OCD

The best way I can describe OCD for someone who doesn’t have it is the following. Imagine your driving to work but instead of going straight to work you inadvertently turn off and park in the library. A similar situation has probably happened to everyone so you laugh it off as nothing and you head to work. The next day it happens again but this time you go inside the library sit down and immerse yourself in books. Remembering you have to go to work you rush out of the library perplexed and head to work but you arrive late. When asked why you are late you feel as if you can’t tell your boss the truth because the truth sounds ridiculous and will most likely require further explanations which you are unable to provide. You lie about why you are late and promise not to let it happen again. You feel guilty about the lie. The next day you don’t even remember driving to the library. You just wake up and suddenly you’re there immersed in books. You arrive late and lie about the reason. This happens everyday and lying becomes second nature to you. You make a concerted effort to avoid driving to the library but find yourself habitually repeating the same behavior. One day you wake up in the library and rush off to work to find the sun is setting. You inadvertently spent the entire day at the library and missed work. You come up with more elaborate lies to explain the days you are missing work. You come up with a schedule which allows you to go to the library every morning while still getting to work on time. This lifestyle become manageable for a time but living a double life causes you to develop paranoia. You feel as if others can sense your shameful secret. You feel as if your walking naked amongst a fully dressed crowd. The people in the crowd treat you as if you are fully clothed but you are unable to confirm if they really see you in clothes or not. Perhaps the entire crowd is conspiring against you and having a laugh behind your back. All this time you are aware that your secret behavior as well as your public behavior is absurd. You know what everybody will think if they discovered the truth because you think it right now. OCD means having a sound mind but being unable to control your behavior. It results in frustration, lying, and a guilty conscience.

https://williamchasterson.wordpress.com/2015/07/28/8-things-you-probably-describe-as-ocd-but-arent/

http://www.healthline.com/health/ocd/social-signs