went to a friends dorm earlier today & I commented on how neat it was and he said “oh I’m kinda ocd about those things” I didn’t know what to say so I just let it go but it made me feel really uncomfortable. how do you guys deal with when people say those things?
I usually let it go. In the past, I’d say something but unfortunately it always made things more awkward. People roll their eyes and say things like “oh sure, everyone has ADD and OCD now” etc. - So I don’t bother. I realize it could be a great moment to educate and explain, but I honestly can’t be bothered at this point.
You don’t have to explain or educate them to any extent. If it comes up again and really bothers you can say something along the lines of “I understand you didn’t mean any harm by it but comments like this make me uncomfortable because I have ocd and it’s something I really struggle with.” You don’t have to go into any details or explain more and if it’s someone who is actually your friend they will be respectful of you and understand.
Like you just say i tried to late it go
At this point I don’t even bother saying anything anymore . Just cuz I’m used to peoples ignorance
OCD is my demon not theirs so i dont expect people to get it but during conversation sometime you can maybe mention your story and if you can spark curiosity and go from there rather than having them feel corrected. People will often close their minds of they feel attacked.
I’m on vacation and just called someone out for stereotyping OCD at the mall. She said she didn’t want to buy these boots because they would “drive her OCD crazy.” I asked her if she had diagnosed OCD and she said “No, the boots just bother me.” So I said, “Well, I do. I’ve had it a long time, and as an advocate I just want to point out that it is a very debilitating condition and you never know who could hear you make comments like that, and for some sufferers it could be offensive.” She said, “I understand,” and I thanked her for hearing me out. I was super nervous to do it, but kept my cool and even if she just dismissed me as some crazy person, I’m glad I stood up for myself and the rest of the OCD community.
I’ve tried to be really open about having OCD, but I often hear back “I’m really ocd too” or “everyone’s a little ocd” or “that makes sense because you’re so organized”- just comments that show they don’t really understand the disorder, or that they think I’m referring to a personality trait. I was wondering, how do you guys react to this or deal with these situations? And how does it make you feel? I try not not get frustrated, because OCD is not commonly well understood or spoken about. Still, sometimes I’d like it if people would process the severity and know I’m not saying I’m a neat freak.
Does anyone else find this phrase incredibly triggering?? I was just at a neighborhood barbecue with my parents, it’s a new neighborhood and I was meeting a lot of new people. I was already feeling anxious just being somewhere new with new people, and then one of the people I was talking to said “are you ok? You don’t look like you’re doing ok.” I’m definitely not ok because living with OCD makes my life the opposite of ok, but I just hate this question because it means that I’m not doing a good job I’d hiding it and other people who I don’t even know can tell I’m not ok from a 30 minute interaction. A little after that I made up an excuse and left the function because I was starting to panic. I’ve noticed this phrase to be triggering to me since I’ve had OCD. I feel like I can never get out of my head so socially interacting with people I don’t know is difficult because I’m not sure how I’m being perceived
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond
