OCD vs ASD Repetitive/Routine Behavior

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laserwater
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22 Dec 2012, 11:18 pm

I'm curious what the difference would be here.
I'm thinking I have some of both, but because originally I believed my problems to be OCD, I'm curious if it's really the case, or if ASD actually is the more accurate explanation.

For example, some things I do:
1. When I was a child, when I would play with my toys, I would have a special number. This number would be the same for a very long time, then change suddenly for me, and repeat. While playing, whenever I moved a toy, I would have to move it by the number of steps according to the special number. So if it was 7, they would have to take 7 steps each time. It made me feel comfortable, and to not do it would be very uncomfortable. But there was no anxiety. After awhile, I realized this was weird, so I forced myself to stop. :s

2. Currently, I check a lot, as if I don't completely trust my senses or short term memory. For example, I'll turn the sink off, but will have a hard time feeling confident that it is off, so I will look back a few times, or I'll just need to touch the faucet once to feel certain. If I don't, I feel like I can't sit still wondering whether it is really off or not, though I can ignore this feeling if I try enough. Same with lights when I leave a room for example. I have rituals where I must look at certain places in a room in a certain order to feel sure that I am putting everything away/turning everything off right.

To me, 1 sounds like ASD now, though I previously thought it was OCD. And 2 sounds like both OCD and ASD.


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MrStewart
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22 Dec 2012, 11:28 pm

It is possible to have both OCD and an ASD comorbid. I do.

Your example #1 is more in line of what is normally associated with autism. Comfort in routine, distress when routine is broken. Compartmentalizing life in this way to limit surprise and limit instance of finding self in position of confusion. It feels better to keep to routine. Feels safe, secure. These routines are mostly pleasant.

Your #2 is in line with OCD repetitive behaviour. OCD is usually about repetitive action that you feel you must do in order to prevent some disaster. For example, I check my car door locks, parking brake, headlights, etc. repeatedly before I leave the vehicle because I am afraid that if I don't check those things many times over the car will be broken into/stolen/roll out into the street/battery drain and so forth. OCD routines are, typically, unpleasant for the individual performing them. They are fueled by fear. Intense anxiety may also accompany this even if the repetitive acts are performed as normal. Self harm may be used as a means of controlling this anxiety.



laserwater
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22 Dec 2012, 11:36 pm

MrStewart wrote:
It is possible to have both OCD and an ASD comorbid. I do.

Your example #1 is more in line of what is normally associated with autism. Comfort in routine, distress when routine is broken. Compartmentalizing life in this way to limit surprise and limit instance of finding self in position of confusion. It feels better to keep to routine. Feels safe, secure. These routines are mostly pleasant.

Your #2 is in line with OCD repetitive behaviour. OCD is usually about repetitive action that you feel you must do in order to prevent some disaster. For example, I check my car door locks, parking brake, headlights, etc. repeatedly before I leave the vehicle because I am afraid that if I don't check those things many times over the car will be broken into/stolen/roll out into the street/battery drain and so forth. OCD routines are, typically, unpleasant for the individual performing them. They are fueled by fear. Intense anxiety may also accompany this even if the repetitive acts are performed as normal.

This makes sense :) Thank you for your answer


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EstherJ
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23 Dec 2012, 2:01 am

I have them comorbidly too, and here's the way my psychologist and I discern the difference:

Rituals:
1. Is there a fear attached to the routine? Do you HAVE to do it or something (inexplicably, or specifically) bad will happen? Most likely OCD.
2. Is the routine pleasurable, and helps you make sense of your world/cope, or is illogical but has no negativity? Most likely ASD.
3.Do you catastrophize (start thinking up horrible, awful things that will happen) if you don't do the routine? Most likely OCD.
4. Do you feel a general sense of anxiety and confusion, or loss of control, when you don't do the ritual? Most likely ASD.

Obsessions:
1. Is it an obsession with something bad, tied to fear? OCD.
2. Is it an obsession that makes no sense, but is otherwise unemotional? ASD
3. Is it an obsession that causes intense anxiety that you want to get rid of? OCD
4. Is it an obsession that brings pleasure and that you like? ASD



eric76
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23 Dec 2012, 5:00 am

laserwater wrote:
2. Currently, I check a lot, as if I don't completely trust my senses or short term memory. For example, I'll turn the sink off, but will have a hard time feeling confident that it is off, so I will look back a few times, or I'll just need to touch the faucet once to feel certain. If I don't, I feel like I can't sit still wondering whether it is really off or not, though I can ignore this feeling if I try enough. Same with lights when I leave a room for example. I have rituals where I must look at certain places in a room in a certain order to feel sure that I am putting everything away/turning everything off right.

To me, 1 sounds like ASD now, though I previously thought it was OCD. And 2 sounds like both OCD and ASD.


I feel compelled to check to make sure I closed and locked doors. If I'm the only one at the office and I leave for more than a few minutes, I have to come back and check to make sure the door was locked. I've tried to fight it many times and have been 10 to 12 miles out of town on several occasions and had to turn around and go back to the office to make sure the door was closed.

I also check to make sure that the stove in the kitchenette is off, that the refrigerator door is closed, and that the toilets are not running. If I don't check something, I feel compelled to come back to make sure that it is as it should be.

If I leave my car at the airport and get on an airplane, I'll wonder whether or not I locked the door or shut the lights off until I get back.



MrStewart
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23 Dec 2012, 8:06 pm

to eric76 and anyone else who has some repetitive checking problems, my therapist had me try something that has worked relatively well for me that you could also try:

For things like checking door locks (or whatever it is that applies) what you can do is add an additional check confirmation measure. Let me explain that with an example: First, have a pen and optionally a sheet of paper with you. You're about to leave your dwelling and lock the door behind you. Turn your key once to lock the door. Then check it ONCE or TWICE to confirm it is locked. Now STOP. Take the pen and make a mark on the sheet of paper. Either a checkmark or a sentence or whatever you would like. The mark on the paper confirms that you checked that the door is locked and you know that you would not have put the mark on the paper without ensuring the door is locked. You know that the door cannot magically unlock itself now. Therefore, it is locked. It does not require additional checks. Put your piece of paper in your pocket and keep it with you for the rest of the day.

The idea is to add that mark on the paper as a confirmation step. In so doing you will (or, i should say, may) become more comfortable checking once or twice as opposed to several times after a while of doing this. Don't worry about checking the paper as confirmation repeatedly. It is there so you have something else to look at to confirm to yourself that you do not have to turn your car around and head home to check again.

This doesn't work for everything, or every person's variant of OCD, but it did help me to a certain extent. Lowered my anxiety level a bit.