| | | Common disorders and how to play them: OCD |  |
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cher
Experienced Poster
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 |  Subject: Common disorders and how to play them: OCD  Tue Aug 28, 2012 12:30 am | |
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Note: I posted this on my RPC account. The original can be found here.
First off, I’d like to start with the more common symptoms of OCD and just give you an idea of what they’re about. Then, we’ll go over a bit of the idea of playing them. Maybe I’ll throw in a few more paragraphs of random in formation, but for those who have no clue what OCD is, I’m going to throw you a bone. You may have OCD and not know of it.
What OCD is:
● It stands for ‘Obsessive compulsive disorder’.
● It is an anxiety disorder.
● It’s very common but ranges in severity.
What OCD is commonly mistaken for:
● Only for people who are COMPLETELY clean and obsessive about being clean.
● Everyone with OCD has to have very obvious symptoms
Now, I hope with the few points I’ve made up there have helped you get a general idea of OCD, now we go deeper and read up on the symptoms of OCD.
● Hand washing or washing in general: Personally, I think that this is one of the most common symptoms of OCD. It’s usually triggered by the thought of their hands or whatever they’re watching being ‘unclean’ no matter how many times they wash it. In some cases, it also gives the person a sense of safety and it helps relieve their thoughts. Sometimes it just feels right, and other times, it’s just the thought of the millions of germs on a plate. It really depends on the severity. Personally, I’m one of those people who just love to wash my hands and feet a million times a day. Other people with OCD may not even have this symptom. Again, it differs from severity to person.
● Counting and\or checking over things many times: This is also one of the more common symptoms. Checking and counting things just give the feeling of reassurance to most people, and sometimes, it’s the impulse. They don’t really realise how many times they count of check things. Growing up, my mother would always check for these four things before leaving the house.
o If water was running from any taps or other sources of water.
o The stove, oven, and mini oven were off
o If the door was locked (at least three times.)
o If the garage door was fully closed
These things have rubbed off on me, and now I check them for my mother, basically. Things like these tend to become a habit. For me, if I don’t check that stove before leaving, I will worry my guts out for the duration of my time away from my house. Everyone has different reasons for this, so make up an excuse for their checking and counting. Be creative!
● Paranoid thoughts: This symptom is the big umbrella for most symptoms of OCD. They cause the mind to think of germs all over their hands and their house blowing up because they didn’t check the stove before leaving the house.
● Unwanted thoughts: This symptom often ties with ADHD. These things can be often mistaken for hormones, or even the other way around. One may think of sexual or socially unacceptable thoughts with
out even asking for it. It comes to mind even if the person is religious, or if it’s not in their personality to do so.
● Balance and equality: This is a more personal thing, but I get this feeling that everything has to be even. Sometimes, my OCD bothers me so much in math because of this problem. Remainders, asymmetrical shapes, uneven sides, etc. I feel the need to get rid of everything that’s left, or make that circle perfectly round. Whatever it is, it has to be EQUAL. If I have one pen on my right, then I have to have a pen on my left. It just works that way for me. i.e. My gradient is slightly towards the right, I will do anything to get it in the center or I’ll scrap everything. (Horrible example, but you get the idea. I hope.)
● Making things clear with everyone: Most people with OCD that I have come across with like to go over every single detail before everything. I usually ask what I’m going to do, where I’m going to go, and when. For one of my teachers, she likes to explain everything on the criteria and give us a million examples before letting us move onto the next subject. Again, it differs from person to person.
What to keep in mind when writing as a character with OCD:
● OCD is stressful, and it often annoys the people diagnosed with it. (Like it annoys me about my tabs. I must have 7 tabs maximum. Facebook, Youtube, one roleplay site, then two Tumblr tabs, and finally Google.)
● When someone says “oh, it’s alright”, that WILL NOT mean the OCD thoughts will stop running. It just doesn’t work like that.
● Some people may hide their OCD
● Many people get through life without realising they have OCD
● OCD doesn’t necessarily have to be super obvious.
● There are about a million symptoms of OCD, and the few listed up there are only the more common ones. (In my opinion.)
● There is medication and therapy for OCD.
● Although cleanliness is a large part of OCD, IT DOESN’T MEAN that the character will make everything around him\her spick and span. It DOES NOT mean that the character is going to spend the rest of his\her life cleaning off every speck of dust they see in their house.
