me. And I hate that some people who are more of perfectionists go around all like “I have OCD so I need to organize this book shelf to colored order”, when in reality it’s not like that. Or sometimes people who know I have it will do stuff to irritate me like flipping a book upside down, but that doesn’t really bother me in a OCD kind of way as much it just bothers me that they are messing with me so I put it the right way, and they do it again, it just makes me so mad.

    Reply
    • Ulises Garcia

      I’m sorry to tell you. But that bit about the sponges and plates is totally OCD. You feel uncomfortable unless you throw away the sponge and clean that plate again right? Once you do those things you feel better. That’s OCD. Because most people couldn’t care less if they use the same sponge. That happens to me at multiple scenarios. That’s OCD.

      Reply
      • CT

        That’s exactly what I thought!

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        • CT

          I hope that’s not rude. Sorry. But it does sound like OCD to me…maybe not.

          Reply
  • I have had OCD all of my life and my Mom always says,”You need to find a way to make it work for you” like I can just bend my mental disorder to my own benefit. My OCD has morphed a million times over the last 30 years but none of the forms from constant monitoring of my own blinking and swallowing, to contamination concerns, to aversions to paper or friction….NONE OF THEM HAVE EVER SERVED ME WELL!

    Reply
  • Paul Tasker

    I’m a 64 year old retired teacher with several horrendous mental issues including GAD, severe insomnia and acute OCD. Together these mean I have no life at all beyond coping with and continually servicing my own personal horrors. Mine is the checking OCD with intrusive thoughts which simply will not go away until I perform the compulsions which reduce the anxiety but only for a short while.
    Night time is a continual nightmare for me because it can take me 3 hours before I am even in bed because there’s checking again and again and again to be done to the point of complete exhaustion.
    The, once in bed my mind looks for things I still might need to check. I’m up and out for ages before I can finally settle. Settle is not the word because all my nights consist of short periods of tortured, broken sleep followed by waking an checking things again before trying to snatch just a little bit more sleep. If I were an animal the vet would put me to sleep.

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  • Banana

    Anyone have success with meditation or hypnosis? Gonna try both.

    Reply
  • Kayla J Clark

    This made me cry so much! I have not one person in my life that understands this or would be willing to read this. I deal with Bipolar disorder, OCD, BPD, PTSD,anxiety and depression. I have been called anal-retentive mostly by my father,people do not at all think or believe my problems are as bad as cancer or even real but in my case it has been. I am a CNA, I have cared for patients on hospice that seemed happier than me, less anxiety and less behaviors. I also deal with chronic pain and that makes everything worse. I never get to complain so I guess I am now gotta get it out somewhere.

    Reply
    • CT

      I’m so sorry! That sounds horrible! I partly share your pain because I am well aware of a mental problem with myself that is possibly OCD.
      I wish I could meet all of you guys in real life. I could try to help you and you could try to help me. *Sigh*. Life isn’t fair.
      Thanks for sharing,
      CT

      Reply
  • Rosemary Skinner

    Spent all afternoon trying to get someone to say OCD is a disability,,,why is it so VAGUE???????,. Something has to be done,,its made it hard for me getting benefits as i cannot work. ive had it for 30 yrs diagnosed,,. My family recently told me “ive had 30 yrs to get over OCD”!!. I could not believe this after i have opened up and decided to tell this member of my family. DISGUSTING!!. It has to be openly ,widely,legally directly talked about and recognized now!!. Stop making it difficult for people!!

    Reply
    • Anonymous

      That is so true! It is just hateful the way people treat these disorders. I think that mental problems are actually worse than any other problems.
      Also, give your family some time. Maybe they’ll come to their senses and understand? Tell them exactly how you feel. People don’t just “get over” chronic illnesses!

      Reply
  • Not sure if anyone will read this but I think I might have OCD- I am becoming crazy organized,as in if something is out of place I have to fix it. I cant sleep some night because im thinking about what i need to fix. One time I got up at 1:00 am to move markers from one bucket to another. Besides that I am constantly seeking approval and I pick out my eyelashes, which as Ive read are some common things. Lots of little things annoy me, a library near us has big letters saying “public library” in a font that makes the u in public look like a v, which drives me so insane I have to look away when I pass it in the car. I’m 13 and trying my best to do as much reaserch as possible. If anyone could respond with insight on this that would be great!

