Relationships

That’s a good question !! I’ll say it really all depends, most people without OCD don’t know what it really is fr so no, they can’t see it because they’re ignorant on the actual definition and what it’s like for someone to deal with it. On the flip side tho, someone who knows you have it and what it’s like for you can 100% see when it’s affecting you because they know what your obsessions/compulsions are (my bf can clock me so quick it’s scary sometimes). Me personally, I usually pick up on hints that someone I know might have it, I’ll notice similar symptoms I deal with or they’ll say something that’ll make me raise an eyebrow. It can be hard to tell tho because it could also just be GAD ( I have that too). Lastly, I feel like it would be hard to clock strangers or coworkers or sum cause depending on the kinds of OCD they deal with, they could be doing something in their head and you’ll never know.

I can see ocd in others, because I have it. Also because one of my special interests is researching specific mental conditions primarily ones I have. So I can definitely spot it in people that may not know they have it. People dont see I have ocd because they are looking for the stereotypical definition, but when they describe me, or criticize me, they typically list symptoms of having actual ocd. "Youre so worried people hate you" "youre such a rule follower" "why are you so fixated about what you did in the past?". I once had a close friend at the time associate me with Moxie, a character from Helluva boss who is primarily shaking in his boots with a shakey voice asking his boss if something is safe or smart to do. Hes also labelled as the buzzkill in the group... all examples of people describing my moral ocd... So yes, I do believe people can "see" someones ocd at play, but depending on their perspective may label it differently. But either way, whether someone can recognize your ocd or not doesnt say anything about you and any opinion they form from that is their own imo

I think it’s like a spidy sense almost, my close friend and I practically picked up on the others ocd in the first 5 minutes of meeting one another lol, but in terms of non ocd people I think unless they know someone with it they don’t necessarily pick up on it but I think that goes for most things

My wife knows I have OCD, but I don’t think she completely understands it. I really don’t talk about it because it sometimes involves harmful or morbid thoughts, etc. So I would say a bit of both. I’m under the radar at work and in public, but some of my family knows I have it, but not really what it means.

No my family just thinks I’m lazy bc when I shower I tend to leave my clothes in restroom floor only bc when I shower I kid you not sometimes I will wash my hands 10 separate times and when I’m out of the shower I was them again and since I see that clothes as dirty and since obs my undergarments are there to I don’t pick it up because I don’t want to wash my hands AGAIN. And they keep telling me just pick up your clothes it’s not that hard but, they don’t know at all.