Unfortunately – it has become commonplace for the term OCD to be thrown around frequently when talking about any sort of habit that seems peculiar to others. “You re-read your email three times to check for errors … You’re so OCD” “You rehung your pictures because you thought they weren’t straight enough? … that’s so OCD!” Society has made perfectionism synonymous with OCD. However – there is a difference between being self conscious or picky and being OCD.
Below are some examples of things that would be considered “catch phrase” versus what they may look like in the disease:
| Catch Phrase | Disease |
| Organizing crayons/markers by color. | Inability to stop thinking about if your crayons/markers are correctly color coordinated. |
| Spending hours cleaning your home to ensure it is clean for your guests. | Avoiding having guests to your home for fear that your home is never clean enough. |
| Counting the steps of the stairs as you climb them. | Fearing that if you don’t count in groups of 7 as you climb the stairs that something bad will happen. |
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is truly a debilitating disease, not just a quirky habit or a specific preference. OCD features patterns of unwanted thoughts, fears, and obsessions that lead someone to feeling the need to do repetitive behaviors (ie compulsions.) These obsessions and compulsions can cause significant distress and interfere with their daily lives.
Trying to ignore or stop obsessions generally only increases the distress that one feels – leading them to feel driven to perform compulsive acts in order to relieve said stress. Despite their best efforts, they are unable to ignore or get rid of their bothersome thoughts and urges.Often leading them to ritualistic behaviors and/or rigid schedules. All of this results in the vicious cycle of OCD: obsessive thought, anxiety, compulsive behavior, temporary relief, obsessive thought, anxiety, compulsive behavior, temporary relief… and the cycle continues.
When we break down the name of the disease, it is easier to differentiate OCD from a specific habit. Obsessive is defined as being affected by an idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes a person’s mind. We can be obsessed with something – like having our pantry organized one specific way – without suffering from OCD. Compulsive is defined as acting as a result of an irresistible urge, especially one that is against one’s conscious wishes. It is also possible to be compulsive – to act quickly and on impulse – without being suffering from OCD. Suffering from OCD is both being obsessive and compulsive at the same time. Being unable to break the cycle of obsessing over a specific thought and then compulsively acting out in a way that you believe will give you the relief that you need.
3 signs it may be time to see a therapist:
- You are finding the need to have ritualistic behaviors in your daily life.
When your daily life – or the lives of your loved ones – are affected by your intrusive thoughts. If you are finding yourself reaching for ritualistic behaviors to help ease your anxieties, it is time to seek out professional help.
- You are peralized by routine.
Do you find yourself NEEDING to uphold your routine and being unable to deal with any adjustments to it? When your routine controls you rather than you controlling it – there is an unhealthy pattern.
- Your ordinary tasks become uncommonly difficult.
Are your ordinary tasks seeming more difficult than they did before? Maybe you are finding that you need to count the way you floss your teeth – when it used to just be an unconscious task. If you are finding that your tasks that used to be easy are becoming more and more difficult – it may be time to seek out professional help.
While the catch phrase “OCD” is often used as a light hearted reference to perfectionism, struggling with the disease can have a major impact on your life and relationships. At reTHINK Therapy, our therapists are here to help you identify the obsessions and compulsive behaviors that are negatively affecting you. Once these areas are identified, we will work with you to create healthy thought patterns and coping mechanisms to allow you to regain control of your daily life. We want to help you stop surviving and start LIVING!