    Reply
    • Jessica Price

      Hi Ashleigh—Thank you for sharing, and I’m so sorry to hear about your struggles. Please contact us at info@iocdf.org if you would like to talk to our resource specialist. She can help you get support.

      Reply
  • Sofia

    I need some advice and I hope dearly that someone would respond and help me because all of this might just drive me crazy.
    I’m 15 and I think I might have both ADD and OCD. I can’t ,just CAN’T go anywhere without turning off all the electrical appliances and I just have to go back every time to check if I left any light on or not. I set up these conditions in my head for every small thing I do. If I am packing my school bag and look at the books arranged on the shelf, I feel this urge to take a particular book and keep it in the bag and when I resist, my brain makes up brutal scenes in my head that would happen if I don’t put that book in. Leaving the book behind just doesn’t feel right. Then, my mind makes up conditions for both scenes and I get stuck, not knowing whether I should put the book in or not. I end up feeling more frustrated and angry than ever before and just feel like throwing the whole shelf down. Something like this isn’t normal. I have had these symptoms since I was 8 and it was only when my brother showed me his pictures and I noticed that two pictures were still left to cover an entire row, that I came to know that I might have OCD. I asked my brother to put two more pictures so that the row got covered because it was disturbing me so. He was the one who then, told me about OCD. I had never heard of it before but everything started to fit.
    Then, I’m always so distracted. I have my own world and I shift from one topic to another faster than the speed of light. I just can’t seem to focus and often, I have this whirlwind of emotions I can’t really explain. It’s just so frustrating! The only symptom of ADD I don’t have is the impulsive behavior. I guess OCD cuts that off. I just don’t know and I’m so confused.
    I can’t seem to tell about this to anybody and I know I should but I can’t. I get upset over the smallest of things and I just fear that others will make fun of me or see me in a different way than they used to. There is this rising fear that if I tell to someone and they take me to a person who can tell what problem I’m facing, the person will say that I have no problem at all and then everyone will think I’m too sensitive or worse, make jokes about it.
    Please tell me what I should do!

    Reply
    • Jessica Price

      Hi Sofia–Thank you for sharing, and I’m so sorry to hear about your struggles! Please email our resource specialist at info@iocdf.org so she can help you.

      Reply
  • Sophie

    I really need advice about this so I hope that someone will respond and help me because I think that all of this might just drive me crazy. I don’t know for sure but I think I have both ADD and OCD. Many places that I use except my own room are left messy by me but I simply just HAVE to go arrange everything in a neat order and the pencils by decreasing order when I start to study. Also, I don’t clean places other than my room often, but when I do, I feel the urge to clean one more thing. The one OCD symptom that I can relate to the most, is the urge to do something or else something bad would happen. I do this for the smallest of things. I have also noticed that I used to do all of this madly when I was 8 but I’m 15 now and I can resist to these conditions much more than I used to. They were worse an year ago. Also, I am known to write slower than any other kid in my class. Is that a symptom? While writing, if I accidentally make a letter wrong, I feel forced to overwrite it and make it a bolder but right version of itself. And the difference between that wrong and right is only a smudge or a little dot away. I get confused between the smallest of things – should I put that copy over there? No, I put it there but it doesn’t feel right. I should put it back. Ugh! Still doesn’t feel right!.
    Stuff like this happens daily and it makes me feel just so ANGRY and irritated that I feel like breaking everything in the house or punching the wall hard. Surely that is not normal!
    I don’t think I can ever focus. It’s night and I have a lot to cover for my exam tomorrow but I’m here. I make almost everyone in the house read the essay I wrote for school and tell me how they feel. Is there something wrong? A little punctuation or a letter? Are you sure? How do you think it is? Sure?
    I get lost ever so often, get distracted ever so easily and almost always forget instructions that others give me. Hell I can’t even remember what I ate yesterday or what the directions from my school to home are! That sure is embarrassing, but true. I can change topics at the speed of light, loose my train of thought, forget what I came in a room for. every. day. Every 20 minutes actually. THAT is getting sidetracked a little bit too much, don’t you think? I’m not stupid though, I have great logic and I do score great on the subjects I actually like doing, but doesn’t everyone? So, I went online and took tests for both OCD and ADD and got ‘Highly Likely’ in both of them.
    I often feel this whirlwind of emotions around me and get upset on the smallest and silliest of things and I hit my head, stub my toe and hurt myself 2-3 times everyday because I don’y pay much attention. While walking down the stairs, I imagine myself falling down and have to extra careful to not let that happen. Honestly, I don’t even know if those are symptoms of ADD and OCD or me being really sensitive. These are all things that I find myself hiding from other people. All of this had made the simplest of tasks difficult for me and I need someone to help me.

