Living with ADHD is hard. Living with OCD is hard. But when you live with both at the same time, your brain is fighting two wars on different fronts (chaos versus control). ADHD wants distraction, impulsivity, and scattered energy, and OCD wants overthinking, perfectionism, and rigid routines.
Ahhhhh!
Many people don’t even realize these two conditions can co-exist, but they do and they complicate each other in weird and painful ways.
The Key Takeaway.
ADHD and OCD are not opposites, they are two separate neurodevelopmental and anxiety-related conditions that sometimes overlap and make each other harder to handle, but you can function with both by learning how they interact inside YOU and finding a balance between both that fits your needs.
What is ADHD?
ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. It’s a brain condition that makes it hard to focus, stay organized, or control impulses. People with ADHD often feel restless or distracted.
There are three types:
- Inattentive type: Mostly trouble paying attention, finishing tasks, or following instructions.
- Hyperactive-Impulsive type: Mostly trouble sitting still, talking too much, acting without thinking.
- Combined type: A mix of both.
ADHD is not about being lazy or “just bored easily.” It’s about how your brain handles attention and control. The part of the brain that helps you plan, organize, and manage emotions (the executive function system) doesn’t work the same way in ADHD brains. So, it’s harder to:
- Stay focused on one thing.
- Control emotions and impulses.
- Finish tasks without getting sidetracked.
It’s common, and it affects both children and adults.
What is OCD?
OCD stands for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. It’s a mental health condition where a person has:
- Obsessions: Unwanted, scary, or upsetting thoughts (e.g., “What if I left the stove on?”).
- Compulsions: Actions done over and over to feel better or stop the scary thoughts (e.g., checking the stove 10 times).
But the weird part is that OCD makes your brain believe that if you don’t do these repetitive actions, something bad will happen even when deep down, you know it’s probably not true.
OCD is also not about being “super clean” or “just organized.” It’s about trying to reduce anxiety or fear. The obsessions and compulsions can take over your daily life and make simple things feel so overwhelming.
The Emotional Toll of Living with Both.
When you live with both, you’ll often experience:
- Shame from ADHD mistakes (forgetting things, missing deadlines).
- Guilt from OCD rituals (feeling silly for over-checking or over-fixing).
- Anxiety + Frustration combo (being stuck between wanting to relax and needing everything to be perfect).
- Emotional swings(switching between chaos and control daily).
When you have both ADHD and OCD, you not only just struggle with tasks, you struggle with how you FEEL about yourself every time you fail or get stuck in a loop.
- “Why can’t I get my act together like everyone else?”
- “Why do I need to check everything 10 times when my ADHD barely lets me remember it once?”
The result is emotional exhaustion and feeling “broken.” But you’re not broken. You’re managing a difficult combo of two conditions that were never designed to be managed at the same time.
What You Can Do About It:
- Name the emotions (e.g., “This is shame talking, not reality.”).
- Give yourself grace (you’re handling something most people don’t fully understand).
- Celebrate small things (even finishing a simple task without overthinking counts).
Why They Co-Exist More Often Than You Think.
It’s rare, but studies show that OCD and ADHD overlap in about 25-30% of cases. The link between them is complex. Both conditions involve the brain’s frontal lobe, but they affect it differently. ADHD weakens your executive control, making you impulsive. OCD hijacks your executive control, making you rigid and anxious.
Case Study: A 2021 study from the Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders found that people with both conditions are more likely to experience severe symptoms of each, compared to people who have only one.
- Your ADHD makes you start a new project at 11 PM on a whim. Your OCD makes you stay up all night fixing every small detail because it “doesn’t feel right yet.”
Ah!
- Your ADHD forgets to lock the door. Your OCD forces you to go back 10 times to double-check if it’s locked.
Ahh!!
- Your ADHD makes you avoid boring tasks. Your OCD makes you feel guilty for avoiding them, so you procrastinate even more out of shame.
Ahhhhhh!!!
What’s The Treatment For ADHD and OCD Like?
- Most ADHD treatment advice says: “Loosen up, go easy on yourself.”
- Most OCD treatment advice says: “Get comfortable with discomfort, sit with uncertainty.”
But if you have both, you need a hybrid approach because:
- Loosening up can make OCD anxiety spike.
- Sitting with discomfort can be unbearable when ADHD makes you impulsive.
So, your treatment can’t just be ADHD only or OCD only, it MUST be BOTH. That’s also why many people with both conditions feel like standard advice just doesn’t work for them.
How to Actually Function with Both ADHD and OCD.
Have Flexible Routines:
- ADHD needs flexibility to stay engaged.
- OCD needs structure to feel safe.
Solution:
- Have a morning checklist but allow free time between those tasks.
- Use timers to limit how long you spend on obsessive behaviors (e.g., “I’ll check the lock twice, no more.”).
Learn Your Triggers (Both Sides):
- ADHD might trigger frustration from disorganization.
- OCD might trigger panic from uncertainty or mess.
Keep a “trigger diary” for one week. Write down what triggers ADHD impulsivity and OCD obsessions. You’ll start to see patterns unique to YOU.
Use Tools That Work for BOTH:
- CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) is great, but try ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) for OCD and Behavioral Activation for ADHD.
- Mindfulness helps calm both chaotic ADHD energy and OCD anxiety loops.
- Medication: Some people benefit from a mix (e.g., a stimulant for ADHD + SSRI for OCD). Always consult a psychiatrist.
Don’t Just “Go With the Flow,” Use Systems:
- ADHD often leads to burnout from hyperfocusing or rushing.
- OCD leads to burnout from endless perfectionism.
Use:
- Checklists.
- Accountability partners.
- Visual schedules.
- Break tasks into tiny pieces.
ADHD + OCD = Creativity + Caution.
Something no one tells you is that having both ADHD and OCD gives you a strange gift. It’s a mix of creativity (from ADHD) and attention to detail (from OCD). Yes, it’s frustrating. But it can also be powerful when it’s balanced.
- Many scientists, artists, and entrepreneurs secretly manage both.
- Think of it like this: ADHD gives you wild ideas, and OCD makes you refine them carefully.
What to Do Next (For YOU).
- Stop blaming yourself for the internal chaos, you’re not lazy or broken.
- Talk to a specialist who understands BOTH ADHD and OCD. Not one, but both conditions.
- Try ONE small change today. Maybe start that trigger diary or adjust your routine slightly.
- Be self-compassionate because this journey will take time, but it’s yours to own.
