What is the difference between Perfectionism and OCD?

The two are very similar however OCD means the person feels like they have no control over their thoughts and have to carry out specific rituals to ease these thoughts as they don't leave them alone. Perfectionists on the other hand, will have the thoughts to do everything most perfectly it can be however these thoughts do not stay on their mind if they don't act - they have more control.

OCD is characterized by intrusive thoughts that you can't make go away and they can be about anything, not just necessarily having things neat or in order. as well, OCD patients suffer from compulsions, which are acts that the person must perform or they get intense anxiety and cannot function normally. These compulsions can be anything, not necessarily related to a specific intrusive thought.

I would say that people don't understand the different. To explain, if someone is a perfectionist, there is a defined subject, code of ethics, behavior. They have in their mind what their idea of perfect is, and although they may stray from the mark and it may bother them, this is not "obsessive compulsive disorder" and the folks that are constantly parroting "OMG, I'm so OCD, its not even funny!" are not helping those who actually have it. Obsessive compulsive disorder is a pervasive illness in which a person has repetitive and unwanted thoughts or feelings and engage in behaviors/ compulsions due to those thoughts or feelings to reduce the impact that those negative thoughts or feelings may be having on them at that moment. Some comparisons: Perfection: I never leave a single dirty dish in the sink. OCD: "I put my hand in the sink three times before I left the house to make sure there were no dishes in the sink. I did it again before I left the house and said outloud three times that there are no dishes left in the sink and I know that there arent any because I took a picture of the empty sink on my cellphone so I could check and make sure that it was dated today so that I know for sure that there are no dirty dishes in the sink while I'm at work, and I checked to make sure that my date and time were correct several times to make sure that the photo of the dishes in the sink wasnt from a different day because somehow the phone was no longer getting the correct time on the sink and I called my husband at 10am to confirm that even though I have a picture, the time is correct, i touched the bottom of the sink three times, and again before I left that there are definately, 100% no dishes in the sink. I think I'm going to go home on my lunch just to make sure." Perfectionist: I never leave things plugged in around the house when I leave. OCD: If I leave anything in the house pluged in it will cause a fire, so at first I started touching the outlets three times each with each one having nothing plugged in, but then it started taking too much time so now when I leave the house I just shut the main breaker to the house off so I know for sure there will be no fires, and then I take a picture of the breaker off to make sure, and then finally I call my neighbor and ask if my house burned down. I pretend I'm joking so they wont judge me" If this answer seems harsh, its from all the people using "OCD" as an excuse to cover up their bad manners and just wanting things to be there way because they have personality flaws and are not able to get along well with others. If you have ever said "I have to have it this way because I'm so OCD!" you probably arent, becuase I as well as other who actually have obsessive compulsive disorder try to hide it and will not usually admit to it under most circumstances because people think we are crazy for our number choices, the way that we do things, or how we go about making things ok for ourselves.

For me OCD is worrying that if I don't wash my hands enough someone I love is gonna die. I worry constantly if I don't do my routine like normal someone will die, or if I don't do something they'll die. I think OCD is more like if you don't do whatever you do, for me it's washing my hands repetitively, you continue to obsess and worry about it until you do that specific thing. But OCD can be different for every person. Perfectionism to me seems more of a "I want everything to be perfect" rather than "I NEED everything to go perfectly".

Well, the perfectionist people want everything to be okay and evey single work should be done without causing any problems. But OCD makes people repeat something again and again. They do not want to make something perfect, in fact, something forces them to repeat the action. They may even make it worse, but they can not help repeating it. But perfectionist people may only want to do something once, but they hardly get satisfied by the outcome. They just want everything to be perfect! Not feeling satisfied by the outcome, perfectionist people bother themselves most of the time because they want everything to be okay but it is not always possible! OCD can also exhaust people, since no one likes to repeat something and waste time but they just can not do anything about it. Hopefully they can both be treated:)

Perfectionism is the desire to have everything completely perfect, whereas OCD is when someone feels everything must be perfect otherwise something bad will happen. People with OCD also experience intrusive thoughts, obsessions and horrible mental images that they cannot forget.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, as suggested by the name, is most often characterized by having obsessive thoughts and preforming compulsive actions to satisfy those thoughts. This can mean being a perfectionist - making sure things are equal, evenly spaced, straightened out and clean, etc. However, even though this is a common symptom, it's not always a part of OCD. There are plenty of people who suffer from OCD and are what you would call "disorganized". Another difference might be the level of rational thought put into making things perfect: as an example, while a perfectionist might wash their hands until they are clean, a person suffering from OCD will continue to wash their hands long after their are clean, often to the point of damaging their skin and suffering from anxiety if they stop too early.

