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NT's and OCD?

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6K views 47 replies 32 participants last post by  bluenlgy 
#1 ·
I'm an INTP with an ENTP side, and I'm almost sure I have OCD (getting it diagnosed later this summer) and maybe OCPD tendencies. It is alleged that OCD sufferers are usually of above average intelligence, which is why I'm posting it in the NT's forum.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a human anxiety disorder characterized by involuntary intrusive thoughts. When a sufferer begins to acknowledge these intrusive thoughts, the sufferer then develops anxiety based on the dread that something bad will happen. The sufferer feels compelled to voluntarily perform irrational, time-consuming behaviors to diminish the anxiety.

Obsessive–Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) is a personality disorder which involves an obsession with perfection, rules, and organization. People with OCPD may feel anxious when they perceive that things are not right. This can lead to routines and rules for ways of doing things, whether for themselves or their families.

My OCD is mild not serious at all - just annoying.
Do any other NT's have OCD or OCPD?
 
#2 ·
My INTJ mom has it, as do I and my older INFP half-brother.
 
#3 ·
Yes, I have this. I get extremely annoyed when things are not perfect (well my own things I could care less about other peoples). Perfectionist I think
 
#5 ·
I have to pat my pockets every time I go somewhere, especially if I'm nervous, to make sure I have everything. It was a helpful idea at first, but now I end up patting them 3 or 4 times, identifying everything once, counting the number of things, identifying them all and thinking about why I need them. It's really OCD, but it's not hurting anything so I'm not going to go get medication or anything.
 
#8 ·
You think that is bad slow? The light bulb is blown in the hall, its a hall with a switch at each end, and everytime I walk down I switch the switch on and every time I get to the end I switch the switch off and than when I walk back down switch the switch on than switch the switch off. Even though I know the light bulb is blown and no light will come on. I tried to stop myself but it didn't work >:D
 
#10 ·
I have to step over the same number of floor cracks with each of my feet.
Like.
Poorly-spaced sidewalks are the enemy.

And I'm getting to the point where I can hold back if someone pats my shoulder, and not pat the other one. But it often takes great effort, and it is very uncomfortable. =[.

Aaaaand I pick my skin and hairs like you wouldn't believe. I'm slowing down but wish I could stop for good.
Pretty sure they're formally named OCD-spectrum disorders.
 
#14 ·
I used to keep an eye on balancing my steps (same amount of steps for each foot, same space used..). I often kept track of the bricks. I used to check if my shoe laces were tied in the same way and with the same strength. If I scratched my face on one side I needed to scratch on the other, and continue this until I felt like it's done equally. I used to constantly reshape the way my food was on the plate after every bite I took, and often ate with a certain routine (first a bite of this then a bite of that,..).

...

Now that I think of it, nowadays such tendencies are lessened quite a lot (luckily) xD.

But I still have a thing for balance (...), sometimes in bigger things and sometimes in those smaller, absurd things. ^^
 
#12 ·
I just wanted to say...

MONK IS MY HERO!!!

:cool:
 
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#15 ·
I used to have whiffs of it when I was a kid. Nowadays I go around asking myself questions like "Wait, does it really matter if my socks match? why??" and kinda forget about it all.
 
#19 ·
I constantly check and re-check things even when I know they're where I want them to be already. For example,I always check inside my handbag for my key's before I leave the house... and... AFTER I leave the house.Mind you,if I locked the door already,that means I already have them.Ahh...but I check anyway. In addition, I can't help but count my chews when I eat.If by the time I finish eating my meal,the chewing number isn't an even number,I proceed to get another bite of food elsewhere to fulfill my goal.
 
#20 ·
Yeah, i believe I have some kind of OCD. All stacks have to be perfectly even, possibly even arranged in some specific order (pennies had best be arranged by date, etc.). I have to take the same number of steps with each foot when I'm walking somewhere. I need to chew any piece of food the same number of times with each area of my mouth. I cannot step on cracks in sidewalks--walking on paths made of brick is especially annoying because I have to step only on the bricks and not on the cracks between them, so I end up walking on tiptoe most of the time because even my tiny little feet tend to stick off the edges of most bricks when I stand on them. When I'm writing by hand, I'm not usually satisfied with any word the first time I write it and have to erase it, then re-write it. (I usually write with a pen nowadays to make sure I don't end up writing the entire thing all over again.) I have constant obsessions with balance and evenness that force me to do things like scratch an imaginary itch on one leg after scratching a real one in the same spot on the other. I think there are a few other things, but I can't think of what they are right now.
 
#21 ·
Obsessive–Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) is a personality disorder which involves an obsession with perfection, rules, and organization. People with OCPD may feel anxious when they perceive that things are not right. This can lead to routines and rules for ways of doing things, whether for themselves or their families.
SJs are more prone -than NTs- to this for sure.
 
