topic OCD in public. What do you do? in Anxiety

OCD in public. What do you do?

Autumn77 — Sun, 25 Aug 2019 07:33:04 GMT

Hi all,

As we know, with a lot of mental disorders, people haveOCD tendencies. I just want to know, that I'm not the only one.

So I'll go first....at a supermarket, if a product is in the wrong spot, I pick it up, pretent to look at it, and then return it to its right spot. Ha!

OCD in public. What do you do?

Quercus — Sun, 25 Aug 2019 12:52:48 GMT

Hi Autumn77,

What a great topic for a thread. Thank you for the smile... I found myself thinking thank goodness I'm not the only one who cleans up while shopping.

I haven't been diagnosed with OCD... I'm just like that I suppose. Having previously worked in retail for years it just irritates me and I tidy up.

Once I was waiting at a hairdresser to buy a gift certificate and he was swamped and the floor was a mess. So I grabbed the broom and started sweeping up while I waited.

Maybe it sounds odd to others but being like this can be a blessing sometimes too. That day the owner was grateful and he threaded my eyebrows for free as a thank you.

So nope... you're not alone. And just think... The person stacking the shelves after hours would appreciate your help if they knew you had helped.

Nat

OCD in public. What do you do?

Guest5643 — Sun, 25 Aug 2019 13:09:08 GMT

Hi Autumn77.

Please visit my thread "there is no such thing as a little bit of ocd".

Cheers lynne

OCD in public. What do you do?

geoff — Sun, 25 Aug 2019 17:25:15 GMT

Hello Autumn, you're right, if you have OCD then this can well and truly happen, and I say this because I too have this illness.

Have a look at Lynne's thread and hope to hear back from you.

Best wishes.

Geoff.

OCD in public. What do you do?

Alexlisa — Mon, 26 Aug 2019 21:36:00 GMT

Hi all.

While I appreciate the intention of this thread we need to be careful not to minimalise the deep struggle that OCD causes. OCD is a serious mental illness, it’s not having personality ‘quirks’.

You’re right that everyone has some ‘tendencies’ as like all mental illness OCD exists on a spectrum covering all humans. But, using the example above - there is a big difference between wanting to tidy up to help out or because you prefer things neat/organised. I have diagnosed OCD and this situation would be completely different for me. I may believe that if I don’t sweep up then someone will be hurt and it will somehow be my fault. Or I might believe that if I don’t tidy it up my family will magically die. Despite knowing logically that this makes no sense, I can’t help but believe what my brain tells me (that there’s a 0.0000001% chance that something bad could happen), and so I have to do the compulsion of sweeping up to make sure things are ‘safe’.

There’s a campaign cycling through the mental health community and social media to raise awareness that “OCD is not an adjective”. As Helium pointed out there was recently a thread about this. We don’t want to be feeding here the misrepresentation that happens when people say “I’m so OCD”. I know for me and many others with OCD it makes us feel like our distressing struggles are being invalidated as just having preferences.

I hope everyone understands where I’m coming from with this. I’m happy for the thread to continue, as long as it’s in the right vein. It can be empowering to have a laugh at our struggles in the right circumstances. So I will add my own OCD behaviour that comes out in public - I won’t go near any electrical appliances if I’m at someone’s house in case I magically turn them on and it starts a fire that will be my fault. I have to hold my hands together (to be more sure they don’t do it) and get frozen stuck in the middle of a room because I’m too scared to move. It must look fairly bizarre to just be propped there like a statue 😂 In the right mood I can laugh about it, but at the time it’s just plain terrifying and makes me incredibly sad.

Alexlisa

OCD in public. What do you do?

Guest5643 — Tue, 27 Aug 2019 00:56:37 GMT

Hi alexlisa.

Thankyou very well said👍

Cheers lynne

OCD in public. What do you do?

Mary_Ploppins — Tue, 27 Aug 2019 11:33:21 GMT

Yes, i have to take the third item in the line, if there are two or more rows of the same thing i have to take the third on the right. It's really annoying as sometimes there are no third in line, so i can't get the item. Also i have became very aware of people watching me, once i was followed by a staff member and she was asking if i needed help.

I am handing over shopping to a family member so they can go pick up groceries for me.I can't do home delivery, it's just too much for me to deal with. Then, of course, i have to wipe down everything with antiseptic wipes before it can get put away. I am also on high dose medication for OCD but this past year i have had so many issues it's making life very difficult. I don't do outings or visit people except for my psych doc every 3 weeks.

I hope i haven't said anything to trigger anyone if i had to explain OCD to anyone i think i would say it is much like having a two-year-old running your brain. OOh he could have turned the lights on,maybe he unlocked the door, Uggh he has a cold and everything is contaminated in germs so now we have to disinfectant the house from top to bottom,4 cans glen 20 later, 2 bottles of disinfectant spray,disinfectant for the washing,washing powder etc. It's exhausting.

OCD in public. What do you do?

Mary_Ploppins — Tue, 27 Aug 2019 11:37:05 GMT

Hi lynne,

Could you direct me to you post please?

Thanks

OCD in public. What do you do?

Guest5643 — Tue, 27 Aug 2019 12:41:28 GMT

Hi Mary Ploppins.

Type in search "There is no such thing as a little bit of ocd"

Cheers lynne

OCD in public. What do you do?

geoff — Tue, 27 Aug 2019 16:19:09 GMT

I often refer to people to see their doctor about medication for OCD which I am taking, but it's not like taking a headache tablet which stops the pain, I still have obsessions and compulsions and whether they have been reduced I don't know, but I'd like to hear other people's opinion with OCD and get their thoughts.

Best wishes.

Geoff.

OCD in public. What do you do?

Mary_Ploppins — Wed, 28 Aug 2019 06:11:18 GMT

Hi Geoff,

I have tried to tell someone in my family that while i am taking medication it does not make it stop,it just helps to reduce some of the compulsions a little even on the highest doses . It would be wonderful if we could just take a pill and no more OCD.

OCD in public. What do you do?

geoff — Wed, 28 Aug 2019 14:29:43 GMT

Hi Mary, thanks for your reply and I quite agree.

Best wishes.

Geoff.

OCD in public. What do you do?

Quercus — Sat, 31 Aug 2019 15:13:47 GMT

I apologise if anyone felt like my reply trivialises OCD symptoms.

My intention was simply to share my experience in the hope someone else felt less alone and encouraged to write.

My drive to tidy and organise comes from my own anxiety and feeling like I have to be helping or working somehow in order to be a worthwhile person or worth someone's time. It isn't simply a preference or a quirk. I keep busy so I don't just leave.

It has upset me a bit actually reading this. Not because I feel personally offended but because I feel like the discussion was just shut down and I'd hoped to read more from others. Not everyone has a formal diagnosis but that doesn't mean they don't have input to give.