explaining to people that i have OCD, so they stop laughing

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Should i explain explain to people that i have OCD so they will stop laughing at me?

example of an OCD.

Yesterday i invited my sister in law and her mother in law for dinner.
I put 5 differents cheeses on thje table, so the normal thing to do is putting 5 knifes.
And my sister in law told her mother in law "look, she is using all her utensils". S the old lady starts to laugh at that.

Just before that, i put some jam and butter on scones. I used a knife to cut the scones, a knife for the butter, and a spoon for the jam.
My husband wanted more, some i used two new knifs and another spoon (because the other were dirty)

Everybody is laughing when i am using 100s of utensils (it doesnt stop there of course, it was just an example)

I have enough of people laughing at me because of OCD i have. I dont mind having that, because i think that way it is clean, and people should do that more often!
(i have a lot of OCD regarding to food ==> it started when i was young and wanted all my food in different plates.)


what should i tell people so they will stop laughing at me for that?

That doesn not sound unreasonable using different utencils for different jobs, I say do it, I often tell people I have some OCD traits. One example is that I have to always eat the food I dislike the most first and save the best for las unles I hate the food totaly. Might not sound like much but I often have to eat all of the crusts off of pizza first and it can appear to people that I may not like there food as I would rather eat peas first.

i think i'd probably tell 'em. i mean... i guess it can't get mutch more humiliating huh?. but still.... id just concider what your doing good manners/common sense. even though not many do that kind of thing any more.

am dont think should have to even say its an OCD thing-what does it matter,they arent been thrown away and it doesnt affect the family in any way.

am do not have OCD,but have a similar problem,in that if anyone else uses own things,am cant use them again because they might have been touched by things that hate [food-colour,taste,smell etc],and that cant have those things anywhere near anything of own-this went on for a long time as home staff didnt understand,until am wrote why was having meltdowns everytime they did it,and NAS support staff explained it to them.
-what about writing mother/sister in law a letter,explaining why do those things and that it is 'normal' to self,even if it isnt to them,maybe print off a leaflet about OCD from a official type OCD charity/organisation and include it with the letter so they can get a better understanding.

People tend to understand you better if you tell them that there's a genuine [medical] reason for why you're "different" and/or "weird", and OCD is a medical condition (just like Autism is).

Tell them, and what they do with the information will reveal who they are, whether understanding people, or...just jerks.

I have to do that too.

If they're laughing at you, tell them, and they should stop.

I don't have any advice, I just want you to know that you're not alone because I have OCD and strangers don't know but my family and boyfriend give me s**t about it all the time.

What? That's disgusting! How dare they take the piss when they know what's going on.

Have you talked to them about this?

oh christina, that is very sad!!
I dont know if my husband realize that i have OCD. LOL well he knows i am an aspie, but he just thinks i am maniac about food. (but i am messy at home...)

but people who knows about your OCD and still give you a hard time for that... that is so unfair.. disgusting like johnhopkins said.

I'd go for the revenge thing. If they want a spoon, I'll get the wrong type deliberately If they ask, I'd say "A spoon's a spoon isn't it?" Then say "You're telling me you never knew about different cutlery for different things?" Then hand over a large spoon ...

Tell them, with a mental leaflet prepared. It can be difficult for others to accomodate unless adequately informed, actually asking them not to mock you because you are genetically predisposed to act in a certain way, may or may not help depending on approach.

MemberSix, I think addressing somebody as "Missy" is probably kinda creepy.

ghouna, I would probably laugh at this particular OCD behavior the first time I saw it. If I had it, I probably wouldn't mind that, from otherwise friendly people. I'd tell them, "Yeah, it's a compulsion," and laugh about it a bit too. If they continued to laugh at it time and again, I'd be pissed, though. Your cultlery thing is funny, but it's not very funny, and reiterating a stale joke at somebody else's expense is a mean, aggressive thing to do.

The thing, i dont mind being laugh at, because i am the first one to do so! (i was at boarding school, and we used to eat nutella straight out of the jar. I had 30 spoons for it. I would use one, then take another one for each spoonful i would take... It is funny in a way. )

I dont mind having those OCD, like my 5 differents sponges (one for washing up, one for counter, one for floor, one for bathroom, one for emergency )

I also hate when people put the dirty glasses on the left side of the sink. It has to be one the right (depending on kitchern i can be on the left). I am sure that i will contaminate the clean one. An d i get really angry.

When we are eating, if somebody let a fork fall on the floor, put it on the table and take a clean one. If i am at home, i will pick it up and put it in the sink. If i am at somebody's house, i will try to hide it from view, and i will think about this fork all the time. I dont know why, maybe because i think it will jump on my plate? Or i will take it by mistake.

Seriously, it is ridiculous sometimes. And i understand why people laugh at that. But sometimes it hurts. An aspie friend (well i understand that she speaks without thinking, because i do the same. at sometimes she hurts people like i do ) told me once that she told all my behaviour to her husband, and he thought i was weird, so she told me that... And i didnt like it.
I dont mind when people laugh and say "oh you're weird". but i honestly mind when people tell other "look she is weird" LOL

Maybe i get upset to easily... Or maybe i shouldnt invite anybody anymore!! AHAH and then, they will all cry because my food is GOOD! and at least when i cook, there is no risk for crosscontamination (well, when you used 4 chopping board and 4 knifes for 4 vegetables (YES VEGETABLES) there is no risk of that)

thank you everybody.

Membersix> I am not missy, i am Ghouna

Keith> good idea, i will give them ENORMOUS spoon!