The thin line between OCD and simple order and cleanliness

[cafwen]

When does OCD become a problem, rather than just a personality trait? Is someone just very neat, tidy and ordered, or is there actually an underlying problem?


While almost half of the population has at least some OCD-like rituals or superstitions, full blown obsessive compulsive disorder can become a crippling problem.


Where do you draw the line?

 

[whysewserious]

From what I understand, if it interferes with your ability to function normally, it is a health problem. I think most of us get frustrated with the constant need to clean up, especially if we have a partner or family that cannot simply maintain the work you've already done (I love my man, but he drives me crazy by throwing laundry around the basket, leaving cereal bowls all over the place, etc). But I can still get around to other tasks while there is a mess in play. I know I will get to it when I can, and I think that is the major difference between being a bit of a neat freak and having a true problem with OCD.

 

[rz3300a]

Well I know that this is a very fine line, and I have toed it pretty close in the past. I have always wondered if I have OCD, but it is kind of difficult to convey to people because I am probably the opposite of clean and neat, but when it comes to my thoughts I cannot help but think that I am obsessive about certain things, and sometimes I think it is pretty unhealthy, which can be alarming. I have been reading up on the subject for a while now, and the good news is that there are a lot of resources out there than focus on the issue and that can really help, which they have, but it still tough explaining to people the things that are going on in this weird head of mine. Interesting stuff, and thanks for sharing.

 

[djordjem87]

The line is thin but I am not obsessed with cleanness. I am always clean and and my place is clean but it is not too clean and it is not always clean. My problem with OCD is more with messy and chaotic versus arranged and put under specific angles and in line with some other stuff. Also symmetry and colour and pattern matching. I honestly hate when the house is not clean but I live in a family who is not carrying about this. I realized that although it affects me and I get agitated and even angry it does not make me mad as randomness of the mess. I have nothing against mess but I really like to arrange it a bit. I need to see some order in mess no matter how big an oxymoron that is.

 

[EntropiaAddict]

As whysewserious said, for most people, that line into OCD is crossed when it interferes with your life. From talking with my therapist (diagnosed with OCD about 15 years ago now), it does not always have to interfere with your social life. I have certain mannerisms that if not addressed, I will not be able to think about or focus on anything else until they are taken care of in the way my brain feels they need to be done. Many of these mannerisms do not affect anyone but me (and my spouse and kids sometimes), but they affect me to a level that it interferes with my ability to function. OCD really becomes a problem when you simply CANNOT let go of the issue... If you look at the house and thing "Man this place is a mess, I'll clean it after the kids go to bed", then it is likely not an OCD trait that needs to be addressed... If however, looking at the same mess, you feel that it has to be cleaned before you can do anything else, or you get so much on edge that you become snappy at the kids, or it just puts you in a really foul mood until it is cleaned up, then you probably have an OCD trait that you would want to talk to a therapist about. To me, the bottom line in determining whether or not the trait needs to be fixed is how much it interferes with your ability to function. Everyone has certain mannerisms that could be construed as OCD, if in doubt, talk to a therapist and see what they think.

 

[kgord]

I think there is a fine line between being neat and orderly and being OCD. I think it is probably the level of discomfort experienced if you find your house not to your liking, is when and where it crosses the line. Many so called "neatfreaks" may be OCD and many may not be. I think it depends largely on the level of order you need in order to function. It is just one of the things that might distinguish OCD from just a desire to maintain a clean residence.

 

[katelynwiersma]

This is a tough one. I think people throw out the words, "I'm so OCD" way too quickly. There is a very fine line between being a scheduled and tidy person and having a serious mental illness. People with OCD have obsessions (such as believing they are dirty) and follow through with compulsions (such as taking a shower). It becomes a serious mental illness when it affects an individuals everyday life.

 

[katmoore90]

I’ve also wondered about this as I have a very strong need to keep things clean however it does not interfere with my life. I have a toddler and anytime our condo gets messy my level of stress does increase however it does not stop me from living. I feel like true OCD is really when it interferes with your everyday life; it hinders you from doing something that you love or causes problems in your home.