● OCD isn’t just about being clean. It’s about the anxiety someone gets when they feel uncomfortable with something.
● OCD is linked to AD\HD and phobias
● Many use “It looks\feels\smells\etc right” as an ‘excuse’ for OCD.
● Basically, compulsions are the things that haunt you (i.e. Unwanted\paranoid thoughts) and obsessions are things that you act out. (i.e. Washing hands, checking\counting something, going over ideas, etc.)
● OCD makes people do things (often) without realising that it’s a problem.
● OCD can be developed over time.
● OCD occurs in many different people, with different personalities.
● Sometimes, people around one notice that their friend\mother\daughter\son\father\etc have OCD before the person realises it.
● Some people don’t want to admit to having OCD at all.
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|  | | xxxxxx
Posts : 194
Join date : 2012-04-06
Age : 26
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| | Subject: Re: Common disorders and how to play them: OCD Wed Aug 29, 2012 1:47 am | |
| Ive had severe OCD for as long as i can remember. Like u mentioned, i also count, get random thoughts, check things many times and eqality. Well its just annoying more than anything and it gets worse when other people do things that affect my ocd. Only some of my friends know that i have ocd, so yeah.. Naturally people think im a wierdo.
Well, anywayz good luck with ur ocd. | |
| | | | Nico
Chatbox Ruler
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| | Subject: Re: Common disorders and how to play them: OCD Wed Sep 26, 2012 9:53 pm | |
| Cher, this idea is beautamous. Would you consider doing more? It's be EXTREMELY helpful to most of the site. | |
| | | | cher
Experienced Poster
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Join date : 2011-09-19
Age : 23
Location : I have no idea. I just woke up here, dude.
| | Subject: Re: Common disorders and how to play them: OCD Wed Sep 26, 2012 10:18 pm | |
| I'm trying to finish one on AD\HD, which I know will be extremely useful for this site :D
But alas, I'm lazy. -shot- | |
| | | | firelord zuko
mountain dew me
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| | Subject: Re: Common disorders and how to play them: OCD Wed Sep 26, 2012 11:40 pm | |
| Oh my gosh, OCD. I LIKE THIS GUIDE, I should have used it to help with my paper on OCD, rats. Anyways, it's lovely babe. | |
| | | | Sniggle
Mega Asshole Duo
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Age : 29
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| | Subject: Re: Common disorders and how to play them: OCD Thu Sep 27, 2012 11:18 pm | |
| Haha, just make sure your information is totally accurate. The last thing we wanna do is piss off someone who actually has it by rping it incorrectly. @_@ | |
| | | | cher
Experienced Poster
Posts : 2315
Join date : 2011-09-19
Age : 23
Location : I have no idea. I just woke up here, dude.
| | Subject: Re: Common disorders and how to play them: OCD Fri Sep 28, 2012 12:56 am | |
| -snort- One of the most likely candidates to be ticked off at improper portrayal of someone with ADHD would be me. (Ugh, terrible grammar, I know.) | |
| | | | Ghost
Crispy Stamp of Approval
Posts : 212
Join date : 2011-11-26
| | Subject: Re: Common disorders and how to play them: OCD Tue Jan 01, 2013 7:40 pm | |
| I can't verify the information in the guide, but it's great you're doing something like this. People often downplay disorders like this, and I have a friend who gets rather narked when you refer to OCD in an offhand, joking way, because one of his relatives is affected by it.
I think I'd add that OCD isn't just thoughts, but it comes off physically too: imagine washing hands not just obsessively but until your hands are bleeding, and being overwhelmed by anxiety in the worst of situations.
It's rather sad, that in a world where pain and physical illness are billed as the biggest problems, the scariest problems and the ones with the least attempts at understanding are the ones of the mind. | |
| | | | cher
Experienced Poster
Posts : 2315
Join date : 2011-09-19
Age : 23
Location : I have no idea. I just woke up here, dude.
| | Subject: Re: Common disorders and how to play them: OCD Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:08 pm | |
| - Quote :
- obsessively but until your hands are bleeding, and being overwhelmed by anxiety in the worst of situations.
I've heard something similar to this, but I can imagine it's an extremely serious case...? | |
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