How To Tell The Difference Between OCD , ASD & NT Rituals

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Is there a way of telling the difference between OCD , ASD & NT rituals?

Can a ritualistic way of doing something still be OCD if you don't feel your doing it to stop bad things happening?

Can NT's have multiple rituals , if so what is the difference?

Does checking card doors and house locks before you go to bed / go out more than once constitute OCD if it is anxiety about being robbed / burgaled etc?

Do people with anxiety have rituals that are different to OCD or ASD?


I have a lot of rituals and am just trying to get a better idea of where they come from.

Perhaps the best way to see the difference is to live with a partner diagnosed with OCD.

I have taken your advice and just dumped my GF and am now looking for a GF Dx with OCD

The vast majority of my rituals are borne of ASD. I have them because it makes it easier (read:possible) to function. For example, I always do food prep and cooking in exactly the same way, or I get overwhelmed.

Sometimes I get rituals of a more OCD flavour, accompanied with thoughts like 'If you don't do this, something terrible will happen to you [insert terrible thing, the thoughts are usually specific].

So I think the difference is in why you do it, and how you feel about doing it.

As for the NT ritual thing, how do you feel when your ritual is disturbed or made impossible?
NTs seem to cope and find a way around it, even if they're initially annoyed.
Autists might find it impossible to proceed (meltdowns etc.)

I would say OCD rituals always have an element of anxiety as they are compulsions aimed at eliminating obsessions/ stopped negative consequences e.g., repeated hand-washing as you have obsessive fears about germs.

NT rituals are more likely to be routines and habits though there could be an element of anxiety as the motivator e.g., brushing teeth after every meal which you started doing after a dental health scare.

ASD rituals are probably rule and/or routine based and a way of coping with external or internal pressures. They help the person make sense of and function in the world e.g., organise wardrobe and what your going to wear using a method of prime factorisation (this was someone on here and I really liked the method so hope it's okay to quote!)

For all of these it's going to cause distress if the action can't be completed but I imagine it would cause the NT the least stress. It's probably hardest to untangle OCD and ASD rituals as they are common comorbids.

I think a way to look at it could be "Does it cause me a problem?" That way you are less concerned with the cause but more concerned with whether the behaviour needs to be changed and can then work on making that change.

This is classic OCD. Anxiety about an issue leads to a compulsion to check in order to remedy the anxiety. OCD is an anxiety disorder after all. Of course by itself it's meaningless, there would have to be a pattern of this kind of behavior.

With Aspergers or ASD I suppose it would be more general. You perform rituals in order to feel calm or relaxed and in order to function. When something happens to those rituals it leads to meltdown. Failing to perform an OCD ritual would lead to panic about the particular source of anxiety coming to fruition. eg. If you needed to check the locks but decided not to you might be up all night because you are sure this will lead to a break-in, despite knowing in your mind this fear is not logically justified.

Well it sounds like I have classic OCD traits when it comes to checking locks , I know I have gone to bed and wondered if I've locked the doors before and it goes 1 of 2 ways - 1. I know I won't get to sleep as easily if I don't check it. 2. I cant be arsed to get out bed and tell myself I don't care.

I also think the other rituals I have are maybe habit or routines as it would not cause me stress or anxiety if I didn't do it. If something happens to stop me doing something habitual , it sort of messes with my memory and I'll forget something e.g if I am preparing a meal and something happens so I can't do it the same way then I'll likely forget something.

I wonder if "rationality" and having a timely conclusion are two things that differentiate OCD from mere ritual.

For example: In the mornings I always have to turn my room door knob side to side to be sure it latched. Sometimes I can't remember if I got it quite right, so I go back and do it again. Even if it makes me late for work/appointments, it's better than it being a lingering worry all day. The second time is always enough for me though, so it's not really OCD, right?

There are a lot of things I very much prefer to do one way, but I can do them differently if needed at the cost of some slight misery or discomfort.

My understanding is that it's normal to have some mildly OCD like traits with Aspergers. What would warrant a diagnosis of OCD would be if the rituals you are performing begin to interfere with activities you need to do in your life. Either by the nature of them or the amount of time they consume. Typically someone with OCD realizes what they are doing is not rational but feel compelled to do it anyway. They do not enjoy it at all. I have some OCD traits as well when it comes to avoiding illness and obsessing over public surfaces. I avoid a lot of them.

I have issues with remembering things too. If things get out of order or the way something is done suddenly changes I forget things and make a lot of careless errors. Depending on what it is sometimes a whole day can be ruined.