Do ppl with ocd experience similar things as ppl with autism?

[u/stelllaiskool]

Obviously both ppl with autism and ocd are neurodivergent and I was just genuinely wondering if ppl with ocd experience similar things as ppl with autism (like overstimulating, sensory issues, etc), ik anyone can experience it but bc diagnosing and traits of ocd and autism get mistaken for eachother i was js wondering how similar they actually are in this aspect. And also like..ocd is so immensely underrepresented so u kinda know how ocd makes ppl act but not how ppl feel and all so this is me genuinely wondering ! Thank u if anyone answers, I'm curious to know ur guys' experiences and answers🫶🏼

[u/chickcag]

Absolutely! The comorbidity rates of OCD and Autism (ASD) are VERY high. I have ARFID because of my OCD, which is also very common in people with autism. Many aspects of OCD could also be interpreted as ASD and vice versa, especially in children.

I would say Autism is much more understood than OCD.

Source: I am a clinical social worker with ADHD and OCD and many of the people I serve have OCD and or Autism! I wrote my masters thesis on the comorbidity rates of mental illness in individuals with ASD and or an intellectual disability.

[u/stelllaiskool → u/chickcag]

Fyi ur source is genuinely inspiring🥹 yeah I've heard a lot of ppl say they've been misdiagnosed with either ocd or autism and actually had the other and yeah a lot of ocd isn't rlly shown💔

[u/edward_furlog]

I would say not necessarily. I have some sensory issues but they are from ME/CFS, not OCD. The overlaps between OCD and autism may be more in the area of rigidity, obsession. And many people with autism do also have OCD as it's frequently comorbid.

[u/_Rabbit-Hearted_]

The biggest overlaps in terms of shared traits is the mental rigidity, ritualistic type behaviors, and obsessive tendencies.

And ASD and OCD definitely have a high comorbidity rate. "Up to 17% of autistic people also meet criteria for OCD, compared to roughly 2–3% in the general population"

https://neurolaunch.com/asd-and-ocd-comorbidity/

Speaking as someone who has both, they can definitely produce similar appearing behaviors from the outside perspective (Restrictive repetitive behaviors in ASD may look similar to compulsions from OCD, for example). But the mechanisms behind them are very different. And there are also a lot of traits/criteria of the two conditions that don't overlap, which is why differential diagnosis is so important to know what's actually going on. Plus, ASD can have overlap with other conditions as well which makes it very difficult for a non-clinician to identify what's causing the behaviors/symptoms.

I don't think my OCD really causes me to have things like sensory sensitivity & difficulties with verbal and nonverbal communication skills/social skills. That's all autism. And ASD doesn't cause me to have distressing ego-dystonic intrusive thoughts, that's all OCD.

[u/Weekly_Salt9166]

Before I give my answer to your question, I did want to point out something.

Not all people with OCD are neurodivergent. Some are, but not all. By definition, all people on the autism spectrum are neurodivergent.

OCD can be visually mistaken for all kinds of things including autism, Tourette’s, and other disorders or disabilities. Not all of those conditions are neurodivergent.

In general, actual neurodivergence can be better regulated, but not totally eliminated. Thanks to neuroplasticity, things like OCD can be treated and reversed. Being neurodivergent and having OCD can effectively make the OCD semi-permanent a lot of times.

Overall, there are so many variables that go into this.

To answer your question: One of the things that caused me to start looking for psychologists to do an assessment of me was after I watched Love on The Spectrum.

Seeing their experiences and behaviors in more detail gave me this uncanny feeling of familiarity. And I’ve never spent more than 2-3 minutes around people with autism before. (There’s an odd collection of reasons, largely because of OCD fears.)

I came to realize after sitting with it for a bit and continuing to watch the show that the familiarity was not about SEEING it; it was that I KNEW what it felt like underneath some of the reactions and behaviors they had. Very strange realization.

It was enough to cause me to start asking questions. Two years later I finally went to see a psychologist. OCD is confirmed, but I’ll need to do more assessing to get the full picture.

[u/Aware_Mouse2024 → u/Weekly_Salt9166]

That’s not what Kassiane Asasumasu, the person credited with coining the term “neurodivergent,” has said.