 

[kgord]

Yes, I think that is a good way to define it katmoore. If it is something that causes problems for you and others in your life, it has probably crossed the line into OCD. IF it is a preference rather than a "need to" keep everything orderly, then it is likely to just be a personality trait. How much it actually impedes your functioning in the world is the measure of OCD. It is just one of the things to be aware of.

 

[Alex]

I think OCD is when you don't trust yourself even when you have done something and you doubt your own actions, whether you switched off the light, tap, or did you lock the door and actions such as that. It is related to routines and people need them otherwise they get confused and the OCD becomes worse. Some of us have our own habits and routines, and would you call them OCD? Probably not, because the routine helps the mind to function and gives the self a cushion of comfort.


Cleanliness is important, but when people say don't sit there or don't touch that then that is a problem because they need things to remain so in order to function.

 

[gwood]

I guess when worry for cleanliness and order starts to interfere or hinder ones day to day life, is when they are on that thin line. It's perfectly normal to be bothered by lack of a cleanliness or when you find something not in order. But can I go ahead with my day and come back to it later when I have time, all the while not having to constantly worry about it in my mind? Or, if I am visiting somewhere/someone and something not in order there bothers me, can I just function normally while I am there and not feel like I am being suffocated? If yes, then I am just a bit bothered by lack of cleanliness and order. If not, then I guess I have crossed that thin line, now that it is affecting my ability to function normally in my daily life.

 

[gracer]

I agree with whysewserious. If your symptoms already interfere with your normal functioning, it could be a sign that you have crossed the thin line between being just overly clean and being an obsessive compulsive person. I myself admit to being overly tidy and clean most of the time but I am aware that I'm not yet on the obsessive compulsive side. I guess many of us do tend to become obsessed with cleanliness at times but we need to watch out if our actions already interfere with our daily functions and relationships with other people.

 

[Laneorexorcist]

Of course it's not a personality trait at all, it's actually identified as a umbrella term for a couple of mental disorder related with obsessive behaviors in general. I'm not really sure how it's really diagnosticated but I'm pretty sure that it has to do with that behavior affecting other parts of your life and don't really letting you live life as a regular person because of that.

 

[OutOfSpoons]

I always thought that you've crossed the line when you've started becoming stressed about cleanliness/rituals/etc. I crossed that line at a very early age, and it's always been easy for me to tell, I guess. Back in the day, I used to get so stressed about being contaminated I couldn't use, which I guess, would also fall under "affecting everyday functioning." Like, it went from being "Mmm I probably need to wash my hands after this" to "I can't even touch this and if I have to I have to wash my hands several times after just in case." That's where I drew the line, I guess.

 

[Aleece13]

People all the time tell me I'm OCD because I don't like things out of place and keep things as clean as possible, but I don't feel like I truly am OCD. Yes, I love to clean and hate clutter, but it still happens to my house. I have 4 kids, so nothing stays neat and orderly, as much as I wish it would. I may be more particular then normal people, but I take pride in the appearance of my home. I don't like people using kids and family as an excuse. There are 6 members in my household and it stays pretty tidy.


I believe OCD is when mentally someone has to have it done. They don't let it get dirty not even for a little bit. I see OCD as it interfering with their life completely. I am not on edge or distraught when my house is dirty nor does it affect my daily life, I just get anxious thinking about someone seeing my house look a total mess.

 

[cluckeyo]

I think all diagnosis have a tendency to be overused. Including OCD. They become a catch phrase for normal behavior. I don't much buy into diagnosis, not even my own. It seems to me a like a diagnosis is almost an excuse to stop trying. Don't get me wrong, some people are truly crippled by various illness. But if you can manage, then you should. And keep trying to improve your situation, don't fall in love with your diagnosis.

