"That's Not OCD" — And Other Myths That Are Keeping People from Getting Better
"I'm so OCD about keeping my desk clean."
We hear versions of this constantly. And while we understand what people mean, the casual use of OCD as an adjective for tidiness has done real damage to the people living with actual OCD, who often don't recognize themselves in that description at all.
OCD is not about being neat or washing your hands or worrying about germs. And the gap between the myth and the reality is actively keeping people from getting help.
What OCD Actually Looks Like
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is characterized by unwanted, intrusive thoughts, called obsessions, and repetitive behaviors or mental acts designed to reduce the distress those thoughts cause, called compulsions.
And here's what trips people up: the compulsion doesn't have to be physical.
Yes, OCD can look like checking the stove five times or washing your hands until they bleed. But it also looks like: mental reviewing — going over an event again and again to make sure you didn't do something wrong. Reassurance-seeking. Rumination. Repetitive prayer. Counting in your head. Replaying conversations. The compulsion is whatever the brain is doing to neutralize the obsession, and a lot of that happens entirely on the inside.
OCD also often looks like intrusive, unwanted thoughts or images, sometimes deeply disturbing ones, that feel completely at odds with who the person is. The person with OCD is not having these thoughts because they want to. They're having them because that's what OCD does. And the shame around those thoughts is one of the biggest reasons people don't come forward.
The Myth That Hurts Most: "Regular Anxiety Treatment Will Fix It"
OCD looks like anxiety on the surface; the person is distressed, worried, avoidant. So it often gets treated as generalized anxiety. And if the treatment doesn't work, or makes things worse, the person and sometimes their provider conclude that nothing can help them.
The reality is that OCD requires specific treatment. Medication doses are different, timing is different, therapy is different. Getting the diagnosis right is the whole ballgame and opens up the door to a whole different world of treatment, especially if you’re working with a provider who loves treating OCD (which we do!).
If You've Been Told It's "Just Anxiety”, Keep Asking
If you've been in treatment for anxiety and you're not getting better, or if the treatment seems to be making intrusive thoughts worse, it's worth exploring whether OCD might be part of the picture.
And if you've been living with thoughts you've been too ashamed to say out loud: please know that we have heard it. We won't flinch. And what you're describing is far more common than you think.
We specialize in OCD treatment and work with patients across Alabama, Idaho, and Florida via telehealth. Reach out here.
