People that say to me "Oh, seriously! Everyone is OCD!"
Really? Could you be a little more thoughtless, ignorant, and condescending? Do you also go to the school of Just Take Some Vitamins and You'll Be OK Because it's Not Really an Affliction? I hear Tom Cruise is a stellar Dean of Admissions.
Let me tell you something. If EVERYONE had OCD, here are a few things that would be true:
1. Very little would get done as we'd all be periodically stuck screwing with the locks, stove knobs, washing hands, or whatever your obsession may be.
2. Zoloft and Xanax would be in the drinking water like fluoride as a way to help the population cope with its crippling anxiety.
3. My therapist would not be driving a Prius, but rather would be chauffeured to work every day in a Rolls Royce as she would be one of the wealthiest people on the planet.
4. PEOPLE WOULDN'T SAY DUMB SHIT LIKE THAT TO ME.
Here's the deal. If you've never been trapped in your room by fear, had a facial twitch, sabotaged important relationships, not been able to go to work, not slept for 11 months because you had to vigilantly watch your sleeping infant, had unbearably time consuming compulsions and rituals that you couldn't stop, or any other number of incredibly embarrassing things that you can't even vocalize for fear that an angry mob will form outside your house as you OBVIOUSLY should have been committed AGES ago THEN JUST STOP TALKING.
OCD has become such a common term to describe meticulous people. No, not everyone is OCD. People are quirky... some must have things clean, orderly, etc. It's not even close to being the same thing. Trust me, I know.
11 comments:
I fall into this category, "No, not everyone is OCD. People are quirky... some must have things clean, orderly, etc." Its not OCD. Its called being abnormally anal retentive!! I can't have my niece and nephew to our house because they screw up my neat, tidy, clean house and infect it with mess, germs, and grime. (I know that sounds horrible, but its the truth!) I wouldn't call myself OCD, but I totally know what you're talking about! I get some of my traits naturally...my real mom used to have to tap her glass down 3 times on whatever surface she was sitting on before actually letting go of the glass. We all do strange, odd things, but please don't feel like you're alone!
While I totally get the insensitivity you're referring to, I think it's also important to recognize that OCD, like all psychological disorders, has a spectrum, and someone on the lower end of that spectrum should not be dismissed or not allowed to label their disorder what it is for fear of insulting people on the more severe end of the spectrum.
Take me, for example. The fact that I insist on having clean baseboards can certainly be considered "quirky." The fact that I don't go to sleep some nights because it's not right to sleep when your baseboards are dusty is obsessive-compulsive. At least that's what my therapist tells me. Or me saving magazines for years and organizing them = quirky. The fear that I will one day need a picture or an article and the magazine it was in went out with the trash years ago = OCD.
I agree with and understand the point of your post, meticulous people are always casually throwing the term OCD around. I admit to doing it myself. And it's insensitive. But I just feel the need to represent the people who may not be paralyzed by OCD, but are certainly affected by it.
I couldn't agree more. In fact people at work were calling someone OCD because she likes to organize things. Um...that doesn't make you OCD and frankly the fact that they were making fun of it pisses me off. I DO NOT believe that everyone has a form of it. It is a chemical imbalance. People may have compulsive tendencies but are not OCD. You may be a clean freak but that doesn't make you OCD. I myself have posted about this disorder. I know it well as I am affected by it. Sometimes to the point where my husband has to intervene just so I can stop. I went to a Psychiatrist for a number of years, tried medication, went to a therapist, etc. I will not medicate myself anymore. Behavior/exposure therapy was the only thing that kinda worked.
Anytime you want to talk about it, let me know!!
I have also noticed that people (usually who don't know anyone OCD) call everybody and anybody who is clean/organized/quirky OCD. I don't think they really get what that means to some people who have a serious problem.
I get what you're saying Twit, but people will call any old person who likes to have things in alphabetical order OCD and it is just ridiculous. You obviously know what OCD means- these people don't.
Yes. Anal retentive does not necessarily equal OCD.
Might I also add that I think people throw the diagnosis of autism around too nonchalantly? Like, people diagnose other people's kids because they're hyper or something. That really "grinds my gears."
Agree, everyone is NOT OCD. I think the term gets thrown around alot and it is not always taken seriously for people who do have to live with this and who have to live with the extreme anxiety that can come with it. I also agree with Twit that there can be different levels of severity, but still OCD should just not be mistaken for quirks or habits.
My mom, sister and I all have these tendencies that we say can be a bit OCD at times. Whether they are or not we don't know. I do have to count things a certain amount of times: like when I set my alarm I push the button 6 times. If I stop or get distracted I start over. I have to say that my garage dooor is down three times if not I won't believe it is down and freak out. If I don't follow my night time routine of checking doors and appliances I can't go to bed until I do. I have things like that...more like rituals and counting. These things can be annoying and cause alot of anxiety if I don't do them, but I don't really know any other way and have never attempted to stop them.
Good rant Nadja. I also think that people tend to be self absorbed and think they have every "illness" in the book. Take ADD for instance. Ex: "OMG, I am so ADD." You know those people, and they are not, they just need to be slapped.
Oh there are absolutely different degrees of OCD. In its definition it says that it involves intrusive thoughts or actions that interrupt your daily activities. What you're describing, twit, is exactly that. And please realize that I am one of the most understanding and compassionate people when it comes to disorders and I would NEVER make someone feel like theirs is trivial compared to mine... that's not how I roll. I'm talking about the people that go "OMG! I hate blue pens! I'm so OCD about using my black pen!" not the person that must have their 6 black pens facing North on all corners of their desk or else they are not capable of working.
I'm sorry but I laughed out loud at that last part. If I heard some annoying girl say "I'm so OCD about using my black pen," I might be tempted to stab her in the jugular with it. (What, is that bad?)
I think that excuse would hold up in court.
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