I think we have to separate our OCD from our personality in order to treat it properly, yet at the same time some people say it's neurodivergent. And thats more accepting view, like when people say autism is just a different way of looking at things. But OCD makes you miserable so how can it be part of neurodivergent?
Any type of mental illness, mental disorder, or neurological disorder is considered neurodivergent. Neurotypical is someone who doesn’t have any of those things.
This is certainly not a universal sentiment. Neurodivergence has most commonly been used to describe people with autism and, more recently, people with ADHD and other neurodevelopmental disorders.
For me personally, what helps me is to not put too much pressure on myself to categorize or label OCD. I don’t consider myself “neurotypical,” because I often think a typical brain doesn’t have the obsessions and compulsions that my brain does. But, on the other hand, what does a “typical” brain do? I’m not a scientist, or a mental health professional, so I don’t have an academic view on this subject. I also acknowledge that views and opinions on mental health, disorders, etc, are going to vary between disciplines, cultures, and there likely won’t really be one completely agreed upon answer. OCD is debilitating and difficult to deal with, but there is treatment out there, and no matter how you see it, you can reclaim your mental health.
This was something I used to wonder myself. It would have been one thing if I'd developed OCD later in life, but I've had symptoms of it since I was very young, which led me to feel like it was an integral part of myself that made my thought processes very different from normal people's (and it absolutely did do that). I no longer really buy into this view, however, because my symptoms have drastically improved and I don't even meet the diagnostic criteria for OCD anymore. Neurodivergence isn't something that ebbs and flows, though it may be more or less visible depending on context. Not everyone with a mental illness is neurodivergent - to say that would be to water down the term into uselessness. Neurodivergence is ultimately a social label used to convey that certain neurodevelopmental conditions are just another part of the human experience and should be accommodated for rather than cured. That is completely at odds with general views on OCD, which anyone can develop after being normal for decades (I am using "normal" here in the scientific sense), and which we do our best to treat, as accommodating it beyond limited, specific situations such as exams merely feeds into the disorder (so does accommodating even in those limited situations, but we do the same for other mental disorders so that people aren't put at a large disadvantage while their symptoms are raging)
Well said!
In my opinion ocd is never should not be associated with neurodivergence. It just terrible and disgusting it shouldn’t even exist
@DanielZam25 It’s a mental disorder, so it’s neurological. I don’t see how this is such a big deal.
I’ve honestly never heard of anyone label OCD as neurodivergent. Usually everyone calls it a mental disorder
OCD is a mental illness, autism/ADHD/other “neurodivergences” are neurodevelopmental disorders. OCD being “romanticized” as a neurodivergence is just because people without OCD don’t understand how OCD feels. It’s not neurodivergent. It is a debilitating chronic mental illness that is 70% comorbid with major depressive disorder. It’s like how people joke about how they are autistic simply because they have a quirk. It’s all just kind of romanticizing.
I appreciate everyone's thoughts! Looks like I'll have to sit with uncertainty on this question and not really know!
I agree so what’s our treatment for the OCD part without changing our personality from drugs?
I like to think of medication as revealing my true personality underneath OCD
@julianofnorwich But I struggle with this as well
I'm reaching out in hopes of finding others who might relate to my experiences or offer insights. I'm dealing with a complex interplay of OCD, depression, and existential anxiety, and I'm struggling to make sense of it all. Here's what I'm experiencing: I have OCD with various manifestations, along with episodes of d...
Don't panic, you're still the same girl, your OC gives you a lot of intrusive thoughts that aren't you and that disgust you and scare you and that you don't want and that you don't think are true, and your OC gives you the false feelings.Also, don't forget that whatever comes to mind, whatever intrusive thoughts you ...
I get asked about the name NOCD a lot. People might want to know how it’s pronounced, and they’re curious about our story. Every time, I’m excited to share a bit about what the name means—in fact, it’s an opportunity for me to talk about something everyone should know about OCD. First things first: it’s pronou...
Share your thoughts so the Community can respond
