Community discussion: When someone says “I’m so OCD…”

I always take it “seriously.” Like- “OMG ME TOO ITS SO HARD, How do you manage it? I struggle so much!” And usually they are like “Oh I don’t actually have a diagnosis, I just like things neat!”And then I’ll educate them and maybe make it awkward but IDC. Don’t larp my illness 😭

I have to let it slide. The issue is awareness. People don’t know what it is. Hell, I was 48 before I even knew I’ve lived with it. Public awareness will help and it hurts to hear those words but I can’t get mad at them not knowing any better.

I wouldn’t feel the need to say anything because it’s not their fault they don’t know what ocd is, I would take this moment to build resilience within myself and to not be a slave to my emotions, I would then gently turn to what I know I have to do to get better with self compassion and move on with my life. Ocd is a symptom to me that can come and go like the flue. OCD is not my identity just like the flue is not my identity. But when it comes I deal with it the way I know how to get better again. People can think what they want about ocd, it’s not a rd block to my recovery.

Fun! What other conditions do you like to joke about?

I used to say that before I even knew I had OCD. Lol So I get it. People just don't know what they don't know. I try to keep in mind that there are a lot of things I don't know that other people probably get frustrated by.

I gently say, “I used to say that too until I knew what OCD really is. Now I just say I’m “particular” about things… is that what you mean when you say you’re OCD too?!” Typically they say, “yep… that’s what I mean.” Then we move on.

I always wish I could say something to clock them but I always let it slide

,, You're violating people with this. You would never want to be ocd or feel the cruelty of how it feels to have it. Please educate yourself. "

I would say "you know if you want OCD, Id be more than willing to give it to you."

I totally understand being annoyed when the term is used, almost like diminishing what we’ve all been through. With that being said, I think it’s incredible important to remember to play devils advocate when we’ve “down played” something that may be a much bigger deal to someone else. Empathy goes a long way, not everyone gets the privilege on being educated on what having OCD truly means.

It is painful when someone says that, because they don't know how much it can affect your life. I wish I could say, no you don't I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy.

Real reaction: let it slide Dream reaction: oh, do you randomly see *insert random sad morbid scene* in your head when talking to loved ones, too? So great, right? 😂

I typically go? “Oh? Diagnosed?” and if it’s “well no” then I ask if they’re comfortable sharing how theirs manifests, if they just say “i like this in order” I say oh? So you’re organized? Not OCD. typically they don’t say it again😭

I wish I could get really angry and yell at them. I didn't realize I had OCD until I was in my twenties because I thought it was all about cleaning.

I let it slide. Odd to say, having OCD, but if i don't, I'll be compelled to Educate them...which is just my ocd trying to 'explain'. Its definitely a trigger, but one Ive become used to. Definitely a 2 of 7, if that. But in the past...i'd be like 'So...you think OCD means being ORGANIZED, do ya?! Come look at my damn bedroom and let me explain a few things to you, "Mr OCD!"

You have no idea how wrong you are. I can’t stand it It drives me crazy when people think that they no what they are talking about so many people don’t understand the debt of our decease they are just ignore me. Please don’t go there as if you know.

I don't get offended especially because I've been living with OCD my whole entire life like since I was a child and I'm just now finding out what OCD is and how many things fall under the umbrella of OCD. So I say that to say if I didn't have the education about what OCD really is as a person actually unknowingly living with it I'm not gonna expect others to know. I don't find it offensive. But I'm also not a super sensitive person so that could also be it.

Just laugh uncomfortably since telling them what actual OCD is would mean I would have to talk about my own personal journey and I would rather not.

it lowkey pisses me off, i take it very personally, i scored a 50 on severity and my whole like my struggles were never acknowledged, ive even been arrested for ocd meltdown or cops have showed up to help me calm down, i hate larpers who don't understand the illness

I once said to someone, “you can joke about OCD when your hands are so dry and red from washing them that it hurts to move them, when you can’t trust your own mind, and when you start spiraling into a panic because you can’t remember if you locked the door, even though you checked it seven times.” They deleted their comment

I tell them to come see me when they have to number their socks

I sure wish I was just organized instead of having all these thoughts and double checking everything. Sure would be nice to be ‘so OCD’ 😔

I would seriously complain LESS about my OCD if it DID help me be organized1🤣🤣🤣

I go into a whole education mode, make sure they completely understand OCD and let it ruin my whole day because WTF!—noooo i wish really though. I really just show no emotion to it and honestly ignore the comment like they didn’t even say it because tbh i don’t have the time of day. “Oh well” to you and your “so ocd” comment unless your like my bestie, boyfriend or mom i expect you to know better lol

a novel, detailing all the agony for a very long time

Sometimes I want to say, "oh, man, that really sucks. What kind of symptoms do you have? I can recommend ERP if you want to seek treatment"

"Me too thanks"

Oh honey. You have no idea

I’m silent because it’s not my business to correct the world. 🤨 I’d rather focus on healing than policing vocabulary.

