It annoys me so SO much how "being obsessed with cleaning" is what people still think OCD is. It is so much worse and more complicated and debilitating than just wanting to have clean hands

I feel the same with this. My OCD is bad with routines and time. It has to be proper and in the right order. Don't get me wrong, I'm a clean freak, but it has to be a specific order. My anxiety goes through the roof when something is done in a way I know it was wrong. I will go behind my husband with loading a dishwasher or folding towels etc.

I have OCD with pretty much everything in my life, it kills me most of the times, have no idea what to do really!!

Everything has to be done the right way at the right time, in the right moment. That is my OCD.

I can really understand that. I don't have to wash my hands ever 20 seconds, although there was one therapists who insisted that I only had OCD if I was fanatical about washing my hands. Arrrgh! I have the routines thing, too, and things out of place drive me crazy. Like loading the dishwasher; I know it's crazy, but things have to go in in particular places. That might not be a problem, except that my husband just throws everything in any which way. Pictures that aren't hanging straight, the pantry & fridge messed up (to me, anyway), and I cannot go to bed at night unless the kitchen is completely cleaned and everything put away. When I had surgery on my back and wasn't able to do everything, he was going to, except that he only does the dishes when everything is dirty and there's nothing clean to eat with. And he could not understand why this was a problem. I considered divorce.

Agree. I have sensorimotor OCD which has to do with obsessive attention to bodily functions. For me, my heart beat I thought I had a heart problem for a long time and sought medical help as I thought it was a physical problem with my heart impacting my daily life..

Basically ^^

same here. ocd has ruined my life. praying for you

Theres a support group you can join if interested?

My OCD is so wild. Things have to be all lined up and my school books stacked in a certain order on my desk or else I can’t do my work. Those cords can’t overlap itself or be twisted or else the house will burn down. I can’t exit through a different path I entered from. I have to walk exactly how I did or else my day will be sh*t

Mine is making things perfect and routines

It's so relieving to see that I'm not alone in this. Thanks for sharing Loretta and everyone else. Your stories help more than you know.

Loretta Lockhart, I just wanted to say that it really can get better. You have to make sure you really understand that because its easy to convince ourselves that it cant, that it wont. It will, it really will. I sought behavioral help for my OCD, and was able to train my brain to ignore compulsions just the way it has trained me to feel them. It comes and goes, but I am so much stronger than I was when I was younger because of it. Also, a useful book is called " The brain that Trains itself" by Norman Doidge. Never feel alone in this, because you aren't.

That sounds more like obsessive compulsive personality disorder... Your routines.

But you know what, alot of scientists and mathematicians had an OCD. Tesla had an OCD , which MIGHT mean that idk maybe the smarter ppl have it

U can cure it i did! Its so hard but u can do it. Next time the obsession comes again dont fight it dont push it away . Just sit down and be aware of the feeling , just observe it and it will just pass and go away.

I agree, and about a voice in the head as well, but i try very hard to fight it, something bad can happen anyway, not everything is in our control, you have to let go and live with this idea, you are stronger than you think, even strong enough to deal with the consequences od this "bad" thing, just think possitively, you must be very sensetive person, who takes everything close to his heart, knows how to love and known heartbraking and frustration , also you must have something that you value most of all in this life and are afraid to loose... but this is normal thing and adequate emothion , just know that u are stronger than you know, believe in yourself, work on yourself , inspire yourself every day , every hour , don't let OCD destroy your well-being , dont let your subcontios fobias influence youe everyday life and well-being of your beloved ones.

agreed. it's hard to capture the essence of normal pain, let alone the intense suffering induced by these sort of diagnoses so I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt...At the same time this is incredibly simplistic and plays into stereotypes that lead to insensitive comments and dismissal of your experiences.

story of my life. aint even know this had a name.

unfortunately it is not well known enough.. no one explains and not many people want to know.. it's sad for those affected. Sorry for my english but i'm italian..

Agree with you. Sometimes, it is even on choosing a specific font, font size, highlighting and organizing. It will bring discomfort if you can't do something you envision as an output. I have an OCD but it's not about cleaning though.

For me, I have to step on drains. But it has to be an even number of drains, I would jump so I can get an even number, if I step on an odd number, it affects me for the rest of the day. Like I have this niggling feeling in the back of my mind, that something bad is going to happen later if I don't do anything to correct it.

I do as well but I use organization and perfectionism as a distraction for the intrusive thoughts that have been debilitating for most of my life. I know drugs aren't the answer for everyone but I have found Luvox to help a lot with the obsessive thoughts. One person with OCD to another, you aren't alone.

I hope you find relief, friend. No one deserves this.

Mine is the exact same way. Trust me, you're not alone! I asked my doctor once if I could die if I paid too much attention to my breathing. I hope it gets better for you!

I have OCD as well and exercise helps a lot, especially yoga. Thank you for pointing this out.

Exercising is how I control my depression as well.

I feel that, the mayority of people dont talk about intrusive thoughts when they talk about OCD, which is somehow invalidating because when you suffer from really violent intrusive thoughts its just so frustating and energy consuming. The more you work on it the better it gets tho, when I was little i couldnt live my life in a normal way, i felt sick like why would anyones brain attack you with that type of thoughts... but the more you accept them anda accept that they do not degine you they just represent what you fear not what you are the better it gets, its a slow processes and of course its different for everybody but now i can live my life, the thoughts are in the back of my head sometimes but i know they aint real they are just part of this weird disorder and maybe even that the fact of me fearing them means i am a good person

I don't know if I got your point but I guess we have the same kind of OCD. I ruminate all the time discussing my thoughts and ideas and not being able to adhere to none of them for the fear of them being wrong. Because of this, I've lost the ability to face reality since my thoughts determined my perception of it and I couldn't trust anything that came up to my mind. If it's the same for you, just know I feel what you feel. An endless torture that doesn't let you make any step forward in your life...