why are all the people without OCD offended by this, jesus chriiiiiist
I'm just going to interlude - while I'm FINE with people
educating about OCD, I think it's pretty damn irritating when people talk about how offensive that statement is when they don't even have it, especially when they ignore the words of people who actually have OCD. Seriously, it's
not offensive, at all. Most people with OCD agree with me, from what I've encountered.
It's kind of like when people flip their **** over the usage of the word blind but are okay with the blind stereotypes which persist in media. The former, most blind people don't give a **** about. The latter? Very irritating and everyone I know who is blind is at least somewhat irritated by it.
Honestly, if you ask me, the worst thing for someone with OCD is
not someone "claiming" they have it when they don't. It's when they think they know better than the person with OCD does. Or make characters that perpetuate stereotypes. OCD, when used in the manner that people are *****ing about, clearly does not mean they are referencing the illness. It's almost like when people joke that they got "PTSD" from some stupid experience, of
course they don't actually have PTSD and all anyone with half a brain has to do is look online and see that, "oh, PTSD isn't me getting upset over something", just like how "oh, OCD isn't just me getting upset about breaking a pattern".
I mean seriously, there's a huge difference between claiming that you have something as a joke or an exaggerated analogy and
claiming that you have something in seriousness, but being completely idiotic and disrespectful about it. Honestly, legit self-dxers are far worse than any of this stuff is because I think we all know that they're
not actually talking about OCD. The absolute worst this behaviour could do is possibly make someone think that they have it too, but a simple check online would prove that person most likely otherwise, and especially a doctor's visit (which is required for you to receive any treatment or medication).
I mean for ****'s sake I say that sometimes when it's not really my OCD. Great, are you going to get all offended about how I don't have OCD? Or do I have some sort of "right" because I actually have it, even though what I would be describing isn't OCD?
Honestly the best thing you can do in that situation is laugh and *maybe* educate that individual on what OCD really is, if you really think they have no idea.
P.S. If you want to know what OCD is really like, it's a pain in the ass. Sometimes you'll be fine but other times, stress might make it build up. You do the same thing over and over again because you feel nervous. I will go in circles around the office or go and say the same thing to people over and over again. It seems to be linked with my autism too. If you stop when it's at its worst its extremely upsetting and that's what keeps you doing it. Most of the time it's not THAT bad but it's gotten that bad before. Also, people with OCD tend to not fit the stereotype of "being clean" and will usually only be clean with one part of their lives (such as their hands) while everything around them falls to **** because of this obsession.
A common experience that is more similar to what OCD is actually like is someone feeling hesitant on their homework, so they double check it to ensure it's correct. The obsession is the nervousness of something feeling wrong, the compulsion is actually checking to make sure it's correct. Someone with OCD may do this many times.
The "I have OCD" thing comes from a subset of people with OCD who are bothered by pattern breaking. OCD is based around patterns so something breaking that pattern can be very upsetting internally. I don't really have that most of the time though.
Finally, it's annoying having OCD and mild Dyslexia because I keep reading OCD as COD, and those must certainly NEVER be confused lol
While OCD may not be quite as serious as cancer, it's still serious, it's still a mental illness, and not something to joke about, at all.
Seriously? Joking about your problems is a GREAT way to help you cope with them! Even cancer. My mom joked about her cancer a lot, even though she felt terrible about it. Mind you, she would cry throughout the night about her and having surgery and all that but laughter is really a great medicine, and her joking about it was probably the ONLY way she could cope. My blind friends would always joke about their blindness and they LOVE blind jokes. There's a huge difference between joking about something and being disrespectful, and, again, it relies on context. I think we have to ask ourselves, "is what you're saying claiming anything negative about the person with this condition?" If no (like the OCD thing) then it's probably not offensive except to the most fringe of individuals with the condition.
Sometimes it's all we can do when faced with the darker sides of life.