I have contamination OCD and I have been fighting my OCD all day today. And I ate food through the thoughts but now my head is constantly saying it will make me sick even though I know it will be totally fine and was delicious and healthy. But the thoughts are still bombarding

ERP can be really scary because it's literally going against everything OCD is screaming at you! lol! For example I have a huge fear of getting herpes through inanimate objects. General medical consensus by top experts say you cannot get herpes through casual contact with inanimate objects. So for my exposure I would touch everyday objects without washing my hands or cleaning the items. I sort of have to accept the unrealistic risk that I could get something through this activity and go about my life without the extra washing that no one else without OCD would do.

Can I catch herpes like that? I'm not sure...

I totally understand I have contamination OCD also. Have you done ERP yet? Try to make a decision in your mind that you are accepting the risk of eating that food and you're going to continue on with your day as normal. Thinking/ruminating can become compulsions also even if you didn't do any physical rituals!

Omg thanks!! I struggle all the time! That's an example of an exposure but I struggle to do it everyday and especially when new situations come up and it's becomes less clear to me what counts as "casual contact", etc. Then my OCD finds ways to make me believe I've come in contact with germs in others ways! It's really hard but that is an example of what I strive to do for ERP : ) It's even more unclear when OCD overlaps with real things like diseases and germs! I used to not want to try ERP because I thought that meant I would put myself in harms way just to overcome OCD. But my therapist stated it's not putting yourself in harms way it's just accepting the risk that something could happen through normal everyday activities. Good for you you're already exposing yourself to what you can!! I would say as long as your doctor didn't give you restrictions on things you should not come in contact with then try to expose yourself as much as possible to things OCD is saying is dangerous but in reality are not or extremely extremely unlikely to be dangerous!

Exactly!! My OCD will be like what if the doctors are wrong? Doctors are wrong sometimes. What if the object is wet does that change whether it's contagious? Maybe I shouldn't risk it. OCD never stops!

Yes yes I can totally relate!!! It's exhausting and then if you try to ignore it you feel like a terrible person that's why OCD is a big bully!

And lots of people don't understand the way our brains work they think it's just easy to get over it.

Some days are better than others when I'm able to catch OCD really early because I find the more I start cleaning the harder it is to feel like I've done enough. I'm trying to expose myself to more things without washing like cleaning up others cups or plates after eating. Medication didn't personally work for me but I've heard a lot of people say it helps them tremendously. It's a constant struggle honestly! Ive made some improvements. I used to shower for 2-3 hours now I shower no more than 30 minutes. This is mostly because I allow myself to wash once and have to move on. Some days I do extra washing if something major happens. I'd really like to get to a place where I feel more confident facing whatever situation comes up and more confident in knowing how much washing is reasonable!

Thank you! I'm so impressed you are pushing yourself to do exposures!! I was so nervous to do them the therapist had to literally give me rules at the beginning of ERP!

Even I have the same feeling that I could possibly catch herpes as I drink water from a bottle which is used by my friend who touches his lips to it and drinks water out of it. We shared a room for almost a year and now I fear that I might have caught herpes from the water bottle even today. What to do plz help me, feeling upset ?

Have you done any research on herpes transmission? Are you doing any physical compulsions or only mental?

Only thoughts recurrent thoughts

And I'm using a separate water bottle not allowing any other to use it

That's ok you don't have to let other drink from your bottle. Are you saying you're not sure if your roommate drank from your bottle?

No I'm sure and I've seen him drinking from my bottle all the time

For almost an year we are roommates and he doesn't have any bottle so he drinks from mine always

I think it's perfectly fine to ask him not drink from your bottle. But on medhelp.com the experts state as an adult herpes is not transmitted through sharing drinks. I struggle with accepting this and still feeling like I need to clean just in case or other scenarios that make this possible.

Thank u for responding I feel a bit less tensed hope everything goes well...

I wish you the best!!

Can you give me an example of how that works for you? I am newer to that type of therapy!! I’ve done a lot of exposure therapy for PTSD but a lot of therapy for OCD has scared me so much and talk therapy didn’t help much at all.

You are so BRAVE!!! I definitely have a fear of germs in a lot of regards especially outside of my bedroom (I have roommates) and I have an intense fear of vomiting and stomach issues because I had stomach issues my entire life until I got diagnosed with my diseases. I don’t want to risk my health for exposure but I want to find appropriately challenging and exposing activities. I put my hands on the ground and in dirt when I can to test that way and to breathe when I touch things in public

You’re absolutely right!! It’s so hard when our brains deem it so dangerous when in reality it’s not! Sounds like you use scientific logic to help you and I do the same thing. It’s so hard because you’re like no I know the science behind this now would you calm down already haha but still keeps going of course with all the what if’s.

Yes!!!!! Even today... my roommates were sick in the beginning of December and I dropped a sock on the living room floor and I was like what if somehow the virus defied the time able to live on surfaces and it’s on the carpet and I spiraled hard

Yes!!! So how do you work on things day to day? Are some days better or have you had anything help a lot? I haven’t tried a lot of medications because I usually react poorly but I want to get back to being more stable like I was last summer!

I love that!! That’s amazing!!