Just a little spill. I feel like I need to just say all of this because it builds up and I feel like nobody in my home will understand. So I will say it here to get it off of my chest. Right now I’m sitting at my desk with an open notebook. The notebook says... Left Page: “Ever Morning I - Wake Up - Take a Shower - Get Dressed - Apply Lotion and Sunscreen - Eat Breakfast” Right Page: “Work Days... - Pack Lunch - Brush my Teeth” My goal oriented from a lack of consistency. My work schedule (which is usually twice a week) has been really crazy over the past two months as most people have. Because my schedule isn’t normal I guess I’m trying to plan out every single consistent action that I could bring into days even when I don’t work. But I get stuck. Really stuck. If I don’t work, my day is really over after I eat breakfast. There’s no consistency, sometimes I go to the grocery store with my mom or I play with my younger sibling. I feel like I have to map out and plan every single action. I hate feeling stuck, I hate taking everything so literally! I will always follow directions to a T, so literally no matter what I do. I constantly feel like I have to follow “any guidance” like if I read an article of “55 Things to Do When You’re Bored” and the top suggestion is “Binge watch! Maybe you’d like to get into watching Top Chef!” instead of picking something to watch, I search forToo Chef. If I can’t watch Top Chef, my day is screwed and nothing else “counts” for the rest of the day. What in the world is all of this? Is this ‘just-right’ OCD? Is this even OCD? Sorry about the rant- just had to let all of that out! Hope you all are doing well.

I’ve had a lot of people tell me in OCPD groups that it sounds more like OCD. I would love some more insight if you wouldn’t mind me asking!

@Rustybird I lean towards OCPD because you seem (if I understand correctly) to be motivated to put together lists because you believe (it seems) that by doing so that you will be more productive with your day. In fact, you may even enjoy doing them because they bring some consistency to an, otherwise, chaotic inner world. Additionally, the rigid adherence to details and following directions, rules, etc., is an indicator of OCPD. Do you think that is an accurate assessment? If so, that would definitely suggest OCPD. Have you been diagnosed with OCPD by a mental health professional? It's not uncommon to have manifestations of both OCPD and OCD, but one usually is predominant.

@Fear Strikes Out I have not yet- due to COVID. I was meeting with a therapist and was set to start paperwork to do an OCD test but then everything shut down. Hopefully soon I will be able to get back on that track. I definitely see what you’re saying! That is a very helpful view. I’ve never really looked at it that way. It seems so much information on the topic on the internet is conflicting and confusing, but your explanation really made sense.

@Rustybird Without question, an accurate understanding of the differences between OCD and OCPD is the norm and not the exception. Much of the confusion lies in the fact that there are some similar manifestations. For instance, a person arranges canned food items in a specific way. The OCPD person who does this believes that this is the right way to organize the cupboard and would be upset if someone rearranged the items in the cupboard. Conversely, the OCD person might have a similar ordering arrangement but does it because they feel compelled to have a specific organization and, if it is not done that way, they have great anxiety that something unrelatedly bad will happen (e.g., something bad will happen to a loved one). Therein lies the distinction. If the behavior is guided by an underlying fear and anxiety, it's OCD. If, on the other hand, it's the result of a desire for structure and conformity, it's OCPD.

@Fear Strikes Out Wow! So it does sound like OCPD versus OCD... it’s just about this being ‘the right way’ I guess.