The last time it happened I just smiled,but I wish I could have slapped her!I also saw a license plate that had OCD on it😡

I take it seriously even if I'm sure they don't mean it seriously, and offer my sympathies. "I'm really sorry to hear that, I have it too! It's so rough to live with, but I can share some resources with you that help. If you need someone to listen without judgement and who can understand how distressing it is, I'm here! I couldn't even do [activity] for years because I thought [action] would happen, so I get it." or something like that. They usually backpedal after that, so then I tell them that they should use words like particular or finicky instead.

I would say how do the symptoms present themselves, to you? Tell me after you take a glance at the DSM-5.

I let it slide but I always take note of it. Especially in the corporate workforce, it gets said more often than you'd think.

I usually don’t know how to react. I am actually dealing with this with a good friend of mine, at the moment. He casually tosses those OCD and autistic comments like this. I have both and it does make me feel a certain way at the moment and I do want to say something but just don’t know what. However, the feeling I get fades away rather quickly.

“Oh, what makes you say that? Thank you for sharing with me”

I ignore them. It’s genuinely impossible to explain it to a person who doesn’t experience it and I’m tired of trying to

This actually happened to me at work the other day. I wanted to go off on him so hard because he said “I can’t get this glue off my hands, I’m so OCD” and I just decided that maybe he didn’t know what OCD was and let it slide, although it did bother me. I think my next step is if I get the opportunity is to educate people on what OCD actually is❤️

A friend who knew I had been diagnosed used it in an, admittedly, funny way offhand. I jokingly replied back "Dont you bring my disorder into this, thats your own thing bestie." She thought it was funny. I thought it was funny. We laughed.

When I was a teenager and had just been diagnosed, I actually had a compulsion to say "I'm soooo OCD and do stereotypically OCD things because I was afraid no one would believe me 😭

I hear it all the time (especially at work) and I really just let it go. It’s not my job to fix the problems of the world and it’s also not my job to educate people.

then i’m like omg me too what kinda stuff do u have to do bc it’s so bad then they say “oh i just like stuff too not be messy that’s it”

Makes me angry but I keep my mouth shut. It’s so frustrating.

Do some research it’s not what you think it’s definitely much more.

How I typically respond to someone saying they are “so OCD” is by a slight smile or gentle laughter. Inside, it frustrates me that they can say a comment like this lightly, though they do not understand the lengths that OCD alters people’s daily lives. I try to not be upset, and try to remember that they simply don’t get it. If it is someone I am comfortable with, or relatively close, I will take that time to educate them on the statement that they made, and how difficult and disabling it truly is to live with OCD. I also suggest if they really believe they have OCD, to talk to a specialized therapist to be sure.

Actually, when most say that, they have no understanding of OCD. It has become a commonplace phrase and unless you have been hospitalized as I was back in the late 1980’s as I was and have lived with it since then, my position now is to gently correct them. I'll be 75 soon, so it has been 46 years, but I manage to live a pretty good life. When I was diagnosed it was hardly a topic. Dr Michael Jenike at Mass General was who diagnosed me. A pioneer in the field.

It triggers me so much and then my OCD makes me obsess over it and wants me to start a whole fight with the person until they understand OCD even if it’s a random person on the internet or something. I wish I could just ignore it or at least be calm about it and not freak out like that

I don’t take it personally, I know what they mean and so I just listen. I’m glad they don’t know what that really means.

OCD has been misunderstood for many years now. It has affected me for 40 years at least and I had no clue what it was. It is difficult when it seems minimized by others, but I know that more than likely they really don’t know the true circumstances OCD can have on a person. I don’t take any of it personally anymore because of this. I’m just thankful that I understand it all much better now.

it is SO annoying sometimes like even my mom has said things like "oh sorry it's just OCD" when she's simply double checking if a door is locked. i really hate it when people are so blatant about them faking a disorder when i am PETRIFIED of telling people i have it because i feel like they're going to think im faking it. most of the time i just let it slide with an annoyed look that usually gives them a hint that i didn't like what they said, but i want to be more blunt about things regarding OCD because it's really infuriating to see so many people casually regarding something they know nothing about that i have struggled so much with.

