OCD vs Autism

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[ghirathim]

Hey! I have both autism and OCD and I just wanted to clarify some things. You don't touch on obsessions which are a core part of OCD, and mainly discuss compulsions. While some people with OCD don't know why they are doing their compulsions, people who have done more therapy and self-work will be aware of the obsessions that are causing their compulsions. An obsession for example may be a fear of contamination, and lead to overwashing hands or washing things over and over. When you discuss being OCD about things in this video, I think the distinction between autism and OCD as I understand it is "am I particular about this because it feels right or the other way feels wrong" (Autism) vs "am I particular about this because of a fear" (OCD). So for example a person might hate it when people use their things, and maybe that's coming from like a contamination fear (gross, they are going to get me sick) or like a fear of loss (if this doesn't stay in this specific place I will lose it forever).

[JAZZYGIRLW]

I was diagnosed with OCD first at 16 but I never thought it fit. I was just diagnosed this summer with ASD and the psychiatrist agreed that OCD doesn’t really fit for me. Same thing with BPD, they are often mixed up

[leabhairagustae]

I thought I had OCD for years before I researched autism and finally got a diagnosis! Another great video, Irene!

[cirkusanette]

I think there is a bit of misunderstanding. the reason we do compulsions is because of the obsessions. Your compulsions bring you more distress and you don’t want to do them, but they do bring temporary relief and the OCD brain is usually like “if you don’t do this then x will happen”. You can end up avoiding doing certain activities or touching, seeing, etc certain things because they trigger those intrusive thoughts, ureges, etc

[DanaAndersen]

I've been diagnosed autistic for several years now and am increasingly thinking I also have OCD, but every doctor I've spoken to about it prefers to just write it off as 'part of autism', or part of having anxiety. Thank you for making such an informative video on the exact topic I needed!

[juliak.]

I can not tell you, how much comfort I get out of listening to you being totally normal to me. I literally go "Yes! YESSS- of course! You get it!" Gives me relief!

[annienamaste]

Thank you for this🙏💖
An explanation of the differences in repetitions, preferences, needs, etc between OCD and Autism that I found helpful when I heard it is that with OCD the repetitions and rituals are not actually something the person wants to have to do and as you say they often feel trapped by it and long to be free of it. Whereas with Autism the repetitions, rituals, etc actually bring the person positive feelings and can be joyful for them and they don't wish to be free of them. That seems to be the defining difference between them and so helpful to know.
Thank you Irene, I love your channel 💕💕

[nobody-is-home]

I was just diagnosed with OCD very recently, I tried to ask my therapist about ASD and he went through the criteria with me, , he said that because I am able to make friends and force myself to fit in it's not ASD. But I STILL feel like there is SOMETHING that is further wrong with me than OCD, OCD doesn't cover it all, I have more weirdness!

[SweetiePieTweety]

The pausing clarification about the light in the meltdown that was brilliant you are good at this

[bridgetericaa]

i was trying to summarise autism to a friend recently by saying we just have strong preferences (things we do like and things we dont like) and i feel like that encompasses everything and is the reason why the other autism symptoms exist. u explained this so perfectly, thank you 🌷

[kuroyamaevisekai]

Honestly this was a great video however I kinda wish you had said something like show OCD tendencies about rather than OCD about because I don't mean to like be too picky on your wording but reminds me of how people say "Oh I'm so OCD (about ...)" when they just like being neat and clean and don't actually struggle with our intrusive thoughts and minimalize it. I just thought it'd be good givea heads up -coming from someone who's both autistic and has OCD

[madeleinec]

Before I watch, thank you for making this. I was diagnosed with OCD as a teenager, but I would always 'blame' my autistic traits on it, thinking I couldn't be existing with both conditions. It's important to talk about the confusing entanglement of the two! <3

[palomatome]

Hey!! Your video was super clear, I'm questioning whether I have BPD + OCD + Social anxiety + High sensitive person (sensory). But as someone with a huge ocd i wanted to make a small correction... You're not a "little OCD" or "very ocd" about something, it's not an adjective!! Id say "rigid" instead, maybe! If you want to describe how strong you feel regarding doing things just right for you!! Thank you for the video!! It did help me!

[augustnewell]

you get me, although I've never been diagnosed with Autism, you're descriptions of feelings and such I relate to so much more than other peoples.

[alienjourney]

I have negative ocd thoughts and it will never go away. It's just there.

[thechickincharge]

If I enter a room that is lit overhead like a baseball field and there is loud music that is not my preferred genre I immediately feel a sense of panic! If I am able to change it, I immediately swap out overhead lighting for multiple lamps with warm white bulbs and greatly soften the music to a lovely background type with a light and happy jazz feel. I watch my family react to both and whether they admit it or not they are far less frenzied by my preferences!😂 I also have very interrupted sleep patterns and often wake up to tinkle and am bombarded by obtrusive thoughts, laden with worry and dread and every horrible thing. I also suffer from fibromyalgia and they now are seeing how it connects with neurodivergence. I often will sleep way too hard the last 1-2 hours of the night and, upon waking up, will immediately radiate high intensity pain throughout my whole body for about 5-10 minutes. The kind that feels like electricity raising massive goosebumps everywhere. I have the compulsion to tidy/clean things when I am super stressed. I always told myself it is my way of handling my worry by channeling it into something positive but I have become a workaholic trying to balance what I can’t control. I love when things are aesthetically pleasing to me and set a certain mood even in my everyday life, right down to perfect background music. My own genre of music brings me great comfort and helps me breath and actually lowers my blood pressure. I enjoy my patterns of life like the way I take my medicine, make my tea a feed all my cats in the morning. It starts my day right and gives me a sense of being able to let go and go forward. I feel restless when my pattern is off and that feeling lingers through out my day. I think being an autistic mama has actually made me a good one. I think in details that many typicals miss and always try to give attention to their needs, mentally, spiritually and physically. My oldest disagrees with that though and says that I am an impossible act to follow. She has personality disorders though, and my other 3 adult children say that I was/am a good mama.

[tdsollog]

Wow. The description about the lighting… spot on for me too.

[SweetiePieTweety]

This playlist was amazing you did a great job of breaking all of this down very helpful to understand and differentiate the behaviors and how one can drive the other and vice versa. Thank you for all of the hard work that you’ve put into making these videos very helpful

[NEnigma]

I appreciated this so much! I have the same issues with lighting! Lighting makes me lose control. I hate overhead lighting. I definitely have had meltdowns at work when someone turns on the overhead fluorescent lights. It’s like I’m being stabbed with a knife or something. I also can’t stand that the apartment building next to me as extremely bright LED security lights, and even with my double curtains, I can still see some of the light. I can’t sleep until it’s completely shut out. I also hate having lights on during the day when it’s bright enough with just the curtains open. I lose it when people come in my house and turn the lights on during the day!

[fitcoachmarshall]

Holy crap, you blew my mind when you started talking about eating preferences, ie burger + fries with drink every few bites. I HAVE to eat my burger with fries or beans.
I rarely EVER have had just a burger. If I did, I had no other choice and was able to only through logical reasoning. Otherwise, I just won’t eat. I got really good at functioning in high physical stress environments/situations on lack of food.