“Some people develop rituals that involve repeatedly tapping their fingers, repeating tasks in threes, and checking and rechecking on things.”— Karen Pallarito, health.com
“Some obsessions relate to perfectionism—everything must be even or exact, for example, so they may repeat body moments in symmetry. Some people have superstitious ideas. Some are bothered by unwanted sexual thoughts or religious concerns.”— Karen Pallarito, health.com
“Chances are, you know someone with OCD. But it's probably not the person cracking offhand jokes about it; people with OCD often feel ashamed of their obsessive thoughts and behaviors and may struggle to hide their compulsive behavior.”— Karen Pallarito, health.com
“It can be stress or anxiety related. It can even be triggered by boredom.”— Audra Attaway, huffingtonpost.com
“Until you have spent 30 minutes lining up shampoo bottles in the shower because if you don’t, your mom will be hit by a car, you have no idea what living with OCD is like.”— Hannah Pemberton, huffingtonpost.com
“I wish people understood that saying someone is OCD to describe someone who likes a clean house is insulting and hurtful. We aren’t just freaks who organize their sock drawers all day. We are real people living real lives who have a constant loop of unwanted thoughts in our heads. A loop we can only…”— Esra Aygun, huffingtonpost.com
“It’s possible that a distrust of oneself ― which could play out as a fear that deep down, you are dangerous and potentially harmful to others ― and the extreme fear of guilt may work hand-in-hand to create the conditions for OCD to take root.”— Carolyn Gregoire, huffingtonpost.com
“OCD may perceive guilt to be more threatening than most people do, leading them to find it intolerable. Any thought or impulse that might inspire guilt, then, is met with extreme anxiety and with attempts to ‘cleanse’ oneself of the mental intrusion.”— Carolyn Gregoire, huffingtonpost.com
“To live with OCD is to be constantly living in conflict, with yourself and the rest of the world. Your mind wants things one way and the world wants them another. Striking the balance is a daily struggle.”— Caitlin Jill Anders, elitedaily.com
“OCD feels like your brain is under attack at all times. Thoughts are so intense and aggressive that it almost feels like they’re taking over, and you can’t focus and live your life like any normal person would want to do.”— Lance Weiss, elitedaily.com
“OCD can literally paralyze a person from getting stuff done. It can become difficult to get out of bed, to leave your room or to do any number of basic daily activities.”— Lance Weiss, elitedaily.com
“OCD focuses on the negative. I didn't think to myself, my praying will save my grandma. Instead, I thought, If I don't pray, my grandma will die for sure.”— J.J. Keeler, amazon.com
“Officially, it is no more possible to be a little bit OCD than it is to be a little bit pregnant or a little bit dead.”— David Adam, amazon.com
“The real problem with his type of OCD--chronic fear of hurting other people--was that you thought so much about not running over children, not sideswiping pedestrians, not poisoning strangers with germs on your hands--essentially not killing a world full of strangers--that you ended up hurting the p…”— Cammie McGovern, amazon.com
“One thing which I can't stress enough is that OCD is completely nonsensical and will not listen to reason. This is one of the most frightening things about having it. I knew that to anyone I told, there are Salvador Dali paintings that make more sense.”— Joe Wells, amazon.com
“People with OCD including myself, realize that their seemingly uncontrollable behavior is irrational, but they feel unable to stop it.”— Abhijit Naskar, amazon.com
“You see, being Obsessive Compulsive is like going through hell.”— Miggie Sarmiento, thoughtcatalog.com
“OCD will involve a lot of overthinking. Things that are yet to happen, but you will already imagine it happening inside your head.”— Miggie Sarmiento, thoughtcatalog.com