I have OCD, which is often grossly misinterpreted in the media. My OCD is relationship based, while in films and TV writers seem to focus on contamination and symmetry over other Pure-O types of the disorder. I was wondering, how is OCD treated? It's not the type they portray per say, but do they show obsessions vary and are not as stereotypical?
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I fell in love with him the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.
-TFiOS
It is very generalized, and actually depicts more of an Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder rather than actual OCD. Nicholson's character has little rituals that he performs, but they never appear to actually impact his daily life or prevent him from functioning.
shareAs an OCD sufferer myself I probably think about it differently, but I don't know how you can say that his rituals never appear to impact his daily life. He has to go to one particular restaurant, have one waitress, has to use his specific silverware, this is a huge impact. His choices are extremely limited. I understand this completely. I can't just watch a movie I want to watch, I have to watch what's next alphabetically, whether it's a terrible movie and I have no interest in watching it. I can't just go where I want, or eat what I want, etc.
Also, when he's on his date with Carol, she's trying to have a conversation with him and he stops and puts his head in his hands and says "This is exhausting." Trying to make yourself be "normal" and stop the whirlwind of thoughts in your head and keep up your end of a conversation with someone you're attracted to and trying to impress really is physically exhausting for someone with OCD so yes it impacts his daily life and makes it difficult to function.
I wore her head as a hat through three states.
It is not the center of the film. I don't know if that's good or bad.
shareI know they usually depict OCD has the stereotypical type: checking and counting, but it can also be more cerebral and debilitating. I hope they didn't play it for laughs to much, unless his charter was not that severely affected
Watch the movie and find out.
shareI live with someone who has OCD, and it's most definitely the genuine article that this person faces (and no, it's not me). They have anxiety all the time that can only be quelled by repetitive cleaning, organizing, and making sure everything in the house is secure. They'll clean for hours in the morning before ever getting dressed, running around in their underwear. They'll change their clothes 3x a day, causing them to have the largest laundry load (and since I do the laundry in this house, it takes me several days to finish with their load of clothes). They freak out if messes are really bad, causing the rest of us to sometimes conceal them to cut down on the bitching and moaning. When we park our cars anywhere, they check all the door handles several times to make sure they're locked, despite only needing to do it once. Any time this person sees a haphazard stack of books and magazines, they straighten them and even rearrange them so the largest one is on bottom and the smallest one is on top. When they shower, they take up to 2 hours to finish because they spent so much time cleaning before even stepping into the shower. They can't even bear going into certain bedrooms because the mess drives their anxiety through the roof, and they yell at the owner if they're in said room. There's a reason this person is always late to everything, including movies, causing the rest of the family to have to lie about the movie times just so we have a prayer of not missing the first 20 minutes, or relying on flashing lights from the previews to find our seats. The worst part is, if we call out this person on how ridiculous or excessive their habits are, they get mad.
So yeah, they aren't always exaggerating in movies, or they don't tell enough to let you know how bad it can get.
I’ve dealt with OCD issues in the past and thought they did a pretty good job of representing it when I saw the film at the theater.
shareI think Nicholson is portrayed as an extreme case. So they exaggerate his behaviors.
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