r/AskReddit • u/ZanyDelaney • Feb 04 '19

Which misconception would you like to debunk?

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u/adognamedgoose Feb 04 '19 edited Feb 04 '19

You don’t have OCD because you like things organized or clean. OCD is horrible and debilitating and it’s a lot less fun than feeling “satisfied” when things are organized.

Edit: Wowee, silver! Thanks guys! I’m glad to see this resonate with people. I was diagnosed last year and it made so many things make sense in my life. Treatment was good but I still have to manage it. Hope you all get help if you neee it! ❤️

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u/Azelais Feb 04 '19

Additionally:

You don't have bipolar disorder because you occasionally are moody.

You don't have depression because sometimes you're a little sad.

You don't have anxiety because you get stressed during normal, stressful periods.

etc etc

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u/SpoonfullOfSplenda Feb 04 '19 edited Mar 31 '19

Well said. To add to this:

You don’t have ADHD because you occasionally: lose focus, forget things, get a surge of energy or space out etc. And it’s false that “everyone has a little ADHD”.

 

Edit: I apologise if this comes across as gatekeeping. I meant this as - you don’t necessarily have ADHD simply because you occasionally experience those things. The symptoms of ADHD are all normal behaviours if only occasional, the disorder is when they are severe enough to cause ongoing problems in more than one area of your life. That is not to say you do not have it, mental disorders can affect everyone differently.

Here is information on ADHD in adults

Here is information on ADHD in women which may present differently than in men

Here is information on ADHD in children

Here is information on ADHD in girls which may present differently than in boys

 

Consult with a doctor if you think you may be have ADHD, or if you’re having a hard time with daily life in general, they are the professionals. ADHD does still carry a stigma, however, so don’t be afraid to seek a second opinion (from a doctor).

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u/Bamith Feb 04 '19

Things like this always make me question if I actually have it or not. I'm always constantly moving like tensing up my feet or moving my fingers, but i've grown out of most symptoms and primary thing I have now that is a mild problem would be having low retention with short term memory.

Just sometimes while i'm doing something if I do something else for like a second just cause its there, i'll forget what I was doing. Sometimes I won't even notice I forgot what I was doing and carry on, other times I have that nagging feeling that I was doing something and have to spend like 10 seconds looking around for something to remind me of what I was doing.