Has anyone ever thought that their OCD developed as an adaptation to their ADD/ADHD?

My problem was that as a child I would lose and forget things ALL THE TIME because, in a given moment, I was thinking about a million other things (thank you, ADHD). As I grew up, I would be cooking and leave the house for four hours with the stove burners on. I would leave the fridge door open, or water running in the house. Nothing bad ever happened because of it, but I began to fear doing these things as if they had led to terrible catastrophes...

For this reason, I began checking to the point that I would be late for school, or I was convinced that the house would burn down, all my worldly possessions would disappear, and then it would spread to other houses in the neighborhood and I would be responsible for collosal destruction...

So, to me, it seems like my OCD symptoms were my way of compensating for ADHD.

Has anyone else experienced this?

and how about Depression or Anxiety as an adaptation to ADHD, other disorders also come to mind.

I am obsessive about where I put my car keys and where I park my car at the mall; both for very good reasons. :eek:

I have thought about this one for a while.

I have noticed in me that OCD seems to "sneak up on me" when I am very scattered and stressed.

I think the OCD is driven by anxiety, but when I am not able to focus very well, I am more susceptible to OCD. In this way, I think OCD readily leverages ADD and possibly accounts for why it is such a common comorbid disorder.

For example: I might check the lock on my car 3-4 times because I am dealing with OCD and am scattered enough that I am not sure it is locked in the first place.

One thing that I have found to help is ; When I am stuck with a ritual , I satisfy it (usually checking some thing or another) I then take the time to firmly remember that I already did whatever it is I am compelled to check. By doing this it is easier to discount the obsessive idea and resist the impulse to check the locks the next time, and typically it is not too hard for me to do. The hard part is catching myself on the first "round" :p I usually end up discovering I am in that situation on the second or third lap. :(

ME :D

I have thought about this one for a while.

I have noticed in me that OCD seems to "sneak up on me" when I am very scattered and stressed.

I think the OCD is driven by anxiety, but when I am not able to focus very well, I am more susceptible to OCD. In this way, I think OCD readily leverages ADD and possibly accounts for why it is such a common comorbid disorder.
ME :D
I experience very similar experiences with this. My doctor told me it the other way around though I think. She was telling me that my ADHD gets out when things become too stressful and I start getting really anxious. This causes me to forget things and become easily distracted.

So, is it the ADHD that can trigger the OCD or is it the OCD that can trigger the ADHD? Or can it be both depending on the situation and person?

Well, I'll go along with ADD causing anxiety. I also have tinnitus with hyperacusous and that adds a lot more anxiety.

So I have a situation wherin:

hyperacusus--->ADD--->OCD

I basically am "a little ADD" by nature with a tendency toward OCD. The hyperacusus upsets the proverbial apple cart completely by adding more anxiety (which also makes hyperacusous and tinnitus worse).

To make matters even worse, the anxiety can get so severe that my hypesensitivity increases to the point that any of my senses can be affected (but sound is the big stressor). I always had the tendency to be a little hypersensitive, but now it is really a significant part of my life.

At least, that is how I am currently interpreting my condition.... This is the only way I can account for the fact that I was suddenly a LOT more distracted, hypersensitive and hyperactive after damaging my hearing.

I am wondering if this works the same way for people with autism or bipolar ???
I'm hoping that som eof the high functoining types who hang out in the forum will have something to add here so we can compare and contrast...

Is it merely the form of:

anxiety+tendency--->enhanced tendency+more anxiety ???

Is this true for everyone ??

Can it really be that simple?

ME :D


I experience very similar experiences with this. My doctor told me it the other way around though I think. She was telling me that my ADHD gets out when things become too stressful and I start getting really anxious. This causes me to forget things and become easily distracted.

So, is it the ADHD that can trigger the OCD or is it the OCD that can trigger the ADHD? Or can it be both depending on the situation and person?

I don't have OCD but I do have OC tendencies. Many are directly related to ADD. Checking my purse 5 times for my keys before getting out of my car comes from locking them in my car or leaving them elsewhere. Also many people with ADD tend to have the black and white / All or nothing way of thinking.

I have family members who I am sure have ADD but were never diagnosed. They go crazy if somebody messes up their routines or way of doing things. They have to be obsessive and compulsive about things or their brains freeze and can't do it another way.

