OCD and ADHD is not a fun combination

After years of struggling and never getting evaluated, I am finally going to get evaluated for ADHD next week (yay!). I’ve suffered from OCD symptoms since I was young and was only recently diagnosed as an adult with a more severe case. I have also been told by every therapist I’ve ever had that I should get evaluated for ADHD (my dad and brother as well as multiple family members also have it), but I honestly procrastinated the steps to even get diagnosed 🤣 Putting it off felt like a mix between procrastination due to executive dysfunction annnnnddddd avoidance due to OCD. The rooted fear of incompetence only grows when you have to admit how much you struggle, not to mention the perfectionism I developed to keep myself accountable for so many years often co-existed (reluctantly) with a very scary very real fears that aligned with my OCD. I was wondering if this is a common experience for people who struggle with both ADHD and OCD. I am also curious as to how medication has helped people who struggle with these two conditions. Let me know! How has your ADHD and OCD lived in your brain? I figured more people could relate!

ADHD and OCD

Corn_On_The_Cob

Date posted: 15h

Absolutely. I have inattentive ADHD and struggle hard with initiating tasks. I’ve chalked it up to my own perfectionism, which lies at the core of my OCD. Every task I set my sights on I want to do perfectly, which adds extra weight onto the initiation. It also makes it a bit harder to engage in ERP because our minds can travel a mile a minute. This combination is well known—you just have to hold yourself to the practice. Medication helps.

Anonymous

Date posted: 7h

@Corn_On_The_Cob Thank you for sharing. This is very true! I am hoping to look into medication following the formal diagnosis and excited to try it out.

LouLouDaki18

Date posted: 13h

i have both and relate to the struggle. i'm constantly like "but what if i forgot something super important?" because i am very forgetful due to my adhd. ocd and adhd are fighting each other for dominance in my brain a lot of the time

Anonymous

Date posted: 7h

@LouLouDaki18 This is absolutely relatable. I often find myself in checking compulsions an unhealthy amount because I’m aware that I WOULD forget to do something important, but then I kinda get stuck like that and it fuels the intrusive thoughts and continues. It is tricky for sure. Strangely enough, the more I treat my OCD, the more ADHD symptoms come out. I wonder if some of that excessive structure created by compulsions did forcibly keep some things in line but ultimately made the OCD worse by validating it. Yes a power struggle is indeed what it feels like!

FroBro22

Date posted: 13h

I have both too. It’s difficult to stay focused on exposures sometimes and easy to get swept away by intrusive thoughts because I’ve spent a lot of time distracted in my head, also with the feeling that I’m forgetting something because I can’t trust my own executive functioning. I will say I got on medication recently and it’s helped me A LOT. But I was reluctant for years. Not saying every experience is the same though, meds don’t work for everyone

TroubledEvil

Date posted: 13h

So not only is my brain a total chaos mode, but it makes me get stuck on obsessions even more.

Anonymous

Date posted: 5h

I went in for an ADHD evaluation last month and came out with both an ADHD an OCD diagnosis. I'm still trying to figure out how everything fits together.

Be a part of the largest OCD Community

Share your thoughts so the Community can respond