The thin line between OCD and simple order and cleanliness

[Ashley0323]

Exactly. I know my house is clean, and I use Lysol spray and es multiple times a day, and use bleach daily and I STILL go crazy if things are not in its correct spot. I like things to not only be clean, but organized and put away in its correct place as well.

 

[sidney]

I think the "perfect" answer to your question would be the scene in the movie "Matchstick Men" where Nicholas Cage felt really bothered and uneasy when he saw a single stain on his carpet and he had to clean his whole house again because of that, with matching weird "rituals" too while cleaning. So I think if you get bothered by a stain that doesn't normally bother anyone else and you feel the need to clean things in a major way when it's not needed, then for me I think that is a sign of OCD.

 

[Petesede]

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?

Probably the difference for diagnosis is what is going on in your mind from the time something is disorderly until you have a chance to fix it. For instance, an orderly person could leave folded clothes on top of the washer overnight, knowing they can put it away in the morning. a person with OCD would not be able to sleep. It is how you feel during those moments of temporary disorder. Does it overwhelm your thoughts, or is it just something in the back of your head you know you want to fix later.

 

[amy88]

I think others hit the nail on the head when they said it's something that really has to impact on a person's day to day functioning.


My ex boyfriend legitimately had OCD, and it was so bad there were times that we couldn't go out to a restaurant to eat for instance because he didn't trust that the cutlery and dishes would be clean enough, for instance, or that someone wouldn't have tampered with his food. Any time we left the house we would inevitably have to drive back home a minute after leaving because he wasn't sure that the doors were "definitely locked"...that to me is a lot different than simple cleanliness or enjoying order/organization.

 

[Aree Wongwanlee]

Yes, I do believe that the dividing line is very, very thin. And that changes according to an individual's perception. To one person, being finicky about cleanliness and tidiness is perfectly normal. To another person, to be so is a sure sign of an unnatural obsession. Personally, I would deem it an obsession when it becomes something which cannot be put aside. I am all in favor of cleanliness and tidiness but I can also understand when circumstances do not allow me to be as clean and as tidy as I want to. So I cannot say that I am obsessive about it.

 

[Jasmin Cottontail]

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.

I totally agree. Honestly, I'm not sure if I have OCD because I always want things to look great, I'm not a neat freak though. There are times that our house is a mess but I don't get satisfied with where things should be. Like I always rearrange our bedroom and living room and the kitchen just for them to look beautiful and cozy. I'm also feeling the same thing with my hubby just what like you've mentioned, he leaves his coffee cup anywhere, throws things here and there like his shirt and pants for instance. I know that guys are guys and most of them don't tend to clean and doesn't care much with neatness but it's driving me nuts every time he does that  :mellow:

 

[Padre]

I can't help but think of the dialog in the Seinfeld episode "The Pothole" when George is discussing Jerry's germophobia:

Jerry: Jenna’s like me. She’s very…


George: Finicky? Prissy? Fastidious?


Jerry: I’ll take fastidious.

In all seriousness, I get this question.  I'm a bit of a germaphobe myself and am scrupulously clean.  As to the fine line?  Well, I think when it impacts your life to the point of not being able to function.  Other than that, it is just common sense.  But, in fairness, I don't like germs much.

 

[hades_leae]

I draw the line with many claims that I don't believe to be real human problems. So what someone wants things to always look damn near perfectly clean. Now if someone vacuums the floor, and 30 minutes go over the whole section again when they know there was no one else but them that could've made it dirty, but they never walked on it, then there is some OCD there. 


People generally like things to be clean, but then you have some people who say it's a disorder if you clean more than they do. Just someone elses opinion.

 

[Hope Matthew1128]

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?

I think, if no one's life is endangered by a person who is normally cleaning and ordering her things "obsessively", that person is fine.
I think we should stop benchmarking people into groups where they "ought to psychologically behave". "If they are not perfectly like us"--disorganized, whatever-may-care, triggered when challenged, -- then we brand them a disordered mental case.

My daughter thinks she has OCD because she says she's a clean-freak. I keep telling her that she should stop listening to people characterizing her. I tell her that she's doing a wonderfully great job providing a safe, secure, clean, well-organized home for her family. They are happy. She's happy for a ver cozy home. She is very gifted in her craft and skill at organization, interior designing, wifely duties, and motherhood.

 

[Natasha0717]

To me, OCD is more about questioning if you did the job well enough, doing it over and over again to convince yourself you did, and cleaning certain areas after you've already done them just to make sure they are "extra-clean." To have a clean house and keep it up so it stays clean....I wouldn't call that OCD. But constantly obsessing about whether the house is clean or not and then continuously cleaning it, well, that would be OCD. I've started getting that way about my car recently. Oh boy.

 

[janemariesayed]

Having depression I quite often lack the motivation to clean nd tidy up. Then I'll listen to some audio binaural beats and start cleaning up. I much prefer it clean and tidy. It makes me feel better when my home is clean. I also have to keep a check on the hygiene as I have two dogs. If I could afford it I would have a home help, till then I have to just fight procrastination.

 

[Camden]

I have always been a “neat freak” and I also have clinically diagnosed OCD. The focus of my obsessions has shifted from checking things over and over again to contamination and neatness. Partly due to the pandemic and partly due to being around people who do not have my values for neatness and cleanliness.
Someone I know has really let their home inside and out go. The past few times I’ve visited the place has been a huge mess inside and out. It stresses me to be surrounded by filth and clutter and I feel like I need to speak up and respectfully set some boundaries for when I visit. It’s a delicate situation because I don’t want to offend anyone, but I also can’t stand the disaster their house is right now.

 

[Doug97]

My brain can latch on to certain worries, and while it's doing that I exhibit some characteristics of OCD. But normally I don't.

I've just remembered that the volume on the TV HAS to be set to a multiple of 8. My wife thinks this is hilarious and deliberately sets it to 15 or 17 just to wind me up. But I guess that because I can see the funny side it doesn't really count as OCD.

 

[Camden]

I understand some people are simply “messy.” I admit I can be messy myself when I’m busy. I let my desk and tables get cluttered with my stuff. I’m bad about not putting away my clean clothes from the laundry and throwing them on the bed or chair. Other people’s’ messiness doesn’t bother me too much.

Some people are “dirty” and that’s quite different and can really make me have a bad day. Some dirty habits that bother me to no end involve:

Leaving expired food in the fridge
Leaving behind a mess in the bathroom
Not cleaning up after your pets
Touching a “dirty” surface such as the trashcan and then proceeding to touch me or my belongings

 

[MATD]

What about when you ocd affects others around you. Your obsessions can include family members. They must adhere to your standards of cleanliness, etc.