OCD, OCDon't

Certain people in my family have definite OCD tendencies. None of them have specific OCD diagnoses, but I suspect we could find a doctor somewhere who would support my unscientific determination.

I assume you know what those initials stand for: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is defined by the International OCD Foundation as "a mental disorder in which people have unwanted and repeated thoughts, feelings, ideas, sensations (obsessions), and behaviors that drive them to do something over and over (compulsions). Often, the person carries out the behaviors to get rid of the obsessive thoughts."

When one family member persistently rearranges the dirty dishes in the dishwasher, I accuse him of OCD. Another family member exasperates me when he repeatedly closes appliance doors that shouldn't be shut tightly, like the dishwasher and washing machine that may develop mold and mildew problems when their doors remain closed at all times. It's funny, though, that he leaves the refrigerator door ajar quite frequently; I wonder why the refrigerator is exempt from his door closing compulsion?

I knew an extended family member whose apartment became cluttered--no, filled to the brim--with stacks of old newspapers and unopened purchases of items she never used. Another relative, long gone, was compelled to wash her hands over and over, keeping them red and sore from over-washing. There is no doubt in my mind that both of these women suffered from classic forms of OCD.

I'll admit to being a perfectionist sometimes, but I can't say that my perfectionist tendencies control my life. I prefer to think that I am striving for excellence, which isn't the same thing at all. (Or is it?) Now, when I count the steps as I walk downstairs, that might be just a touch of OCD. There really is no rhyme or reason for counting steps, is there, except to get rid of the compulsion to count them. What a useless, albeit innocuous, impulse!

It isn't unusual for us to comment on our own or others' perceived OCD, and even make jokes about it. Yet, for most of us, such behaviors are mildly annoying, at worst, which is why they rarely receive any official diagnosis. We should probably be grateful that we don't have the kind of clinical OCD that leads people to fill their living spaces to the ceiling with hoarded goods that they will never use or, worse, the obsession that compels people to commit horrible serial killings or mass murder. When we compare ourselves to those people with extreme cases of OCD, most of us really don't have any reason to be concerned about our own OCD tendencies.

Nevertheless, there are times when I become so obsessed about someone's annoying compulsions that I can't keep from telling him to JUST STOP! Don't rearrange the dishes, don't close the appliance doors, don't save those decades-old magazines--you're driving me crazy! Your OCD is showing!

My OCD, on the other hand, is non-existent. I'm just striving for excellence--again.