User talk:ThatPeskyCommoner/The Huge Benefits of OCD-for-Wikipedians
I know this post isn't meant to be taken seriously but I still feel like I have to give my opinions. I am almost 100% certain I have OCD to the point where I'm seeking an official diagnosis and treatment. I don't like talking about my mental distress (mood and anxiety) since it is so painful and potentially triggering to others but I feel like I have to, especially since psychology is my main interest right now. My autism and my ADHD are parts of me but I can't see my most likely OCD in a similar light. OCD isn't the same as OCPD, OCD goes against your self-image and is usually recognized as irrational.
For one, my memory is my biggest enemy. I constantly remember things I think I've done wrong or think could be misunderstood in a bad light and try to correct it by engaging in rituals. It goes like this "I think people are going to think I'm X, so I'm going to prove I'm Y by acting like Y." Sometimes the thing remembered could be a small, irrelevant event that happened months or even years ago. It can also be events that just happened, I will constantly check and correct and recorrect the same thing over and over again to the point where I cannot get sleep because of it.
I also doubt things for no reason. I compulsively look for reassurance of things I have no reason to doubt. My mind seems to work on the assumption that everything I believe is wrong and must be prove. Even when it has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt my mind still asks for reassurance. It doesn't matter what, my mind always doubts and asks for reassurance. It is a lot more painful than you would think. My reassurance often takes over and becomes my primary train of thought.
I deny myself happiness because I feel like Atlas, I feel a sense of responsibility for what others do. I know it is stupid to worry if some random unspecified thing I said a long time ago drove someone to suicide or lead to people doing harmful things and I have to reassure myself of that. My mind doesn't even specify an offending event, it just says "what if you did something that harmed others?" It drives me crazy. Sometimes my mind does specify an offending event and it is minor and I apologize for something the "victim" didn't think was a big deal. I beat on myself for not being perfect and it is stupid.
So I'm sorry, I can't agree with this essay. If you've been diagnosed with OCD or think you have OCD, please seek help. You deserve to be happy. Andrea Carter (at your service | my good deeds) 23:06, 17 August 2015 (UTC)
- Okay, I was just angry. Are there benefits to an OCD mind? Yes. OCD is linked to higher intelligence. If you have OCD, you're in good company. I wouldn't be having responsibility OCD if I didn't care about others, as my Dad pointed out. If you can find positives to your OCD, embrace them. However, we shouldn't ignore the fact that it is an egodystonic anxiety disorder that should be taken seriously. Andrea Carter (at your service | my good deeds) 04:53, 19 August 2015 (UTC)
- I do agree that – from all I know about OCD (which isn't that much) – OCD does seem like a negative trait overall. This is just an essay, so no-one is forced to agree with it, but on the other hand I have seen some of the amazing work that people with OCD have done, whether on Wikipedia or in real life and I find myself agreeing with parts of it. However, I disagree with the essay saying disadvantages are "extremely easy to cope with" and think that, like the essay, unfortunately, society doesn't seem to take OCD very seriously (e.g. "I'm OCD about X" is now slang for "I am slightly pedantic in regards to X", which desensitizes the phrase). — Bilorv(talk)(c)(e) 08:27, 19 August 2015 (UTC)
- @Bilorv: I believe in neurodiversity. I have a diagnosis of ASD and ADHD-C, to me those are parts of who I am and can't be separated from me. I can't say the same about my OCD. I don't want to doubt everything, I don't want to feel responsible for some random unknown event somewhere sometime, I want to get sleep and not have OCD wake me up.
- I do agree that – from all I know about OCD (which isn't that much) – OCD does seem like a negative trait overall. This is just an essay, so no-one is forced to agree with it, but on the other hand I have seen some of the amazing work that people with OCD have done, whether on Wikipedia or in real life and I find myself agreeing with parts of it. However, I disagree with the essay saying disadvantages are "extremely easy to cope with" and think that, like the essay, unfortunately, society doesn't seem to take OCD very seriously (e.g. "I'm OCD about X" is now slang for "I am slightly pedantic in regards to X", which desensitizes the phrase). — Bilorv(talk)(c)(e) 08:27, 19 August 2015 (UTC)
- I however think making OCD in a joke is bad. It is damaging to have neurotypicals self-diagnose with OCD when they have no symptoms. Actual OCDers may not know what their problem is and not seek an official diagnosis and treatment. This is why I care. I am going to the doctor in a couple days and I'm going to seek a diagnosis (as a stepping stone to treatment). I don't want people to struggle with what I'm struggling with, without help. Andrea Carter (at your service | my good deeds) 19:45, 19 August 2015 (UTC)