Little do people know is that I have OCD, which is an compulsive disorder. I have always hated the phrase “I’m so OCD” because most are not OCD. Recently, I did learn that people with OCD do not state they have OCD, including myself.
There are several subtypes of OCD. Some include checking, sensorimotor, relationship, contamination, just right, suicidal, scrupulously, existentialist, harm/responsibly. For me, it is checking. Every time I leave my place I always have a mental checklist I can not leave my place without and say it to myself: key, wallet, ID and phone. This is without fail. When I do leave I still think I forgot something. I even tend to go back and see if I forgot something.
Checking takes various forms such as checking for safety, understanding and mistakes. This could mean checking for locks, appliances, harming others/self, catastrophe, mistakes, body, etc. I check everything 2 times of more. Another example is if I tell someone to lock my door, I still go back hours later to see if the the door is look. I literally unlock the door, open the door, close the door, and lock it. I can’t go to sleep without me and only me locking my door.
These manifestation differ from person to person. For me, it is silent and no one really know except those whom truly have it. OCD is not about being near and cleaning so please do not say “I’m so OCD”.
Leave a Reply