How Can I Tell The Difference Between ASD & OCD Obsessions

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I haven't been Dx with any neurological disorder but obviously suspect I might have one ( I have depression & anxiety ).

I have ASD traits and OCD traits.

My thirst for knowledge on ASD has only been whetted and it feels like ASD is a special interest for me ( If I have them )

So my question is , how do I tell the difference between ASD & OCD regarding my obsession/special interest in ASD.

Did anyone awaiting a Dx overly obsess and investigate ASD ( it's been on a daily basis for a year now ).

Last edited by SaveFerris on 12 May 2017, 3:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.

OCD is when you feel compelled\urged to do an action, probably a repeated number of times, for fear that something bad will happen if you don't, and the feelings are unwanted and interfere with your life. Whereas ASD is something completely different.

So are you saying because I don't fear anything bad will happen if I don't log on to this website it's not OCD ?

I think OCD is more fear-driven. For example:

ASD special interest: I want to log into this website. I want to learn more about a topic I'm very interested in.

OCD obssesion: I have to log into this website. I need to make sure nobody has hacked into my account and spammed everyone with inappropriate content that will get my account banned. (Even though you know it isn't likely to happen.)

If you want to log onto a website it's normal. It you feel compelled to constantly log on even if you don't want to and that is interfering with your life, then it might be OCD.

It aint rocket science. The two kinds of obsessions are very different.

If you constantly wash door knobs because you are terrified that doorknobs will give you germs then you have an OCD type of "obsession" with doorknobs.

In contrast: if you so delight in doorknobs that you have a drawer, closet, room, or house, full of collected doorknobs, buy coffee table books about door knobs, and bore people to death monologuing about the history, the evolution, and the rich variety in the style of doorknobs, then you have an aspergers type of obsession with doorknobs.

It may not be rocket science but as I haven't been Dx with either how am I supposed to know without asking.

I'm gonna use your analogy to answer my actual question ( not the thread title ) so correct me if I'm wrong.

Researching ASD does not terrify me , using WP does not scare me and I don't think it will infect me , or cause me harm if I don't use it thus it is not an OCD type obsession ?

I don't have a collection of autism websites ( unless you count the WWW ) , I have not bought books on autism ( I have downloaded free books though but haven't read them yet but have had them a while , my attention span is terrible ) , I don't bore people discussing autism except maybe my GF ( I dont talk about it with anyone else ) , I know more about ASD than any other disorder thus it may be an ASD type obsession ?

Or yours could just be a normal type of obsession that many people have about things they are interested in?

Sorry to be derogatory. That was really directed towards other folks. Folks who say boneheaded things like "I cant stop collecting beanie babies. So I must have OCD." The "O" in "OCD" is not THAT kind of obsession.

Collecting things is a hobby. OCD is when you're convinced that something bad will happen if you don't do the thing related to the obsession. "I will get sick germs if I don't wash that doorknob before touching it'.

About your interest in autism.

Probably neither OCD, nor aspie, but a normal NT interest. you're just trying to diagnose yourself.




You may just have a normal NT type interest in diagnosing yourself.

Very true



Yep, that's definitely crossed my mind and entirely possible

OCD is, generally speaking, driven by anxiety and the the compulsive behavior (usually physically based) helps to control that anxiety.

Obsessive behavior in ASD isn't really anxiety driven, it's more to fill a need or a want. You may be obsessively collecting widgets because it's an activity which brings you enjoyment and fills that particular need of occupying the brain.

I think most of us are quite familiar with anxiety and we'll do different things in order to control that anxiety. This isn't quite the same, you're anxiety isn't driven by the fact that you're not doing by that particular thing.

Usually it's very easy to tell. It's hard to describe though, like two smells. I have both.
The OCD obsession is usually fears. I also have a compulsive need to do certain things or I get a nasty feeling in my abdomen and stomach that can only be relieved by doing these things. The Aspergers interest is a massive and positive fascination with something which makes me happy when I study it. I also don't realize either. I just go about my day and I do both nonstop. They begin to overlap when it comes to things like organizing, and other general anal behavior. Also both give me anxiety.

My example: I like Chemistry. I love the logical aspects of it and indulge in trying to learn how it works. The OCD half is I fear that if I don't do something right I will blow up the entire world with a single broken atom, like some sort of super hyper bomb. But I don't know how to or cannot actually ever do that, the laws of the universe simply don't allow it. So this is a bit of an example. I feel the need to constantly wash things to keep the remnants of these chemicals from exploding. I sometimes even feel like I can control the universe with my thoughts. No logic, just fear.

I've been informally diagnosed with Asperger's, but I've never been diagnosed with OCD. However, I have recently realized that I have developed some obsessive-compulsive traits. An aspect of these traits is me being too emotional about certain things. Since I joined the Wrong Planet forum, I have written many posts about this social problem that I've been having with a new friend of mine (in fact, it's the reason that I joined the forum). Well I've realized that even though I shouldn't just forget about this problem of mine, I have become too emotional and even obsessive about my problem. My emotional and obsessive behavior is not only not healthy for me, it also won't help me solve my problem. I have tried to keep telling myself that I have to listen to the voice of reason rather than the voice of emotion. Sometimes I have been successful at doing this. But at other times, I've not been successful at doing this.