 

[Zeesi]

People all the time tell me I'm OCD because I don't like things out of place and keep things as clean as possible, but I don't feel like I truly am OCD. Yes, I love to clean and hate clutter, but it still happens to my house. I have 4 kids, so nothing stays neat and orderly, as much as I wish it would. I may be more particular then normal people, but I take pride in the appearance of my home. I don't like people using kids and family as an excuse. There are 6 members in my household and it stays pretty tidy.
I believe OCD is when mentally someone has to have it done. They don't let it get dirty not even for a little bit. I see OCD as it interfering with their life completely. I am not on edge or distraught when my house is dirty nor does it affect my daily life, I just get anxious thinking about someone seeing my house look a total mess.

I like it when my house looks nice too, and I've had people try to give me a hard time about it...


"What were you doing before I came over? Cleaning?" They say it like, "What were you doing before I came over? Doing drugs?" Like cleaning is a bad thing or something.


Experience has taught me that the more people you live with, the more you have to clean. These days, it is just me and my son, thank goodness, but there was awhile there when I could not afford to live on my own and lived with a whole slew of other people. No one else seemed to care about the state of the house except me, and the attitude was "there's so many people living here, so it will never stay clean".


Wrong, it can stay clean, but it takes work, as you know.


In order to keep things clean with lots of children and adults running around I had to basically clean around the clock. I think that's what people get hung up about, especially other women who don't put the same amount of time into caring for their homes as you do. They'd try to tell me I was OCD, but I was just doing what was necessary in order to keep things nice.


That's the secret to having a fairly clean house consistently when there are lots of people in it. Clean. all. of. the. time. Isn't it interesting how some people will try to put you down for wanting to have things nice and clean??

 

[Aleece13]

People all the time tell me I'm OCD because I don't like things out of place and keep things as clean as possible, but I don't feel like I truly am OCD. Yes, I love to clean and hate clutter, but it still happens to my house. I have 4 kids, so nothing stays neat and orderly, as much as I wish it would. I may be more particular then normal people, but I take pride in the appearance of my home. I don't like people using kids and family as an excuse. There are 6 members in my household and it stays pretty tidy.
I believe OCD is when mentally someone has to have it done. They don't let it get dirty not even for a little bit. I see OCD as it interfering with their life completely. I am not on edge or distraught when my house is dirty nor does it affect my daily life, I just get anxious thinking about someone seeing my house look a total mess.

I like it when my house looks nice too, and I've had people try to give me a hard time about it...


"What were you doing before I came over? Cleaning?" They say it like, "What were you doing before I came over? Doing drugs?" Like cleaning is a bad thing or something.


Experience has taught me that the more people you live with, the more you have to clean. These days, it is just me and my son, thank goodness, but there was awhile there when I could not afford to live on my own and lived with a whole slew of other people. No one else seemed to care about the state of the house except me, and the attitude was "there's so many people living here, so it will never stay clean".


Wrong, it can stay clean, but it takes work, as you know.


In order to keep things clean with lots of children and adults running around I had to basically clean around the clock. I think that's what people get hung up about, especially other women who don't put the same amount of time into caring for their homes as you do. They'd try to tell me I was OCD, but I was just doing what was necessary in order to keep things nice.


That's the secret to having a fairly clean house consistently when there are lots of people in it. Clean. all. of. the. time. Isn't it interesting how some people will try to put you down for wanting to have things nice and clean??

I couldn't agree more!

 

[explorerX7]

I have had to deal with a "neat freak" and it was not an easy situation go through. This person is always working to set things perfectly even when it was not necessary, always finding fault with something it was believed not to have been done right, even when I might have tried to do something my own way, I would be hounded to do it the way the person would do it. If I had done 9 out of 10 tasks correctly and there was a minor slip up in the other, I would be chastised as if I did nothing right. I had to just come to grips with the situation and realize that the person could not help themselves, it was just a compulsion on their part.

 

[mickella18]

In my not so expert opinion, the line is drawn when you find that you can't function without having things in order. It's okay to be neat and tidy, that's totally tolerable. But, when you can't do without tidiness, can't possibly concentrate when things around you are not in order or when you obsessively seek out ways of fixing things that's when it becomes a problem. A real problem, too.