shane putting his head down on the table and still being able to respond is exactly the “autistic meltdown” everyone always blows way out of proportion. it always gets portrayed as full-blown panic attacks, sobbing, sitting in a corner on the floor. and not that it can’t be that, but it’s almost never that. it’s literally just shutting down and dissociating for the most part whilst stressing out in your head. heated rivalry is an amazing show for many reasons but accurate representation of autism might be one of my favourites.
hate to break this to you but if you call yourself self aware but you are only aware of your faults and never acknowledge your strengths you are not self aware. you just repackaged your self hatred
OCD Stereotypes to Avoid Writing (with Explanations!)
In writing, one of the easiest things to fall into when writing about a character with a disorder, disability, or group you aren't a part of is stereotypes.
They're easy to do by accident and sometimes we do it because we didn't know we were even playing into a stereotype.
So, I've accumulated a small list of stereotypes to avoid while writing your character with OCD 😊
OCD is a cleaning disorder.
OCD is not a cleaning disorder! It's a disorder that follows the cycle of:
Obsessions
Anxiety
Compulsions
Temporary relief
Repeat
The contents of the actions aren't what make OCD OCD; it's the thought process, cycle, ritualistic compulsions, anxiety, and obsessions that do.
There are many different subtypes of OCD, though not everyone has a subtype. Subtypes are not part of a diagnosis; they're more of what we use in the community and use to identify our reoccuring obsessions. A lot of people have subtypes, but some do not! A person 100% can have OCD and have no common theme or subtype.
OCD themes or subtypes are common themes a person's intrusive thoughts and obsessions have. Usually a theme is attached to something a person with OCD values, like being clean or being a good person, and then attacks it.
OCD is ego-dystonic, meaning that thoughts don't align with that person or their values. That's why they're intrusive; they cause distress and the person getting them does not want or agree with them.
A few examples of other OCD subtypes are:
Harm OCD
Magical thinking OCD
Postpartum OCD
Responsibility OCD
Sexuality OCD
And so so so many more (this is a very small list compared to all the subtypes there are!)
Looking into different subtypes can help you determine how your character's OCD shows up and can even be a great way to reflect on what matters to your character. Plus, you'll have a consistent theme to focus on.
If you don't want to write a subtype, then just make sure your character follows the cycle of OCD! Not everyone has a subtype.
As a note, writing a character who does clean as a compulsion is completely okay! However, contamination OCD is the most represented form of OCD and seeing other subtypes would be very nice and thoughtful!
OCD is an action disorder without internal workings.
OCD is not a disorder defined by actions alone. The thought process is where the actions stim from!
This partly goes along with the "OCD is not a cleaning disorder."
One of the reasons why OCD started to be labeled as a cleaning and perfectionism disorder was because people didn't see the person with OCD's thoughts and only saw their actions. They assumed OCD just means doing cleaning or perfectionism related actions that aren't caused by complex thoughts; this is incorrect.
The actions that people see are caused by intrusive thoughts and obsessions, and they're called compulsions, which take many forms (mental and physical).
Showing and representing those obsessions and intrusive thoughts is vital to writing OCD, not just including compulsions that happen for "no reason".
When writing a character with OCD, it's of the upmost importance to show their inner workings, thoughts, and show why they're doing something instead of just showing them performing an action without reason.
OCD is a tiring, complex, and mentally distressing disorder that is never just soley actions without thought.
Compulsions are only visible.
OCD compulsions are not always visible!
There are mental compulsions that are actually very common and a study even showed that 53% of compulsions are mental ones!
A few examples of mental compulsions include, but are not limited to:
Counting and repeating phrases in one's head
Arguing or trying to neutralize an intrusive thought
Reviewing memories or events in the past
Problem-solving repetitively
Punishing and berating oneself repetitively
Adding mental compulsions is a great way to make your character more realistic. Also, it's not enough to only have them do mental compulsions a few times; compulsions are repetitive and it's important to show them be re-occuring.
My character has OCD but it doesn't impact their life.
OCD always has at least a mild impact on a person's life if they have it!
Giving a character OCD but never bringing it up or showing it can come off as dismissive. Representation doesn't feel like representation when that disorder doesn't impact their life.
As a small caveat: Your character could have gone through therapy and recovered from mild-severe OCD, minimizing their symptoms, but even then, it would still have at least a small impact on their life or they'd have flare-ups!
It's not enough to say they have OCD; their struggle needs to be shown too!
End Notes
Feel free to ask any questions in my inbox :D
If anything here seems incorrect, please comment and I can correct that.
Note: I made a few edits to this post on 11/25/2025 to re-clarify a few things!
My blog is about writing characters with OCD, C-PTSD, and other mental health issues!
Follow up to you’ve got a second chance, you could go home. The fix-it that was demanded. 00Q hurt/comfort, happy ending. Bond takes care of Q. This time it goes better. 5,400 words
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A few days after Q pulled Bond out of the bar, Bond showed back up at MI6. He felt unmoored without the only life he’d come to know, and the people who were the closest to family he’d known in many, many years. Being with Madeleine had given him something to focus on, a role to fill, but with her gone, he found himself completely at loose ends, and horribly, achingly lonely. He wanted his life, his family, back. He put on a suit, his familiar armour, and strode into HQ as if he’d never left.
Mallory gave him a stern talk before reinstating him.
“You can’t go about ‘dying’ and retiring and then coming back on every passing whim, 007. This is British Intelligence, not the YMCA. If you need a vacation, take a bloody vacation, through the proper channels.”
Who stole the world, Watson? It's theirs now. The oligarchs. The fairway fiddlers. The spray-tanned smilers, foreheads frozen in place. Cake eaters. My brother. The whole Jenga tower could use a bit of a rattle, I'd say. A third act surprise. I've missed you dearly, my friend. Goodbye for now, Watson.
love confession mid-fight will never get old to me. raw honesty pouring out almost involuntarily that arrests the other person on the spot, all that anger swirling around immediately dissipating into the stunned silence pure clarity brings , spotlight finally shone on what has been hidden this whole time- that I’m In Love With You….