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Writing Characters with OCD
- Raegan Cole
- Oct 6
- 5 min read
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a complex mental illness that is, unfortunately, often misrepresented with stereotypes and misunderstanding. As someone who has been living with this disorder for most of my adult life, and as an avid reader, I would love to see more truthful and respectful representation in the media. In this article, I will talk about my personal experiences to better help you incorporate OCD into your characters.
What is OCD?
Having OCD requires the presence of both obsessions and compulsions—hence the name: Obsessive Compulsive.
As demonstrated by the image at the top, OCD follows a cycle. You get an intrusive thought about something terrible, you obsess over it, then develop compulsions to cope and feel a sense of control.
My house will catch on fire → I have to tap the stove knobs 3 times to make sure they’re off
I’m going to get food poisoning → I can only eat certain foods from “safe” places
What if I stab someone? → I have to avoid sharp objects
Those are just a few random examples but there are endless amounts of themes that obsessions can shape themselves around. And so, there are many subtypes of OCD, some of which I have listed below—along with some examples:
Checking: Did I lock my door?
False Memory: What if I did something terrible and forgot about it?
Harm: What if I hurt someone?
Perfectionism: Something bad will happen if everything isn’t in the right spot
Magical Thinking: The thoughts in my head have real impacts on the world
An important thing to remember is that obsessive thoughts are very distressing and intrusive. A lot of people who deal with these thoughts can recognize that they are not very realistic, but there’s that constant “what if” that plays in your head.
Sometimes people think that their intrusive thoughts represent “hidden desires”.
This is not true. Intrusive thoughts often go against personal beliefs and/or values.
The Importance of Informed Representation
A lot of people see OCD as just needing to be neat and tidy. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the phrase, “I’m so OCD” to refer to keeping rooms clean. This belief can not only be trivializing, it can be harmful.
There have been a few instances where I’ve heard people talk about OCD and, in an attempt to connect, I shared my own experiences.
One time, I talked about how I set my breakfast on my crafts table and walked out of the room. When I got back, not a minute later, my OCD had me convinced that a nail had gotten into my food, and if I eat it, I will die.
As you could expect, the response was a lot of weird looks and an unearned sense of shame.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder takes up a large part of your life and can feel incredibly isolating. Hearing it talked about as something so casual and inconsequential can make people feel like they’re abnormal and wrong—which is even more isolating, continuing the vicious cycle.
Accurate representation can influence public perception and help people feel less alone.
How to Write Characters with OCD
Backstory
One thing to know when writing a backstory for a character with OCD is that there is no “one size fits all” in terms of causes. Everyone’s story is different and it can often be caused by a combination of things.
Several factors play a part in developing OCD like temperament, environment, genetics; however, keep in mind that experiencing traumatic events or having family members with OCD is not a surefire way to cause or trigger the disorder, it just makes it more likely.
How does it affect the character?
A big thing when writing characters with OCD is if they are aware of it or not. This will heavily influence their thoughts/actions.
If they are not aware, they may think:
They are a horrible person
They are the only person dealing with something like this
They may not recognize that their obsessions are not rational/realistic
Even if your character is aware, that doesn’t mean they will not struggle with those thoughts. Knowing that their thoughts aren’t rational doesn’t stop them from being distressing. There may also be an added sense of shame when doing compulsions, as they know it will just feed into the cycle.
Establishing a subtype of OCD could be a good way to flesh out your character. Like I said earlier, intrusive thoughts go against beliefs, so this could help establish some core traits and conflict in the story.
They’re excited to be a parent → they get intrusive thoughts of hurting their child
They got sick a lot when they were younger → they obsess over checking their body for symptoms
They’re in a happy, healthy relationship → They constantly worry that they don’t really love their partner
How does it affect their relationships?
OCD can affect their relationships in a multitude of ways:
Isolating self
Out of fear of being hurt/hurting others
Out of fear of sickness
Avoiding intimacy
Emotional exhaustion from OCD
May have intrusive thoughts that it’s immoral
Compulsions take up too much time/money
Constantly going to the doctor
Throwing out food because it may be contaminated
All of these can be a good source of conflict in the story, but a big one that I’d like to talk about is reassurance seeking, as it can be a common compulsion with a lot of OCD subtypes.
Reassurance seeking is using other people to confirm any fears or doubts you may have.
Did you remember if we turned the oven off?
Am I a bad person?
Do you think I could have cancer?
This compulsion not only reaffirms the cycle of OCD by providing that temporary relief, but it can also strain relationships.
It’s hard to see someone you love so upset and it can become frustrating to constantly have to reassure them. But, if you refuse to give into their compulsion, it can cause the person with OCD to lash out from their fear and anxiety.
This can be a good source of tension between characters, especially once they realize they shouldn’t give into the reassurance-seeking behavior.
In conclusion...
Trying to accurately represent something so complex can feel daunting but there are tons of incredible resources to draw from, a few of which I have linked throughout this article. As long as you put in the research and treat the character and OCD with respect, you will do great.
About the author: Raegan is an aspiring editor with a B.A. in English. Their hobbies include a variety of fiber arts, such as crochet, cross stitch, and finger weaving. They are a lover of dystopia and adventure fantasy, with their all-time favorites being the Lord of the Rings and the Hunger Games series.
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