    Reply
    • Jessica Price

      Hi Sophie–Thank you for sharing, and I’m so sorry to hear about your struggles! Please email our resource specialist at info@iocdf.org so she can help you.

      Reply
  • Sophie

    I really need advice about this so I hope that someone will respond and help me because I think that all of this might just drive me crazy. I don’t know for sure but I think I have both ADD and OCD. Many places that I use except my own room are left messy by me but I simply just HAVE to go arrange everything in a neat order and the pencils by decreasing order when I start to study. Also, I don’t clean places other than my room often, but when I do, I feel the urge to clean one more thing. The one OCD symptom that I can relate to the most, is the urge to do something or else something bad would happen. I do this for the smallest of things. I have also noticed that I used to do all of this madly when I was 8 but I’m 15 now and I can resist to these conditions much more than I used to. They were worse an year ago. Also, I am known to write slower than any other kid in my class. Is that a symptom? While writing, if I accidentally make a letter wrong, I feel forced to overwrite it and make it a bolder but right version of itself. And the difference between that wrong and right is only a smudge or a little dot away. I get confused between the smallest of things – should I put that copy over there? No, I put it there but it doesn’t feel right. I should put it back. Ugh! Still doesn’t feel right!.
    Stuff like this happens daily and it makes me feel just so ANGRY and irritated that I feel like breaking everything in the house or punching the wall hard. Surely that is not normal!
    I don’t think I can ever focus. It’s night and I have a lot to cover for my exam tomorrow but I’m here. I make almost everyone in the house read the essay I wrote for school and tell me how they feel. Is there something wrong? A little punctuation or a letter? Are you sure? How do you think it is? Sure?
    I get lost ever so often, get distracted ever so easily and almost always forget instructions that others give me. Hell I can’t even remember what I ate yesterday or what the directions from my school to home are! That sure is embarrassing, but true. I can change topics at the speed of light, loose my train of thought, forget what I came in a room for. every. day. Every 20 minutes actually. THAT is getting sidetracked a little bit too much, don’t you think? I’m not stupid though, I have great logic and I do score great on the subjects I actually like doing, but doesn’t everyone? So, I went online and took tests for both OCD and ADD and got ‘Highly Likely’ in both of them.
    I often feel this whirlwind of emotions around me and get upset on the smallest and silliest of things and I hit my head, stub my toe and hurt myself 2-3 times everyday because I don’y pay much attention. While walking down the stairs, I imagine myself falling down and have to extra careful to not let that happen. Honestly, I don’t even know if those are symptoms of ADD and OCD or me being really sensitive. These are all things that I find myself hiding from other people. All of this had made the simplest of tasks difficult for me and I need someone to help m

    Reply
    • Sophie

      Sorry about the repeated comment! I actually reloaded the site and looked and no trace of the comment was there so I posted again. Sorry about that

      Reply
  • Donald Ostrem

    My name is Donald oostra. I’ve been struggling with OCD for the past 30 years. I guess my father had it and I will had a couple of severe head entries was in high school. My problem is religious ocd. I’ll try to be a Christian but I have some problems. My fear is the impartable sin. I don’t think I have committed it, but after many episodes it makes you feel like you might have committed it even though it says by many religious people I didn’t. this along with farming things and intrusive thoughts drive me up the wall I wasn’t exercising that much but I am I do feel good, but these thoughts keep coming straight back. So far I’m getting help through the VA and no ocd. my thing I fear about is that it’s going to keep coming back and this is going to be permanent. I need to get more active in my life too and I pray. My thing about my problem is that my mind says you’re going to do that you believe that anything and anything opposite it seems like and it just won’t go away. I guess I’m going to keep on trying.