OCD in popular media is described with a ridiculous and misleading stereotype of somebody "needing" all of the pens on their desk to be in colored order, or wanting something to be "just so." However, while OCD behaviors and perfectionist behaviors may sometimes appear similar to an outsider, OCD is a severe and crippling mental illness which controls the lives of millions of sufferers. It is marked by an obsession with something, most commonly a contamination, and compulsions to try to soothe the intrusive nature of that obsession. Say somebody is obsessed with the thought of contracting HIV. They are on a bus, and prick their finger on a sharp edge by the window. A typical person would wash their hands and understand that HIV cannot be contracted in this manner. But to an OCD sufferer, they might take a four hour shower in scalding hot water, decontaminate everything they own with caustic disinfectants, and obsessively ruminate for months on the idea that they have contracted HIV, causing them to stop attending social gatherings or leave their house. OCD isn't cute. It isn't a quirk. And it definitely isn't something to brag about on an instagram profile.

OCD is short for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It is a psychological disorder in which individuals experience obsessions and compulsions. These obsessions are usually regarding something happening to the individual or their family, but is usually a very rare and specific scenario. The individual then engages in various specific compulsions that often have little or nothing to do with the actual obsession. These compulsions may be something like having to touch the corners of every desk in order to protect someone from an obsession of being kidnapped. There is often no correlation, but the individual truly believes that this will help prevent that from happening. Perfectionism is not a psychological disorder, and is simply when an individual wants for specific things to be done a particular way and remain up to standard. Perfectionism cycles around wanting the best results possible and potentially obsessing over imperfections (obsession here is VERY different from the obsessions characterized in OCD). No compulsions are associated with perfectionism and the obsessions are usually about minute details rather than extreme situations.

Theoreticians have linked perfection to obsessive-compulsive disorder. Despite the differences in the extent of perfectionism, there is clear research that perfectionism is linked to OCD. The feeling of imperfection subsequently entails a need for perfection in perceptions and behaviour to overcome feelings of uncertainty. Cognitive theoreticians emphasise the importance of perfectionism for understanding OCD. A few theoreticians suggest that perfectionism develops in an attempt to avoid uncertainty or in an attempt to establish control. Others suggest that perfection breeds uncertainty and a desire to control one's own environment. However, there has been little research linking perfectionism to OCD. Neither studies have investigated the influence of different levels of perfectionism treatment, nor whether treating perfectionism directly into therapy would be beneficial. That evidence is gathered in terms of other disorders. Like eating disorders and depression, and suggests that perfectionist thinking could be an important element in treatment.

Perfectionism is when you try and make everything look as you want it, see that is not coming out the right way but manage it without any type of anxiety or need to actually do it. OCD it is a disease that is more of a need to change everything and having compulsions that you have to fulfill with actions that make those compulsions go away like for example: feeling that your hands are not clean and having to wash them every time you get this need, but in a way that it affects your daily living and normal functionality.

Perfectionism is when you want to do whatever it takes to do things perfectly for yourself while OCD is when you feel uncomfortable when things arent the way that you deem it should be and therefore you feel the urge to fix it sometimes this urge can be uncontrollable. According to Google perfectionism is a personality trait where one strives for flawlessness. This can become OCD when those strives cause literal disorder in one's life. The difference is the extremity of the perfectionism or the extent to which being perfect affects your daily life. Though the differences are subtle, it is important to understand that these two are different and that claiming you have OCD when you don’t can be extremely insensitive to someone struggling with the disorder.