#23 ·
I've often suspected I have OCD, though my friend says I'm just part German. :tongue: I'm not nearly as bad as I used to be about, for example, counting chews, but I still have to have my neat, organized stacks. And I hate having to use freshly cleaned laundry or dishware. Plus, I am downright paranoid about losing something out of my pockets. Especially if I'm out of the house. I have this little pat-down procedure to check if everything's in the pocket it's supposed to be in.

I've also hit the "Preview Post" button on this post about ten times. :blushed:
 
#24 ·
I count everything. Ceiling tiles, chairs, runways stripes, stairs, even sitting still ill just count up from 0, but im not compelled to have certain numbers and i never remember the count. I just catch myself doing it.
Under very high stress, i will clean everything, i took the dashboard out of my car and cleaned under it and once at 3am i cleaned the vaulted ceilings of my apartment. Don't get me wrong, they were legitimately dirty, but 3am the night before a mid-term is not the best time to clean.
I do occasionally recheck the i locked the front door. Like lock it, put stuff in trunk, check door, get in car start it, get out check door, drive around the block, return check door, but i think im over that. It's stupid, i know better. :angry:
I consider myself to be totally sane except on mondays between 6am and 9am. Then i'm just sleepy. :laughing:
Wow, i should delete this, it sounds nuts. Brownies anyone?
 
#25 ·
I have OCD. What most of the people in this thread described is normal. Every person has some of this minor things. People with OCD have uncontrollable intrusive thoughts that they hate but come against their will. For example if someone is religius, and a random blasphemous thought pops into their head while at church, this could send them into an OCD trap where they get really anxious because they now have a fear that that random thought had some kind of meaning. They then proceed to pray obsessively to cancel out that intrusive thought, which was actually nothing. The odd thing, though, is that they know it's just a thought, and that their behavior is irrational, but they get so anxious that using a compulsion provides the short-term relief they need.

OCD bothered me for about a year and a half, and then I got professional help two years ago. Hasn't bothered me that much since.
 
#26 ·
Wow, I just thought that was Ti. I pretty much get that all the time and you're right about it being a trap. I've gotten so trapped in my thoughts going back and forth trying to figure out the reason that I've paced holes in the floors of my home. Back and forth, on my feet, for hours on end. Driving me bat shit insane but I know it shouldn't. Just as you described I "know it's a thought" but act irrationally toward it.

You pretty much described a major part of me; thanks for telling me the definition. What did you do to get it fixed?
 
#28 ·
I was diagnosed with OCD when I was nine years old, when it was at it's most severe. It didn't die down until I hit about 11 years old, and that was after a few months of therapy and medication. My ticks were as mild as making throat noises to as severe as pulling out my hair without knowing and looking at lights for long periods of time. I still make the throat noises and catch myself doing other little other things, along with some anxiety related issues such as day-mares, sleep apnea, and sleep terrors.

I don't know if I could link OCD or anything like that to intelligence levels, but I do find myself with a better sense understanding.

Just to clarify for everyone, seeing as this is one of my biggest pet peeves regarding OCD: Just because you have to "count things" or are "very organized" DOES NOT mean that you have OCD, learn the difference from having an actual chemical imbalance in your brain and conditioning yourself.
 
#30 ·
Well, it takes more brain functioning to be able to process in that way, as the thinking patterns are usually pretty complex. My brother has motor tick, but it seems to be dying down now that he's reaching the end of his teens.

Yes, currently my thought obsession is functions. I saw the use of a little stronger Si a month ago and been in a battle with myself since. Back and forth over stupid things, and I know they're just thoughts but I can't shut them the fuck off.

In the past year I have obsessed over being trapped, stupid structure, I've even went back and forth for hours on words. I do try to calm myself because it drives me so crazy that I either start to hate myself or feel like my heart is about to explode.

It is fine for you to be skeptical, I don't take people on their word either.
Well, if it bothers you a lot I'd recommend getting help. Is it an issue every day? And if so, how many hours per day would you say you spend obsessing over these topics? What kinds of things do you do to calm yourself down (include what you were thinking about)? I've had some pretty silly ones lol.

I know quite a bit about OCD, as I've researched it a lot, and gotten over it.
 
#31 ·
I don't do anything except get pissed at myself and tell my brain to shut the fuck up; maybe slap myself in the face a few times. If I can manage to find something to distract me that works too, but I get bored easily.

How long do I spend? Try every waking minute of my life that doesn't have something to drowned out the sound, and trust me: Boredom + This = Hatred. It has been increasingly bad lately.
 
#32 ·
I was very excited when I saw this thread; I've been contemplating OCD and type for little bit now.