    Reply
  • Donald Ostrem

    My name is Donald Ostrem. I’ve been struggling with OCD for the past 30 years. I guess my father had it and I will had a couple of severe head entries was in high school. My problem is religious ocd. I’ll try to be a Christian but I have some problems. My fear is the impartable sin. I don’t think I have committed it, but after many episodes it makes you feel like you might have committed it even though it says by many religious people I didn’t. this along with farming things and intrusive thoughts drive me up the wall I wasn’t exercising that much but I am I do feel good, but these thoughts keep coming straight back. So far I’m getting help through the VA and no ocd. my thing I fear about is that it’s going to keep coming back and this is going to be permanent. I need to get more active in my life too and I pray. My thing about my problem is that my mind says you’re going to do that you believe that anything and anything opposite it seems like and it just won’t go away. I guess I’m going to keep on trying. I am so mixed up. It feels like being on a ball and chain

    Reply
    • Jessica Price

      Hi Donald–Thank you for sharing your story. I’m so sorry to hear about your struggles. Please contact us at info@iocdf.org and we can help you find support.

      Reply
  • Jess

    What exactly is counting OCD? I have looked into this because I always count things in rooms, like corners of pictures and walls and doors. I sometimes multiply, add and subtract the numbers too so I get an even number… but not always. I don’t do it for any particular reason, or worry something will happen if I don’t, but I do it anyway. Is this OCD?

    Reply
    • Jessica Price

      Hi Jess! Thank you for your comment. Please contact us at info@iocdf.org and our resource specialist can get you more information.

      Reply
  • K

    Suffering from OCD can be a living hell.

    Reply
  • i have so many mental disorders i don’t even know every single one i have

    I’ve had OCD for as long as I can remember and I can say it’s definitely not all like this. I’ve been diagnosed from a young age, and my rooms always been a huge disaster. It’s always been tiny little things that’s ticked me off personally. (Well, I mean besides my bookshelf. I’m always reorganizing that mess.) From what I’ve seen, I think everyone goes through everything at least slightly differently. It’s slowly vanishing though, tbh. Only things my OCD really cares about anymore is my books, asymmetrical items or buildings (especially in minecraft) or my art. While writing this I remembered this one time I stayed behind in math class just to fix some magnets on a board that were a little crooked. Unrelated, they were just so perfect.

    Reply
  • do you want to know about ant so this blog is one of the best at the whole world

    Reply
  • CT

    I can’t believe he said that! I share your anger.

    Reply
  • CT

    I am 10 years old and my probably-OCD started last year, as I’ve mentioned. I’m not sure if it’s actually OCD, and I feel kinda like Jess up there. I don’t always do my OCD rituals, and there’s no reason why I do things three times and stuff. I just have to do it or I feel yucky. Do I have OCD? I need help.
    Some of my obsessions are:
    1. I cannot touch blood or ahhhhhh
    2. I’m afraid I’ll drop a knife and hurt someone when I hold a knife.
    3. I have superstitious ideas about numbers (3 is the best, 8 is terrible.
    4. I have the evenness thing.
    5. I’m scared of forgetting important information when throwing something out.
    6. I reread things and write certain things with my finger in the air. I HAVE to finish the sentence in the air or I feel yucky (This might be a compulsion. I’m not sure).
    7. I worry that I don’t have OCD and there’s something wrong with me.
    Some of my compulsions are:
    1. I pray hard and ope that bad things won’t happen.
    2. I count while performing a task so I land on a good number (e. g. 3)
    3. I check to make sure nothing terrible happened.
    4. I check some parts of my body.
    5. I put things in order until it feels right (e. g. I put my books in rainbow order–is that OCD?!).
    6. I repeat body movements to end on 3 or another good number.
    7. I repeat normal things to end on a good number (especially 3 and especially not 8.
    These are the things I struggle with in day-to-day life.
    Also, if anyone responds, please note that I am a kid and my parents won’t let me have email, so I cannot email anyone. I can’t receive emails, either. Well, I can, but I can’t see them.
    Thank you for reading. Please respond.