Finding balance and being able to get back on track can be quite challenging. I find that when I am really on track and starting to become obbessive about doing things that planning "off time" is helpful to me. For me practicing and being in control has helped me to deal with things when I don't have control over things.

Also the thing with anxiety and Obsessive thinking is that it also stimulates the brain. Getting stuck in ruminations is so tough for people with ADD because it's also a way of self-medicating. Worry for hours about why somebody gave me dirty look is self-deafeating but there is also a pay off. I'm not bored when I'm obbsessing...lol

For me personally, I believe my ADD came first. I think I was probably biologicaly predisposed to anxiety but it was triggered by ADD related experiences. At one point the anxiety was more of an issue than the ADD itself.

The answer is a resounding NO

A "no" with regard to whhich question ? Thie notion that it is simple ?

ME :D

The answer is a resounding NO

No as in OCD is not an adaptation of ADHD.

No as in OCD is not an adaptation of ADHD.
Then how do you explain it? There are so many cases in which someone with ADHD develops OCD, depression, and/or anxiety. For many people, like Tara, these tendencies can help the person with ADHD.

I can understand OCD developing form the anxiety associated with ADD. I have never found my OCD tendencies to be useful except perhaps to help make me more detail oriented at work....

ME :D

My main point was that ADD causes us to be forgetful and careless sometimes.

Case in point, a month ago I left the house and completely forgot that I left the oven on with a loaf of french bread inside. An hour later, I came back and the place was full of smoke. I already obsess about turning things off when I leave, and this just reinforces my ruminations.

When I was a child, I misplaced some pivotal things--homework assignments, jewelry, pictures, keys--because my brain was NEVER in the same place I was. So used to experiencing pain and let down, and so used to it being MY FAULT, I began to obsess.

Some would say that this means that I don't really have OCD, but the symptomology generalized as I matured. By the age of 16, I was driving up and down the road to my house at 11 o'clock at night because I had seen a pedestrian walking on the sidewalk, and when I passed I couldn't see him in my rearview mirror. It was so typical for me to have a lapse in concentration that I had NO way of knowing what I was doing from moment to moment. My point is that OCD has both genetic and environmental origins, and ADD as a lifestyle predisposes people to OCD...

I would respectfully disagree with that.

ADHD does not pedispose people to OCD.

Genetics does.

mctavish - do you not have to check and double check things to make sure you haven't forgotten them?

Is that a sign of OCD?

What is the synaps between OCD and ADD?

I am soooooooooooo new at this, forgive my ignorance please (and bad speeling an grammer)

NO, that's NOT OCD.

OCD requires obessional thoughts,images and impulses that are intrusive, persistent and inappropriate.

The thoughts, images, etc.are NOT simply worries about real-life problems.

The person attempts to IGNORE & SUPRESS the thoughts, images,and impulses, etc., or NEUTRALIZE them with some other thought or action.

The person recognizes the thoughts ,images, etc., are irrational (a product of their imagination).

The Compulsions are repetitive behaviors (hand washing,ordering, checking) or mental acts (counting, praying, repeating phrases),which are aimed at neutralizing the obessive thoughts.

One of the most common things I come across in working with kids with (real) OCD, is that they may have terrifying thoughts of their families being killed in a car crash ( or dying in general) if they don't do certain things (like handwashing, counting,etc.)

This is truly (another) devastating disorder and is heart breaking in children.

Yeah mctavish does have a point here. Is it possible that you are interpreting your adaptive functions as a sign of OCD when it is really just you having to 'over-compensate' for the ADD? My (former) doc says this is called "secondary to ADHD". Often it is anxiety or depression etc. The attention deficit causes functional problems which then lead to poor self esteem which leads to depression which leads to....

No wonder so many ignorant doctors miss the ADHD and just see the depression or something else!




One of the most common things I come across in working with kids with (real) OCD, is that they may have terrifying thoughts of their families being killed in a car crash ( or dying in general) if they don't do certain things (like handwashing, counting,etc.)

This is truly (another) devastating disorder and is heart breaking in children.

In order for OCD to exist, then it has to meet those criteria.

It can certainly be a secondary diagnosis, it just can't be simple worry about locking the doors.

One of my good friends committed suicide about 3 /1/2 yrs ago.

