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OCD In A Nutshell (How I would explain OCD to someone who doesn't have it)
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Does anyone else with OCD feel that OCD in a nutshell (such that you were attempting to explain it to someone who doesn't suffer from it) is a hypersensitivity/hyperawareness to/of certain stimuli (obsession component)? Paired with a hyper-responsiveness/abnormally strong drive to respond to said stimuli (compulsive component)? (credits to /u/eg-er-ekki-islensku for bringing my attention to the hyper-responsive component of OCD, which explains the compulsive nature of the illness).

For example, when I wear a tucked in shirt with pants, I get the obsession that my shirt will come untucked whenever I sit/stand up, adjust my positioning, etc. If I don't have my shirt tucked in, I'm afraid that it will look bad and I will be judged for it, and so I'll engage in compulsions including checking the back of my shirt to feel if it came untucked/how much it came untucked, or go to the bathroom and try to get my shirt tucked in as much/tightly as possible, so that it doesn't come untucked. These obsessions regarding the shirt coming untucked are also coupled with lots of draining anxiety and distress. So, this is one example of being hypersensitive/hyperaware and hyper-responsive to/of a stimulus (wearing a tucked-in shirt) that a person without OCD would not think twice about or feel the need to respond to nearly as strongly.

Anyone else feel like OCD can be simplified this way? Or is my understanding not comprehensive/only descriptive of my experience?

EDIT: This is not a reassurance-seeking or compulsion-enabling post, nor am I asking for a diagnosis. I was diagnosed with OCD a while back. After years of suffering, this is just a simple way that I explain it to friends/family/people who ask what it is. Wanted to know if others thought similarly of it. Thanks :)

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8 years ago