Here again, degree to which the symptoms interfere with functioning or cause friction with others are deciding factors in determining if the OCD diagnosis is given. If you don't socialize because your home isn't "perfect" or if you turn down a social activity in preference for staying home to stay on a restrictive cleaning schedule, the behavior becomes OCD.Īllen H. In my definition, the difference is when the behavior interferes with living your life. It's a mistake to think that excessive cleanliness is the only symptom of OCD sufferers.īarbara Tako ( ) OCD, on the other hand, is taking the neat freak thing - the avoidance of anxiety, the anxiety-provoking unwanted thought - to about 14 levels higher. We all have our ways when it comes to avoiding what makes us anxious. Of course, having to tidy up may be the neat freak’s way to avoid becoming anxious. Kenneth Schwarz, PhD ( )Ī "neat freak" is someone who likes to be neat. Children are also not held to the criterion of having insight into the excessiveness of their compulsions.) (There is the possibility of having OCD "with poor insight," in which case the person may not be aware of how excessive and time-consuming their obsessions and compulsions are. Part of OCD is that the person recognizes the obsessions and compulsions are excessive and unreasonable and they interfere with daily functioning. Like many things in the field of mental health, a disorder is a matter of degree. But there is a difference between being a "neat freak" or "clean freak" and having an actual diagnosis of OCD. It is a common misconception that "neat freaks" or "clean freaks" have OCD, perhaps because cleanliness and ordering are common types of OCD. RELATED: Here Are the Best Online OCD Therapy Services Not all people with OCD are overly concerned about cleanliness because obsessions and compulsions can involve a surprisingly wide array of issues. They are able to go about their lives without excessive distress. People who are "neat freaks" generally aren't terribly worried about their so-called problem. As with all forms of OCD or any mental disorder, it has to impair social or occupational function or involve frequent excessive distress to be considered a diagnosable "disorder." Some examples include tardiness, inconveniencing others, social avoidance or disruption, and in some cases the person's physical health can be affected.Ĭharles H. Obsessions about neatness and cleanliness are experienced by only a fraction of OCD sufferers. Brodsky, PsyD ( )Īs I mentioned, no two cases of OCD are alike, and OCD can take thousands of diverse forms. OCD is pretty diverse in terms of its symptoms and everyone has symptoms that are a little different - their own personal spin. Not everyone with OCD is focused on cleanliness. "Neat freaks" do not have obsessions like people with OCD do. People with OCD wish they weren’t that way, but feel they have to do their rituals in order to prevent some dreaded catastrophe that is unlikely in the first place. They want to be that way because they feel like it helps them and keeps them productive. The main difference between "neat freaks" and people with OCD is that "neat freaks" like being neat. When obsessive or compulsive preferences are interrupted, it might annoy a person, but not cause them extreme, unyielding anxiety as is seen with OCD. The "D" in OCD refers to "disorder" this indicates that a person experiences significant, life-impairing anxiety. "Compulsive" is also a personality trait, indicating someone who is hyper-organized, detail-oriented, with perfectionist tendencies. "Obsessive" refers to a personality trait describing someone who thinks and worries a lot. Some of the confusion has to do with the terms themselves. What's the difference, and do all people with OCD like things excessively clean? Everyday Health: "Neat freaks" are often mislabeled as having OCD.
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