I'm an NT, and I was diagnosed with OCD last year. I had it for years prior to that, but I just thought I was being quirky. Last year, my symptoms got very severe, which is why I sought treatment and got the diagnosis. My obsessions and compulsion are mainly about germs, but I also have checking compulsions. The obsessions, though, affect every hour of my day.

Thank you, middeljohn and treeton, for saying what I was thinking when I read other people's posts. You have already said this in some form, but I'll say it again because it's so important--

While having a form of perfectionism and organization can be part of OCD, being a perfectionist or a superorganizer does not mean you have OCD. OCD is chemical imbalance which causes instrusive, distressing thoughts (the obsessions) which do not go away no matter how hard you try or how distressing they are. To try to relieve the anxiety, you do an action (the compulsions) which in the end only reinforces the obsessions and makes them stronger. OCD can be truly torturous, and if the person doesn't seek treatment, it can become truly debilitating.

If someone reading this thinks they may have OCD, google the Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation and go to their website (I don't have enough posts to post the link myself), read more about the symptoms, and if applicable try to find a therapist who specializes in OCD (believe it or not, most regular therapists don't have a clue how to treat OCD).
 
#36 ·
While having a form of perfectionism and organization can be part of OCD, being a perfectionist or a superorganizer does not mean you have OCD. OCD is chemical imbalance which causes instrusive, distressing thoughts (the obsessions) which do not go away no matter how hard you try or how distressing they are. To try to relieve the anxiety, you do an action (the compulsions) which in the end only reinforces the obsessions and makes them stronger. OCD can be truly torturous, and if the person doesn't seek treatment, it can become truly debilitating.
If you read up on Freud's Psychosexual Development Theory, that could be a theory of why someone is so perfectionist..they could be stuck at the Anal Stage.



I have pretty mild OCD. I think a lot about my sensory issues, which cause nervous behaviors that affect my sensory issues..it goes back and forth. Examples:

Sensory: I hate my hands being touched, yet I like to touch everything else.
OCD: I pick at my hands constantly, and hardly ever want to touch other things.
What happens: I pick at my hands and touch everything.

Sensory: I can't stand the feel of water on my face and in my mouth, which makes it incredibly difficult to wash my face and brush my teeth.
OCD: I can't sleep if I feel dirty.
What happens: Brush and wash as fast as possible. I usually cry while doing this.

Whenever I get anxious about something, I analyze words and count everything. I usually end up okay.
I don't see it as much of a disorder since it wasn't diagnosed until recently, and I've had it for years. It's more of a self-coping thing for me..I'd much rather focus on numbers than bad thoughts.
 
#33 ·
Oh yeah, I didn't actually state my thoughts on OCD and type :)

For awhile there I tried to figure out which type would be most likely to actually have OCD. For some time, I thought it was INTP, since I kept reading about the INTP having chronic self-doubt, which is a fundamental characteristic of OCD. This even made me believe that I was an INTP, until I realized that I was way too J-like to be a P, and my self-doubt was just the OCD part of my brain.

I think it may be reasonable to think that N's are more likely than S's to have OCD, simply because usually OCD involves having 'what if' thoughts which make the person worry about possible outcomes that might happen in the future. I don't know about T vs F, though. I'm a member of OCDtribe on the Internet (again, look up on google since I can't post the link), which is an online support group for people with OCD. And the majority of people on that site seem very Feeling. Of course, it may be possible that Feeling types are just more likely to join online support groups and that's why the people on that site seem more Feeling. E vs I would have no bearing on someone having OCD. I don't think J vs P would either, since someone with OCD is not necessarily plan-oriented and could be quite laid back when it comes to topics/areas of their life not affected by an OCD obsession (despite the popular misconception).

I'd be interested in seeing if someone ever did a study about people diagnosed with OCD and how it correlated with their MBTI type.
 
#34 ·
A study like that would be interesting.

I used to post on OCD boards, until I realized that everyone who posts there are a sad bunch of sacks who feel sorry for themselves. I figured it doesn't do any good for me to surround myself with such negativity, so I stopped. It's hard to beat OCD if you're feeling sorry for yourself, IMO.

Thanks for the response.
 
#37 ·
I have OCD. I guess worse could happen. :)
 
#38 ·
I have several family member with OCD. I think it's probably more genetic than type related. My dad has it pretty bad, such to an extent that I can't tell if he's ISTJ, or just a really perfectionist ISTP.

Anyhoo, whenever I get stressed about something (which is very rare, as I usually don't worry about stuff0, I'll start repeating tasks over and over again, as if to think it's actually going to make my situation better. I logically realize it isn't, but it's still hard to stop. I've hear that OCD can be sort of dormant in people, and they don't realize they have it until something REALLY bad happens, and it manifests itself. Seriously hope this doesn't happen to me.

You can see why I avoid getting stressed out about stuff.
 
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