I think in my head “GOD IF YOU ONLY KNEW” lol

Unfortunately, there is a great deal of poor portrayals of OCD in the media, television, and movies. When I was diagnosed, I remember seeing programs on tv that showed some of the worst cases I'd ever seen. Unfortunately, at that time, the primary thought about it was contamination OCD, though there was talk about neatness and perfectionism. After that, The only things I really heard about OCD was perfectionism or neatness. We really can't blame people for being ignorant of the truth. It's just like, I am seeing a girl with major depression. I'm learning every day what that means for her. And because of that, I have changed how I look at depression. Same goes for OCD. We just need to have calm, reasonable discussion about it with those around us, not for reassurance, but to help them understand how devastating it can be. I do joke about OCD sometimes, but that is to take some of it's bite away and to let people know, you can ask me about it. I'm not going to be offended by someone who wants to know. When someone says, "I'm so OCD", i just know it's one of two things: either they really don't know what that means, or they are someone who is trying to hide their inner turmoil. I used to hide it. I can't anymore.

I don’t say anything unless I really feel like it but I do think too myself you would not say that if you actually knew what is was I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy but thank Jesus I am healed in Jesus name amen!!!

Sad thing was I would use that saying to be quirky in my early 20’s but in reality my OCD symptoms are worse than I thought they really were so I feel guilt about that lol so now I am more ware but if I hear someone say it I have better understanding of how to respond

I consider the possibility that they are actually serious. I had a friend respond to an Instagram reel about OCD with "That's totally me at work!" I thought that he might be making light of it, but I simply asked him about it and he said "I don't know I feel like I've had this feeling but couldn't put a label to it" or something like that. So either he might have OCD or he's at least taking it seriously. Don't automatically assume!

I say STFU 🤣🤣🤣

It’s so annoying to me. OCD isn’t an adjective, first of all, and second, people treat it like it’s some kind of easy-to-manage habit of being cleanly. I had to educate my teacher on it at school because she called herself ‘OCD’ for using hand sanitizer. OCD sucks and I hate when it’s taken so lightly.

When someone first said your OCD I felt very hurt because they were being very serious. They said you should be checked for that. It took me about 10 years, but I finally did seek help. I now know that I am truly OCD and it’s part of my mental makeup which I’m OK with now. I know that it’s true and like anything else it has to be managed.

I heard someone say this lately and just went, “Oh do you have OCD?”

I've never had a friend or family member say that in this context. When it's someone I don't know well/someone I'm not close with, I just have a quiet judgment but don't feel inclined to say anything. If someone I did know well made this statement in this context, I would politely let them know what they said is offensive and why. I wouldn't shame them outright if it's something they haven't considered before, but it would be a problem if the behavior continued.

I don't like it because it makes me self-aware of it when I was living without noticing it. It can be jarring. I have an idea to make an informative post to be shared on professional platforms that provides synonyms to widen someone's vocabulary and avoid people's unknown triggers.

I don’t get upset because I know they just don’t understand. It’s such a normal thing for people to say, and they genuinely don’t mean any harm. I educate the people who I love and am surrounded by.

i dont say anything unless they just start spewing nonsense about ocd.

I used to not engage with it when I heard it prior to my diagnosis - I knew it was coming from a misinformed place. Now, I say "Yeah, those compulsions are sneaky! ERP has helped me so much with my OCD." Because honestly - that person might genuinely have OCD. I have no clue. But I'm ERP's biggest endorser, so if I can educate someone on tools that might change their lives - I'm gonna do that!!

My feelings usually get hurt, especially since OCD has caused me such hell… I try to calm my anger by reminding myself they probably lack awareness and just simply don’t know.

It stings a little bit, and then I remember: at this point, it’s just an expression people use mindlessly to describe being a perfectionist or whatever. Language itself is FLUID. It changes over time. Expressions change. So while yes, regardless, it’s insensitive to say, I don’t need to take everything so seriously. I let it go. I don’t need to be so fragile to and cowed by someone’s ignorance. The same way yearssss ago to say “Good luck” meant you were worshipping the god of Good Luck, nowadays it’s an expression to mean “I wish you well.” Don’t get me wrong, I’m not normalizing using “I’m so OCD” as just a harmless expression, but I’m saying: You know what they mean. You get what they’re trying to say. Don’t take it so seriously lol.