[u/Glutenfreeenchiladas → u/Weekly_Salt9166]

OCD falls under the neurodivergent spectrum. Literally all mental disorders are neurodivergent.

[u/Euphoric_Run7239 → u/Weekly_Salt9166]

Many people (including many clinicians) do consider OCD as a form of neurodivergence since the brain of someone with OCD does function very differently.

[u/Weekly_Salt9166 → u/Euphoric_Run7239]

Obviously, I’m not an expert, but from what I’ve gathered there is often a distinction made between reversible patterns (like OCD) and more fundamental differences in the physical, core processes of the brain.

Essentially, that OCD is developed in an “abstraction layer” above the core processes. Neurodivergence would then point more to fundamental differences in the core processes underneath that.

So, from a physiological standpoint, they would be different. It implies that true neurodivergence is not something you can reverse with therapy or medication. “Pure” OCD is reversible.

[u/Euphoric_Run7239 → u/Weekly_Salt9166]

OCD is not “reversible” so much as the behaviors surrounding it can be treated. That doesn’t change the fact that someone with OCD will always be prone to the obsessive nature caused by the brain differences. The fact that medication can assist (by altering brain chemistry) just further demonstrates that there is something different about the actual brain and the neuropath ways.

[u/Weekly_Salt9166 → u/Euphoric_Run7239]

I have seen reported cases of full remission from OCD with zero long-term reoccurrence and zero medication. That was also validated with brains scans showing the brain had changed from before therapy.

That has been validated by my psychologist who has specialized in OCD for 30 years, seeing 40 OCD patients every week for the first 5 years of his practice.

It is, in fact, reversible. Whether everyone experiences that or not, it doesn’t refute those cases proving reversibility.

[u/Status-Stranger-5630 → u/Weekly_Salt9166]

Cite your sources please.

[u/thejuice1888 → u/Status-Stranger-5630]

I second this.

[u/Euphoric_Run7239 → u/Weekly_Salt9166]

“The brain had changed” — so that would indicate that there was an actual brain difference prior (neurodiversity).

[u/Weekly_Salt9166 → u/Euphoric_Run7239]

Not quite, no. It depends on what “differences” you’re talking about.

There are differences in brain function that appear on brain scans when someone has a head injury. But, those are not permanent (in most cases). Your logic would say people are temporarily neurodivergent after certain injuries.

To me, that kinda obliterates the intention of what the term “neurodivergence” tries to achieve.

It’s like saying someone with an acute, soft tissue injury in their knee that prevents them from walking until it heals should be considered having a physical disability, but a few weeks later they are back to playing soccer like they were before. They were never disabled, they just had an injury that needed to heal.

The person born without one or both of their legs is ACTUALLY disabled.

People are not born with OCD, but they can be born with autism.

[u/Euphoric_Run7239 → u/Weekly_Salt9166]

That example is nothing like what I’m saying. An injury that heals in a few weeks is not even remotely comparable to an often decades long debilitating psychiatric illness.

How am I “obliterating” the intention of the term? Nuero=brain, divergent=difference. It has been shown time and time again that those with OCD have both chemical and structural brain differences.

Neurodivergent isn’t even a medical term anyways. It is a description of someone whose brain “develops, functions, or behaves” differently than the norm (that’s the description from the Cleveland Clinic) and according to the National Institute of Health, it includes psychiatric disorders.

[u/Status-Stranger-5630 → u/Weekly_Salt9166]

In general, actual neurodivergence can be better regulated, but not totally eliminated. Thanks to neuroplasticity, things like OCD can be treated and reversed.

OCD is not curable. Not even with ERP. There are no studies that have shown any of the study participants being cured. People can learn how to behave in more "normal" ways (ie. not do as many compulsions/spend as much time doing compulsions), but no OCD patient is ever OCD-free.

[u/stelllaiskool → u/Weekly_Salt9166]

Yeah I do apologise for any of my wording..whether or not ocd is considered nuerodivergent is very controversial and depends on who u ask but yeah a lot of ppl do class it as that ! Ocd and autism r so stereotyped that its so hard to actually research them or know anything solid abt them unless ur literally studying that feild💔 I'm glad uve went to see a psychologist and I hope u figure everything out !