I have ocd myself. I also consider myself a perfectionist. Someone with ocd will feel not only driven to do something, but also compulsed which means they feel that they have to complete a certain action in order to alleviate a mental obsession. Unfortunately, this works in a cycle. The more times you give into the compulsions the stronger they will get and reoccur. also not all ocd compulsions and obsessions have to do with cleaning. For me, I had a big religious obsession for example, feeling like I was going to go to hell. I would have to perform mental compulsions like praying or rumination in order to attempt to alleviate these obsessions but they continued for years and years. Ocd can be treated with CBT (I highly recommend it if you find yourself struggling).

Perfectionism usually has a rather emotional drive. OCD is more uncontrollable and one feels forced to engage in their behaviors. An example of perfectionism could be that one gets upset over not getting a perfect score and feels that they are a failure whereas OCD is the feeling of needing to have a perfect score or something drastic (but unrealistic) could happen. Perfectionism is often considered as being within a category of OCD as those with OCD tend to also be perfectionists. Additionally, OCD is characterized by certain behaviors whereas perfectionism has a more mental aspect. I'm not an expert so please excuse any informatilities, but this is basically a summary of what I know about the differences between the two.

Perfectionism is the desire to always achieve the standard that the maker has placed onto themselves, this could be a certain grade or athletic achievement. If the goal is not reached they may feel disappointed in themselves. OCD is the inability to control a compulsive thought that may come to mind. This is often used as satire in media such as Emma from the show Glee who has to wash her hands. OCD is not exactly the same throughout all of the people suffering from it, and not everybody who has and acts on their random thoughts has OCD. Always consult a professional if you are worried that you or a loved one may have OCD, please do not self-diagnose.

As someone who has OCD, I want to let you know there is a pretty big difference. Someone who is a perfectionist likes things to be a certain way. However, someone who has OCD HAS to have them that way, because they have troubling thoughts. OCD stands for obsessive compulsive disorder. For example someone might have the thought (this is the obsession part) that they might forget to lock the door and someone will come in and murder their parents. This thought will keep coming back into their head even at times when they dont want to think about it. As a result, they may start repeatedly checking to see if the door is locked every day. This is the compulsion. So i guess the main difference is that OCD is like perfectionism with a voice in your head saying something terrible will happen if it's not perfect.

OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) happens in a cycle-like manner of thought-action, which causes distress and disruption of daily life. It usually goes like this: 1)person gets one intrusive thought (disturbing thoughts which 'intrude' on your mind) or more 2)person feels compelled to do an action to 'soothe' or satisfy this thought and make it go away. 3)the cycle repeats and isn't always consist. It may seem illogical but it isn't something which can really be controlled easily and becomes mentally and emotionally taxing. It may come as a form of something like: 'tap this table twice or a family member will die.' or 'if you don't arrange these instantly, something really bad will happen to you'. Perfectionism is more of a desire for things to be perfect, like wanting things to look perfect (not a single line or fold out of place, for example), and it could be either a positive or negative factor (if not both) in someone's life. I recommend seeking help if the perfectionism disturbs your daily life and becomes an obstacle. The reason to reach out doesn't have to be along the lines of mental illnesses and disorders.

OCD may require medication and support from a therapist, psychiatrist or other mental health professional. This is because people who face OCD have a pattern of unwanted thoughts and this information can be distressing, so as a result them may face low self-esteem. Sometimes, extreme perfectionism can be a result of OCD such as seen in efforts to keep on washing one's hands to reduce exposure to germs if one has an idea/thought or response called a compulsion. However, perfectionism can be a personality trait or something entirely independent of OCD so a mental health professional can help differentiate between the too if it is a concern.

While the two have been interchanged in everyday conversation in society sometimes, they are incredibly different. While perfectionism is the need for things to be just tidy and neat, OCD is so much more complex. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder has the disorder definition right in the name. The obsessions are intrusive thoughts, worries, or obsessions. For example, somebody could have obsessions or intrusive thoughts about germs and their hands and dirt, and this is where the “compulsion” part comes in. The compulsions are the actions completed to try and counter the obsessions. In the germs scenario, the compulsions would be the person repeatedly washing their hands until it feels “right” and like their hands are germ-free. This is a serious disorder and should not be taken lightly.

