Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

[Omicron]

Guys maybe you haven't noticed but some of you haven't noticed, but, again, some of you, are generalizing as well.
Not everyone use these terms to offend those with serious problems, or to make fun of it in this or another way.

Being "depressed" is somewhere in the middle of being down and sad. So what, am I supposed to say, "Oh you know, Im so, between sad and down right now"? No, I'll say, Im a bit depressed today.
And OCD, seriously? Am I supposed to tell people "Oh, I do this several times cos I have tendency to do things more times cos Im just abit obsessive but not really OCD kind of obsessive."? Come on, seriously. Why wouldn't people be able to say they are a bit OCD without being attacked for not knowing how serious those illnesses are.

How many of you say "Ugh I have such a headache." when its only a dull one? Are those with strong migraines supposed to tell you "OMG you have NO IDEA what headache feels like, you are just a bit lightheaded!"

I guess where its coming from, but I think its coming for the wrong reason.
Idk, just my two cents.

Two things. First no one said that people using those terms mean it offensively nor to make fun of it. No one said that and no one thinks people use them maliciously. We are saying that people are misinformed and use it carelessly or loosely, and that it can have a negative impact on people who do suffer OCD in the form of people refusing to accept it as a problem/brushing it off/underestimating it.

And second, how about "Oh, I do this several times cos I have tendency to do things more times cos Im just a bit obsessive." You got your message just as well as if you said "Oh, I do this several times cos I have tendency to do things more times cos Im OCD like that." There's really no need to use OCD in things like that. There are many words or phrases you could replace them with. There's no language gap limiting how to express what you're trying to say, you can express it in many different ways.

quick edit: rereading this I realize I may have come a bit harsh or rude. Definitely not my intention!

 

[Guardian]

Two things. First no one said that people using those terms mean it offensively nor to make fun of it. No one said that and no one thinks people use them maliciously. We are saying that people are misinformed and use it carelessly or loosely, and that it can have a negative impact on people who do suffer OCD in the form of people refusing to accept it as a problem/brushing it off/underestimating it.

I would otherwise agree with you if there wasnt for the bold part.

The thing is that people are offended. You dont have to be offended by it just because someone is making fun of you or the condition. You are offended because people are using it carelessly without realizing how serious it can be with some people.
Why else would you care? Would you be offended if I told that Pizza from the Restaurant A is better then the one from the restaurant B? You probably wouldn't. But I can tell you that if I told it to someone who works at the restaurant B (whether I know it they do or do not), they would be offended. I am not saying it to hurt them, but simply as something I think is true from my point of view.
So to conclude. Why do people care when someone uses OCD, depression, "Im fat", "Im skinny", "Im whatever"? Because it reminds them of the same thing in the more severe form, or in its real form to say. Doesnt matter if it was said carelessly or not. It will remind you of the real problem, and for that, it will bother you, to the point where you will be, in this or that way, offended.
I have very little experience with these kind of things, luckily, but I observe very well, and I think that Im right with most I just said.

And to put in some quoted argument, here.

I see what you mean, I know I might have generalised people in my post. I know that unless you absolutely know someone's situation you aren't really in the right position to judge someone.

I think what I want is people to almost respect what people who have those mental illnesses are going through, it's not that I don't want them to stop saying it at all.

It's difficult, having people in my direct family who have suffered/are suffering with a mental illness it gives you a different opinion on things. I guess it's more of a bugbear than anything, I wouldn't tell someone that what they're saying annoys me. EDIT: That might well be my problem though, I don't have any personal experience of it therefore have a skewed opinion.

I hope you arent offended by any of what I said. I deeply sympathize with those with any kind of mental problems, I used to have and still sometimes have some kind of mild anxiety/hypochondria, so I know very well how much it sucks, and I can only imagine how much it sucks in its more-than-mild form.

Peace

 

[DRCM]

I remember last year I had a science teacher and she was actually really cool. Until one day in the labs:

*teacher turns plant around*

"I need it facing this way, I'm so OCD hahaha"

And I'm sitting there, holding in the urge to say, "NO YOU'RE NOT."

I, like everyone most of us in this thread, find it very annoying when other people go around saying they have OCD. I don't have any mental illnesses (except for a low processing rate, but that's so light it doesn't count), but I still believe this is wrong.

It's not like people get sick in the stomach, and say, "lol i have cancer hahahaha"

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.

 

[Corvus of the Black Night]

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.

 

[Omicron]

I would otherwise agree with you if there wasnt for the bold part.

The thing is that people are offended. You dont have to be offended by it just because someone is making fun of you or the condition. You are offended because people are using it carelessly without realizing how serious it can be with some people.
Why else would you care? Would you be offended if I told that Pizza from the Restaurant A is better then the one from the restaurant B? You probably wouldn't. But I can tell you that if I told it to someone who works at the restaurant B (whether I know it they do or do not), they would be offended. I am not saying it to hurt them, but simply as something I think is true from my point of view.
So to conclude. Why do people care when someone uses OCD, depression, "Im fat", "Im skinny", "Im whatever"? Because it reminds them of the same thing in the more severe form, or in its real form to say. Doesnt matter if it was said carelessly or not. It will remind you of the real problem, and for that, it will bother you, to the point where you will be, in this or that way, offended.
I have very little experience with these kind of things, luckily, but I observe very well, and I think that Im right with most I just said.

And to put in some quoted argument, here.



I hope you arent offended by any of what I said. I deeply sympathize with those with any kind of mental problems, I used to have and still sometimes have some kind of mild anxiety/hypochondria, so I know very well how much it sucks, and I can only imagine how much it sucks in its more-than-mild form.

Peace

I see what you were trying to say now. And I agree, getting offended by that is pretty absurd. No reason to get offended, just don't take it lightly.

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".

Could not agree more.

 

[Oryx]

I just want to point out for the record that even if I am upset by something that is directly related to me, when people go around asking if I'm upset or telling me how upset they aren't I just smile and nod because people who let me know how upset they aren't tend to be really aggressive and mean about people who disagree and I'd rather just let the conversation drop than make myself vulnerable to them to hurt me by going on and on about how it's not a big deal.

I don't think it's the worst thing in the world to equate OCD to your need to align something a particular way, but that doesn't make it a good thing. It's not the same as saying "I'm depressed" because the terms went backwards in that case - the word "depressed" existed and then clinical depression became a diagnosis. In this case, the name of the diagnosis was created and people are actively using the term created by the medical community to diagnose a medical problem. On the other hand, I have thought in the past that it makes it easier for people with OCD to conceal their condition if they want, making a joke about "I really need to go check the locks on the door again, I have OCD that way hahaha" and people laugh it off so they can keep it to themselves if they want.