Asperger's and OCD

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I undoubtedly have OCD, and I'm awaiting formal diagnosis for AS. I was wondering, what traits do the two of them share and in what ways are they different? I'm really just trying to figure out which symptoms I have are OCD related and which are AS related and where those symptoms may overlap.

I have to have bins or containers at each parts of the apartment for things. Like near my bed is a container from Ikea for my workout bag, and then I'll have a seperate bag within my workout bag for swim clothes and I can't get them mixed or I'll get super confused and flustered.

OCD is commonly associated with AS, as is Bi Polar, PTSD and anxiety.

I wish I could be more help, I'm not entirely sure how to answer this question.

I have AS and suspected pure-O OCD which is in the process of being diagnosed.

AS basically comes down to social difficulties and 'special interests'. AS special interests can be seen as a type of obsession, but the difference with OCD is that the autistic person enjoys their special interest and it is often productive and meaningful.

The OCD obsession on the other hand is unpleasant and associated with anxiety; certain compulsions or rituals may be necessary to relieve this anxiety.

Personally, my problem is getting 'stuck' on certain things. If it's something good/enjoyable/productive (e.g. learning obsessively about a particular topic), then I call it AS. If I get stuck on something unpleasant, such as ruminating about something in the past and re-living and re-analyzing it over and over, then I see that as outside the common experience of AS. Like I said, pure-O OCD is the closest description of what I suffer from, and whatever the label turns out to be, I definitely think there is overlap in the thought processes and underlying neurology.

I think it would be difficult for us to say what symptoms are OCD and what are AS as we don't know you and each person's symptoms are different. When I was 15 I was diagnosed with OCD. One of my symptoms is lining things up. Certain items can't touch either. And if a paper or book has a wrinkle in it or a crease it drives me crazy. I also do things in groups of threes and count certain things. I also knew a girl who had OCD, but she had to have everything messy. She said that if her room was cleaned she HAD to make it messy or else she would freak out. OCD comes in a lot of forms.

I find myself becoming very unhappy when quilts or similar items aren't symmetrical, and will try to move quilt tiles around in my head until i find a working pattern. My psychiatrist said this is common among aspies. I also only writes lists in multiples of 5 or ten, or that are only 7 items long total. I also do things at very specific times each day and simply dont do them if i miss the correct time (becoming a major problem when i comes to missing meals, and something i have to learn how to get around... any advice someone may have on this would be helpful...) I just wont eat breakfast if i dont manage to start making it by 6:30 and start eating by 6:40, i have no clue why... It just feels wrong.

There are lot of symptoms that overlap in both OCD and autism. Ritualistic behaviour and obsessive interests for example, were two of the main reasons why my doctor diagnosed me with AS yet I do not have OCD. So if you do, maybe having an ASD as well would intensify those symptoms.

I actually recently found out that the two sort of come together, and I have totally realized my OCD tendencies.....

- arranging things in stores.....yeah I do that sometimes....especially when i was little!
- picking at my nails/scabs on my scalp....TMI but it's true...

I think they very much overlap and are sometimes co-morbid. Self-soothing behaviours and routines/rituals, which are so common in ASDs, could also be interperated as OC-tendancies.