Perfectionism is different from OCD in many different ways. First of all, OCD has different symptoms than perfectionism and can manifest in different ways. Checking things more than needed and thoughts like, "I have to do something three times or something bad will happen," fall in the OCD category. On the other hand, perfectionism isn't quite as difficult to manage. OCD thoughts can get stressful and troubling, while perfectionism is more of a need to do something a certain way. Perfectionism lacks the same amount of pressure of OCD. With OCD, thoughts can and will persist until you address them. It is more so out of your control.

Perfectionism is a controlled concept and OCD is a controlling disorder. Perfectionism is a personality trait whereas OCD can lead to disorder in ones life. When someone is a perfectionist, they strive for flawlessness. Someone with OCD becomes obsessed with certain things and can often go overboard, for example if a person with OCD forgets to lock the door once, they might check the door multiple times every time they leave the house from then on. Or a person with OCD who fears germs might wash their hands until they become raw. A perfectionist wants everything done to perfection.

OCD is a complex disorder that can range from a variety of different obsessions or compulsions. Perfectionism can be an aspect of OCD but is not always related. Some people can have anxiety and be perfectionists where they have an intense fear of failure and have a strong desire to perform well. Some people just like things to be neat and orderly so they organize their environments in certain ways or clean a lot. OCD is different for every person who has it. I have OCD and while I have some desire for perfection, this is not the main focus of my illness. My OCD focuses on germs and contamination as well as intense fear of tragedies occurring. Sometimes my germaphobia can be seen as being a perfectionist in how I clean myself or how I organize my bed or the "strange" rules I have regarding my items or food. Perfectionism is more related to my general anxiety about doing well and fear of failure but I do not obsess over perfectionism nor do I have compulsions regarding perfectionism. This is not to say everyone with OCD experiences the same things as me! Everyone with OCD is different. Some people with OCD need things organized in extremely specific ways or it causes them intense anxiety. I had a friend with OCD who went on a trip once and when he came back he found that his mom and sister had reorganized and cleaned his room. This caused him to have a sort of anxiety attack or meltdown because the way he needed his items organized was very specific and people coming in and changing his routine was a huge trigger for him. To me, perfectionism comes more regarding school work and relationships. I feel a need to be a perfect student and a perfect friend but as a human, I realize this is not a realistic goal and I need to be patient with myself when I make mistakes. In summary: Perfectionism can be a result of OCD or can be a completely unrelated ideal. OCD is a complex mental disorder that has a very broad scope of symptoms.

Perfectionism is a goal of having everything in your life in order, that comes with choice and decision making and goals. You are spiritually, morally and socially perfect. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder takes away choice and decision making. It is not about reaching a goal, more about thoughts and fears controlling your ability to function. Repetitive behaviour that must be done in order to function or move onto the next task. Concerns like if I don't flick the light switch on 10 times and then off 11 times my house will burn down, irrational in many ways. Not completing the repetitive behaviour can lead to even more anxiety.

Perfectionism is the desire to do everything exceptionally well. Many hard workers experience perfectionism in their work place or creative pursuits. Perfectionism can be a common trait to possess. However, OCD is a diagnosis of a disease. A person diagnosed with these disease completes rituals in order to avoid perceived harm to themselves or others. Perfectionism is a personality trait and, OCD is a mental health diagnosis and disorder. People with OCD require therapy and may also require medication. Someone who experiences perfectionism will most likely be able to manage this on their own if they desire to change.

Perfectionists often tend to feel more satisfied when things are perfect, such as the perfect alignment of books to a shelf. However a person with OCD does not feel the same satisfaction in carrying out this task. For people with OCD, it is seen as a task they must do to (e.g. prevent a loved one from dying). As the name Obsessive Compulsive Disorder suggests, it is something compulsive for them because of their obsessive thoughts over it and the dangers they perceive will happen if it is not carried out. While this may differ from different types of OCD, it is generally not enjoyable for people with OCD to carry out these tasks. For a perfectionist, they feel a sense of happiness/joy/satisfaction after it is perfect because of their need for perfection. Oftentimes the two may overlap in certain aspects, so of course should you suspect you have OCD, it'd be best to seek a professional to diagnose you instead of trying to carry out a self-diagnosis that may end up harming you instead through unnecessary stress/not getting the right help.

