Some people are lazy about some things, and not so about others. Someone commented on this forum a while back that Sherlock seemed like the type of roommate that would keep his own space (his bedroom as we saw it in Scandal -- and his sock index) scrupulously neat and clean, while leaving his mess in the common areas (look at the living room that Mrs. Hudson and John have to deal with.)

I always say I have the worst combination myself -- OCD plus laziness. 

This is what we all have in terms of OCD.

Yup!

He doesn't mind throwing his costumes all over when he's getting ready to meet Irene, does he?

And he hadn't even seen Irene in her battle dress yet.

I don't think he has OCD...

He does keep his bedroom space tidy, but I suppose he doesn't actually spend that much time in there, so it's not that hard.

And yes, he has a sock index, and I always imagine he keeps his shirts in colour coordinated sections in his wardrobe, eg. All the black ones hung up together, all the white ones together, the purple ones together etc (yes, I think he has more than one purple shirt!!)

Well, I used to date someone with OCD, and I can assure you that people's obsessions can take different forms. They can be overly worried about cleanliness and order in certain areas of their lives, and at the same time not care about in at all in others. For instance, riding on a public bus might be terrifying because of all the germs, yet going to the cinema may not. It's in your head, so it does not necessarily follow clear logic.

Personally, I have seen no symptoms of OCD with Sherlock. He is a bit of a control freak, and he likes his clothes clean and tidy, but those are signs of a certain upbringing and character traits, rather than OCD.

I think most people have some quirks. No reason to worry as long as it doesn't take over your whole life and becomes an obsession. - Reading this I wonder if this also applies to being obsessed by Sherlock. 

Sam wrote:

Yeah, OCD doesn't have to do with always wanting things neat/perfect. It's when someone has to perform "rituals" to deal with extreme anxiety. I don't think Sherlock has this

I don't think he cares much about things being tidy either. His room is clean but if he had an issue, he'd want the whole flat to be neat I believe

I agree with this. My daughter has OCD and her room is usually a flippin' mess. She wrote up a list of the things she obssesses about and what the rituals are that she needs to follow or she feels awkward and out of sorts. This list was necessary for the phychitrist so that we could get her on the right medication. (before I get told about the evils of medicating kids - she is also cutting and this is a necessary step)

One such behavior is: if she is walking along on a sunny day and the sun is coming through the trees in a dappled fashion, if she steps on a shadow with her left foot she has to step on another shadow of the same shade with her right foot or she can't move forward. It is the same with the tiles on the floor at school. To watch her walk down the hall is a strange sight. Once I saw her list I was shocked to realize how many obssessive traits she has because she hides them very well. She has an IQ of 140 and I think maybe the reason she has gotten as far as she has without this issue being addressed may be due to that intellectual advantage.

There is a TV show in America called Monk. He is a private dectetive with severe OCD but he still is able to solve crimes, even if he has to see his shrink several times over the course of a case. This is a TV version of someone with OCD and is overstated because that is where they get the comic relief, but some of the things that the character does, I see my own child doing.  The point is this is not Sherlock at all, at least not the BBC Sherlock version of the character IMO.