    Reply
    • Jessica Price

      Hi CT — Thank you for your comment, and we’re so sorry to hear about your struggles. Please give us a call at (617) 973-5801 and our resource specialist can help you find support.

      Reply
      • CT

        Thank you for responding! I think I will call you. I don’t even know what to say right now. Thank you, thank you, thank you. If I can,I’ll do it soon. Thank you again.

        Reply
        • Lillie

          Aw your lucky someone replied, I hope your figured everything out 😊

          Reply
  • Diana S OConnor

    OCD is so awful I struggle with this on the daily. I would not wish it on anyone. Those intrusive thoughts are horrible and will adopt animals like crazy I obsess over it then I will have to turn around and rehome them because I don’t have the time to give them attention and can’t afford to feed them

    Reply
    • Jessica Price

      Hi Diana – Thank you for your comment, and I’m so sorry to hear about your struggles. Please call us at (617) 973-5801 or email us at info@iocdf.org so our resource specialist can help you find support.

      Reply
  • CT

    Hi, do you have any tips for how to tell your parents? I’ve been on the verge of telling them for weeks now, but I just don’t know how. At one point my mom noticed, but I lied and said I was fine. WHY DID I LIE??? I hate myself. Now how do I fix it

    Reply
  • CT

    Oh, and I am almost completely sure I have OCD now. I worry about, um, the sexual stuff, you know. And I have a lot of other things, too. Thanks. I’ll call you if I can work up the nerve.

    Reply
  • Lillie

    I don’t know if this is OCD but every time someone puts up my blinds I always have to put them down and then put them back up again myself. Or every time someone makes my bed and puts new sheets on I get very angry and can’t control my feelings. When I was 9 or 10 my mum put some new sheets on my bed and I got very angry and ripped it all off and then started crying and I couldn’t control how I felt. So I’m really confused because I don’t know if this is OCD or it’s something else.

    Reply
  • Srini

    I have this OCD problem sometimes. Constantly checking out if my chair is touching the wall or not and also I’m compelled to check the other objects as well. So by this thing, I can’t even watch movies relaxedly. Any tips to overcome?

    Reply
  • PALLAVI SINGH

    I go out like a normal person , meet people, shake hands , eat outside etc….but when I come back home, I immediately wash my hands, then put clothes that I was wearing in the washing machine and take a full bath . Only then I touch anything else in my house.I also clean my laptop with some glass cleaner spray( coleen in India). I also wash the bag i had taken in the washing machine only.
    Anything that I bought from outside will either be washed like a pack of chips or will be transfered to a container in such a way that the chips packet does not touch the container.
    Also If anybody comes to my house and sits on the couch,I put the couch covers for washing also in the washing machine. and if the person has touched anywhere in the house , I wipe that spot with a glass cleaning solution (like colin in India).
    Is is OCD?
    I dont fear anything bad happening , but I just get a feeling that ” oh no , my house has become dirty “if any outsider comes and touches it.Is it OCD? I have maintained it to this level and promised my husband not to increase this further….but this much I dont want to give up…the thought of giving this beahaviour made me super sad and teary …is it OCD? if it is not based on any fear …but just a feeling that my house has to be clean and untouched by anything except me and my husband’s clean hands.

    Reply
  • Jessica

    You know I’m so weird and hyperactive that my OCD is probably the only normal thing about me that people see… And contrary to what a lot of people believe OCD is not a “neat freak” disease Im actually quite lazy and a lil sloppy.

    I’m definitely not as bad as I was with a child but I do tend to go about every once in a while and rearrange my knickknacks but they always end up in the exact same spot unless I move them to a completely different room…🫣🫠🙄🫥🫡

    Reply

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