Perfectionism is the need to be or appear to be perfect, or even to believe that it's possible to achieve perfection. OCD is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which is a psychological disorder that is characterized by obsessive, unpleasant and repetitive thoughts and behaviors, which one cannot control. Perfectionism can be both healthy and unhealthy. The unhealthy kind is usually a symptom of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, where one's repetitive and uncontrollable behavior is pursuing perfection. This can be different for everyone with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. For some people, perfection can be brushing their teeth for exactly 10 minutes and for another person with OCD, it can be brushing their teeth exactly 3 times a day. These behaviors are usually coping mechanisms for the intrusive and unpleasant thoughts.

OCD is a compulsion. if you don't do it, something bad will happen (even if it is just a sense of doom). perfectionism is a want to have things a certain way, if it wasn't 'perfect' there wouldn't be consequences you just prefer it that way. you can get annoyed when the perfectionist standard isnt met but its not life or death. if you were too tired to clean for example with an OCD individual it would still have to be done. OCD also has rituals and specific things that ease the anxiety that is brought on like having groups of three or doing someone a certain amount of times. OCD is compulsive and anxiety-filled.

Well... personally in my experience. Perfectionism is a personality trait rather than a mental disease. OCD constitutes of more than just perfectionism , you may experience intrusive thoughts for instance, it may be like you want to control it but you just can't, generally in OCD you may be aware that it is mentally harming you . While perfectionism is personality trait , you just want things to be perfect , perfect in this sense it literally perfect ( While in OCD most of the the things aren't even perceived perfect ,they just seem perfect to you ) . Just like this there are many differences between these , I just listed a few . In the end , perfectionism is a personality trait while OCD is a mental illness

There is much more behind OCD than the need to repeat patterns! Obsessive compulsive disorder is an organic behavior disorder that affects approximately 1-2% of the population. People with OCD have been showing features of the disorder since childhood. The disorder has two parts - Obsession and Compulsive. Obsession is the recurrence of irrational unwanted thoughts. They inhale fear, anxiety and disgust in the patient's mind. Many people know that these feelings are unrealistic, but they cannot shrink them. There is a deficiency in neural circuits that sends warning signals constantly even in the absence of stimuli. There are many parents who complain that their child needs hours to bathe, dress or clean their room. These children get upset that they are not clean enough, so they continue to wash their hands or feet for hours. Many children keep their toys organized and rearranged until they feel the room looks perfect. The girls will return to their hair about a million ago because they think they are not perfectly adjusted. They are called compulsive behaviors, in which one feels that this is the right way to get things done and keep working. Even in adults, such recurring illogical behavior is seen. For example, constantly check the stove or geyser. People with OCD also want the best. If they don't get what they want, they'll go depressed. They show sadness and frustration if it doesn't happen by their standards. They represent a similar style of thinking that is seen in people with maladaptive perfectionism. This habit of doing the same task repeatedly deprives them of their precious time, in which they can actually do much more productive and constructive things with the product. In the field of psychology, perfectionism is defined as a human trait that transforms oneself and others to achieve an achievable goal. Failure to achieve the goals leads to frustration and disappointment. These individuals are critically critical of themselves and the people around them. This personality trait is also characteristic of people suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder. People with such qualities can be difficult to enjoy at home and in the office because they set very high performance standards that can be difficult for them and others. These people are very critical and constantly strive for the perfect task. A perfectionist worker is constantly worried about what his boss is thinking about his job, so he works on the same task until he feels perfect. For this reason, perfectionism is considered a double sword.

Perfectionism is a personality trait while OCD is a mental health disorder. OCD can't be perfectionism, but perfectionism can become part of OCD. It all depends on the type of perfectionist you are, as there is a difference between wanting things to turn out your way and trying your best to achieve that and obsessively arranging everything for it to go your way. While perfectionism is not a health concern on its own, it is commonly related to other mental problems including anxiety, OCPD and OCD. Being a perfectionist can help some people, but there's a very thin line between adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism. Maladaptive perfectionism is usually a sign that perfectionism is no longer a personality trait, and rather the result of another mental health condition