I kinda just look at them and agree 😅

I don’t say anything. Like I don’t say anything when people say they have “a touch of the tism” People are ignorant.

Like others, I let it go. There’s only a finite number of things we can control, and this generally isn’t one of them. Getting mad at them for something they don’t know any better about is asinine. If it’s regular and they’re close to you, it might be worth a polite mention, but being defensive is more likely to make them feel worse.

It certainly makes me upset. I try to to take a step back and think about how I used to view OCD before I knew I had it. I used to think I was “so ocd” for being organized. Now, it feels like a knife to the chest hearing a person say it in a funny way when they have no idea what it’s like to to have OCD rule your whole life. It isn’t their fault for not knowing, but I think our society is under a huge epidemic of fake self diagnosis as a need for attention which makes people like us who have it blinded to just how bad it really can be.

I’ve watched people literally feed the monster. I’ll tell them stop going forward

It’s really frustrating bc my best friend says it all the time now and I feel that my struggle and suffering is so invalidated. But I’m aware how many real psychological issues’ terms are in constant common vocabulary, all the way back to saying someone was “anal” if they were uptight about things. That started in the 60s. Now I can hardly get through a week without hearing somebody saying they have PTSD about something random. Or how anybody is a narcissist. I just have to take it as a fact of popular culture even though it can make me feel more isolated. It’s a two-edged sword: awareness versus minimization.

Honestly I do get bothered but I let it slide I just stay quiet 🥲

If people knew what my OCD does to me I'm pretty sure they'd hate me severely

“You’re OCD? You’re saying that you ARE obsessive compulsive disorder?” (Pause and wait for whatever BS answer they come up with) “You cannot *BE* OCD. A disorder is something that you HAVE, not what you ARE. If you were properly diagnosed, you would understand the difference.”

I don’t get mad because at this point it’s a figure of speech because it’s a condensed version of “I’m very particular about certain things, etc..”. Also I’d rather you say that than fumble with words explaining something to me that I already don’t care about.

You don’t have a clue! I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy!

Me too!

To keep it light and open the conversation for an educational moment I typically giggle and say “man I WISH ocd was that simple lol”

Depending on how well I know the person, I'll either inquire further or just ignore it. I was one of those people who would say that, and then it turned out to actually be the case. Lol

I view it as a usually honest gesture for someone to relate to me as another human being, that falls flat. I don’t take it personally.

I work in middle school and this phrase comes up often. I explain that it’s a harmful stereotype and we brainstorm what else we could say. I have students with OCD who shouldn’t have to hear that in what should be a safe space. I share my diagnosis as well. With adults, I usually let it go.

I roll my eyes in my mind

Usually with a mini lesson.

Depending on who it is, I might say something like "Well, I have OCD and I don't do that/my house is a mess." People don't realize that neatness or cleanliness or timeliness isn't necessarily a sign of OCD.

I always say, oh wow, I didnt know you were diagnosed with OCD, me too! And they they go on to explain how they haven't been diagnosed, and I explain why I have.

For a second, I do genuinely get a bit annoyed, but then I remember most people aren’t meaning it as a slight. They don’t know anything about OCD. It’s like when people think everyone with Tourette’s is cursing in public. People just don’t know, so I try and give people grace.

I would usually just like to inform them about what it really is, but most of the time I ignore it because not very many people seem to be receptive to it.

I would ask them if they even know what OCD is? How there are many forms of it.

I don’t say anything, but I wish they would educate themselves on what OCD really is. I have always wanted to say like wait like what subtype? what are ur obsessions? and question them yk?

For me, I like to use it myself lol they don’t need to know that I really am.  And when others say it, they use it as an expression like some people use bipolar as an expression too like the weather is so bipolar or she or he is so bipolar I don’t take it personally.

If they are a close friend, we will probably have a discussion about it later. If they are an acquaintance, or I barely know them, I’m just gonna let it slide. It’s not worth the effort, and I gotta trust that people in their circle will help their cultural along.

I let it slide bc it’s not worth the battle but it annoys me so bad. Like not stacking something properly doesn’t not mean that always 😭😭 I always want to be like oh really??? Same I couldn’t use the bathroom today because I was scared of the floor

I’m not in a space where I can talk about my OCD with others (yet) But I think when I’m able to, I’d take the moment to spread awareness about it. I just recently started my journey and it’s been so tough realizing all the things I don’t know about OCD. I’d like to share the stuff I’m learning so I can both practice articulating myself about it and let people know that, just like any other thing, many parts make up a whole. Really, every part matters