[JustJenny]

I am suspecting that my husband may have some form of OCD, it'd like to hear your opinion if any of the following might serve as an indicator.

1. Rituals before falling asleep. For example, he has to arrange his pillow in a very specific manner every time he goes to sleep and he gets really cranky if I disturb this process. He also sleeps in the same position every single night.

2. He gets upset when plans change. For example, if we agreed to eat one thing for dinner and then I spontaneously suggest something else, he does not take that well.

3. He does not like to change things. For example, I got him a new phone to replace his old damaged phone and he got really upset about it. I really did not see this coming. Two weeks later he loves his new phone, but the transition was pretty painful.

4. He likes to pull his facial hair. It's not severe, but I notice it.

5. He overreact to our place not being perfectly tidy.

Does this all together sound like OCD? I would like to know your opinion about this. He gets cranky on regular basis and I am trying to figure out what is there that I can improve.

[BeaFlower]

Hi JustJenny. It's difficult to be sure, but I think that it could also be anxiety, for example, that makes him pull his hairs and get upset for changes (I'm stressed too when I have to change phone or change a plan, but I have both OCD and anxiety and sometimes it's difficult to make a distinction).
To be diagnosed with OCD you need to have a lot of obsessions and compulsions that steal you much time...except with the pillow, do you think he has others and that they steal much time?
How donyou think he would react if you seggested him to see a therapist?

[all74]

My understanding is that, at least at some point, the ritual is used (consciously or not) to ward off or resolve the anxiety brought about by the obsessive thought. Is he worried something would happen if the pillow wasn't right?

I've obviously never met him, but some of that "cognitive inflexiblity" you're describing sounds like Asperger's or some other form of ASD rather than OCD.