He was a brilliant chiropractor and champion body builder.

He taught me more about lifting than anyone else I've met.

He also had the worst case of OCD I've ever seen (anywhere).

While I can't prove it, I firmly believe his use of anabolic steroids years earlier are what exacerbated the symptoms to such an unbelievable level.

If he saw me (or any of his close friends) out and about, he would inevitably call later (sometimes crying) to ask if he'd insulted or sworn at me, or them,etc.

None of us ever lost our tempers with him;even when he'd call back right after that.

The best compliment he ever paid me was to tell me he believed me and then not call back again.

That's OCD.

So do you have to do rituals to have OCD?

I had developed OCPD as a way to "counter" my ADHD and it is a bit different than OCD a personality is "a maladaptive pattern of coping skills" i refused meds as a kid and has severe impulsivity so I became fixated on rules etc... read up on OCPD because it is different but some features... clean freak etc... are features and they are considered "obsessive" in nature

Has anyone ever thought that their OCD developed as an adaptation to their ADD/ADHD?

My problem was that as a child I would lose and forget things ALL THE TIME because, in a given moment, I was thinking about a million other things (thank you, ADHD). As I grew up, I would be cooking and leave the house for four hours with the stove burners on. I would leave the fridge door open, or water running in the house. Nothing bad ever happened because of it, but I began to fear doing these things as if they had led to terrible catastrophes...

For this reason, I began checking to the point that I would be late for school, or I was convinced that the house would burn down, all my worldly possessions would disappear, and then it would spread to other houses in the neighborhood and I would be responsible for collosal destruction...

So, to me, it seems like my OCD symptoms were my way of compensating for ADHD.

Has anyone else experienced this?
Hrm I have always suspected that my OCD could be caused by ADD as a form of adaptation. I have never heard anyone voice this before... thank you for bringing it up.

To the best of my knowledge, there's no research that supports either one as an adaptation of another.

They're not even close in terms of the diagnostic criteria.

Has anyone ever thought that their OCD developed as an adaptation to their ADD/ADHD?

My problem was that as a child I would lose and forget things ALL THE TIME because, in a given moment, I was thinking about a million other things (thank you, ADHD). As I grew up, I would be cooking and leave the house for four hours with the stove burners on. I would leave the fridge door open, or water running in the house. Nothing bad ever happened because of it, but I began to fear doing these things as if they had led to terrible catastrophes...

For this reason, I began checking to the point that I would be late for school, or I was convinced that the house would burn down, all my worldly possessions would disappear, and then it would spread to other houses in the neighborhood and I would be responsible for collosal destruction...

So, to me, it seems like my OCD symptoms were my way of compensating for ADHD.

Has anyone else experienced this?
Yep...I have a ton of them..none that would arguably lead to a full-blown OCD diagnosis, but tons of behaviors that are very OCD-like.

I think I have both ADHD and OCD.

I have the following symptoms of ADHD:
pacing around
fiddling with remote control buttons
forgetting things: For instance, my work schedule. I've worked there a long time and still can't tell you off hand what it is I do each part of the day!
misplacing things
zoning out due to the many thoughts racing around my head, and causing me to feel in a daze at times
dyslexia: numbers and letters get mixed up sometimes
difficulty focusing, other times hyperfocusing
startled easily
very easily bored

OCD or should I say OD:
The only real symptom I can think of is ruminations that cause me to get depressed. I don't know how to get rid of them. They are mostly about my misinterpretation of peoples body language, comments, or actions towards me. I feel the need for constant reassurance that I'm not the dumbbell that I think people think I am. I also ruminate about others opinions about my lifestyle. It's like I'm constantly mindreading. But, I am not a psychic! Obviously, I truly can't know what people think of me most of the time. My mind always tries to fill in the blanks. I always think I'm inadequate. The ruminations can subside at times but then usually always come back. And YES, OCD can consist soley of ruminations/obsessions. I have read this on an OCD site.

Can anyone relate? How do you deal with ruminating?

Hey Sybil,

It sounds like maybe you have a form of ADD called "Overfocused ADD." If you haven't read the book "Healing ADD" by Dr. Daniel G. Amen I would highly reccomend it. It talks about the 6 different types of ADD. I actually have both OCD and ADD, so I can relate with you.