Not O.C.D., but.........

So does that describe the majority of us then Ab?

A family member has OCD and in its true form it's devastating. I agree that many of us have quirks in our behaviour. DH gets upset if things like pictures are wonky.

Yes so do I polly ! But it's just an irritant isn't it, and easily put right. It's more likely to bother me if I'm tired

I have OCD. A fairly mild form compared to the full works. But it is life spoiling.

Cushions and clothes pegs don't come near it.

Belladonna, I did say the majority of people have OCD at the start of this thread, it makes some feel better if they call it a quirk , fair enough, but it is OCD and there are degrees of severity

Pedantry at it's best worst.

Uncalled for jingle,

I will spend the rest of my day in sackcloth and ashes. Ok?

IMO you are belittling a life restricting condition.

I am not jingle, I have OCD, I do not walk around in my underclothes or scrub my hands until they bleed , because I live alone it doesn't affect others, I do not have a quirk I have OCD , i have cataracts not just poor eye sight , I have tendonitus not a weak wrist

There is definitely a difference between OCD and quirky compulsions (that most people probably do have).

I am a rigorous cleaner, and can spend hours on our kitchen and bathroom in particular. I also have the thing with matching pegs, so now just buy the wooden ones to avoid that little issue but I don't believe I have OCD.

The difference between a quirk and a compulsion is the thought which triggers them

As someone who ended up in tears trying to explain to Hubby why he couldnt have his half of the chest of drawers in the bathroom organised the way he wants it (I 'balance' our products, and put his n hers things in similar places and in similar orientations, while he came in and just pushed all of his together, straight and blocky, in one corner), I think I might be showing up somewhere on the OCD spectrum!!! And I am very relieved to find that I am not the only one who obsesses about cushion orientation and peg matching!!!

I suspect this is going to turn into a 'My OCD is better worse than your OCD thread.

Since OCD was brought to our attention (I don't know what it was called years ago) it's become the norm for people to describe a slightly obsessive trait as being 'a bit OCD'

Don't they just mean fussy?

I have Obsessive Crafting Disorder. Sit still long enough in my home and you'll be upcycled! What is this 'spring cleaning' of which you speak?

I have an anxious personality and have to be in control of my life for fear things will get on top of me. However, I am aware of my deficiencies and they are pretty harmless as I never let my 'bugs' affect others. Small niggles are:-

-loo rolls have to have the paper over the top, not under
-cushions, yes, have to have the zips at the bottom (though they'd look silly otherwise)
-petrol pump charges have to end in an even number
-the kitchen side has to be clear of crumbs
-things in the house have to be tidy
-I can't walk over a line in the middle of the road when I am crossing it, I have to walk between the lines
-lines have to be straight when I mow the grass
-the bed has to be made and pulled straight
-towels have to be neat on the rails
-I am a planner and a checker

It's all a little OCD, I know, but there are upsides. My house is lovely and I am on top of things. I don't do 'debt' and I remember people's birthdays and important dates. And I could let things go if I had to.

You choose to use the word obsessive Merlotgran , what is the difference between a mild form of obsessive compulsive disorder and an obsessive trait?

Dunno!

Years ago it was all called "bad nerves". Of course, people died of their "bad nerves". Maybe that's the difference. Obsessive traits will never make you despair.

I personally, thank God for Eli Lilley.

This thread is entitled 'Not OCD'. I took it to be a place to tell of our amusing little traits which have nothing to do with OCD in its extreme form.

Another of my habits is to arrange my food in a certain way on the plate. Protein at 8 o'clock, carbs at 12 and vegetables at 4. In a restaurant, I have been known to re-arrange things to vaguely fit this pattern, but it certainly doesn't stress me at all!
Even my Bengal cat, Saffron, and I have little rituals we go through! One is that at about 4am, when I usually start to wake, she moves from the foot of the bed to the pillow, where she scratches pats me on the face until I lift the covers for her to get inside. She rests for a while then surfaces to miaow and knock things off the bedside table until I get the message and give her breakfast. Dear patient Bugsie just sits at the top of the stairs and waits silently.

Teacher11, just what I have been trying to explain, those things don't make your life hell , you accept them , work around them and get on with life, good for your. I wish my OCD was centred on clearing clutter, I am not a hoarder ready to be filmed for channel 5 though.

My DD used to take ages to hang out washing. It was DS who realised she was attempting to match the peg colour to the garment and struggling with the combination of Dayglo peg colours and sober socks. DS has diagnosed Aspergers Syndrome (an autistic spectrum disorder) he still (aged 30) trots out the peg colour story the punch line being of course "and i'm the one who has a problem?)

I've never fussed about peg colours, but I've always had "special" pens. Chart completion in work has always had to be done with the same pen to match composition of ink, flow and thickness of line. DD does the same and
Surrupticiously rewrites the white board sales charts.

Now DGD aged 5, has been filing her collection of DVDs in alphabetical order. (My quirk) And it takes her ages to put milk away because she has to turn the labels to the front (DH's quirk)

So proud.?

I think the last few posts are great, the mental illness stigma is still so strong, not all with depression are suicidal, not all with mild OCD need help, I have no problem with saying I have OCD, I have no need to call it a quirk others do, but it's the same thing if you are compelled to do a task

My adult stepkids think I have OCD because I nag them and the grandchildren about handwashing eg after toilet, after coughing into their hands or before preparing food. Their children often get tummy bugs but I never do and neither do my own children and grandchildren
I was brought up that way and was also a nurse and I brought my own kids up to wash their hands.
I'm made out - jokily- to be a fusspot (even though I know they love me!) but I think hygeine is important for myself and also in respect of other people I have contact with.
My house is comfortable and lived in but I do like it to be clean.
Surely this doesn't count as OCD?

Oh Lord!