When is a ritual just a ritual and when is it OCD?

Rituals and superstitions may seem like obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), but there is a difference, says HealthMaker Jerry Bubrick, PhD. In this video, he explains that with OCD, it's easier to give in to superstitions than to fight them.

Transcript

00:00

Well, it's hard to say that Nadal has it wrong.

00:10

Right? I mean he's one of the winningest-- most winningest players in tennis history. But there's something to be said about

00:17

is he one of the most winningest players in history because he's got the talent and the skill to play the game well or because he's

00:23

tossing the ball the exact same way, with the same rituals before every serve. So, you know, I don't--

00:31

most elevators in New York City, or probably in the world, don't have a button for 13.

00:38

Right? It's not like there's a 13th floor that's just empty and you know. But the people who live on 14 actually live on 13.

00:46

They just don't want to call it 13. Right? So but-- so we can understand these things in society through our superstitions.

00:54

But on some level, we all know that these things are ridiculous. We know that if I walk under a ladder when it's open on the street, I'm not going to have bad luck.

01:03

It's just I don't want to risk it. But I'm capable of tolerating that risk anyways, or just in case.

01:10

If I'm walking around with OCD, I'm having lots of those superstitions a lot of the time. So it's just easier to give in to them