Hey guys new to this so maybe someone out there might have the same thing and can help me. I have been a EMT for a year and half now but toke a leave of absence due to my anxiety and OCD recently flared up. Due two events I the first was that when I was walking with my family I saw a needle now the floor and it didn’t really bother me then and then in another event when I was cleaning the ambulance stretcher I saw another one and got close to it. Since then I had got check because my OCD was acting up about that and had to get check to make my self happy about that. That was a few months ago and last month I was changing the garage at my job (coffee shop) and a straw hit me and it kinda flared up my OCD again and now I think there are needle everywhere and every-time I see my body I think I see something wrong with me. And I am always sacred that I can give something to my family. It’s been bothering me a lot so wanted to see if anyone has the ame thoughts are something like it.

And I know I have never been touched by a needle in a bad way just when I go to the doctors to get checked And I know there nothing wrong with but my head keeps tell me what if or did you and that just keeps bothering me. And if I see a scared or a bit mark because I got a new puppy so she is bitting me or if I see a scab and I scratch it off just bothers me even more

I have contamination ocd also. I constantly get the thoughts did I touch that or this (dirty object). Even when air passes my hand I'll think I must have bumped into something contaminated. I was always on the lookout for cigarettes on the ground and thinking I was touching them when walking past. It can seriously become all consuming. Overcoming contamination has been difficult because there are real germs out there but I have improved a lot. Do you have any physical compulsions?

Yeah when I see sticks or straws or something that could look like a needle

But I feel like the same way las night my dog was eating a used napkin off the grown and I have to take it out and know I feel like I have something ot if there was something on it

Are yo afraid of a certain disease?

I mean yeah anything that can be Contracted by blood

I understand, I'm afraid of contracting something also. Is your compulsion is to get a blood test? Have you done any research on transmission facts?

Yes and yes I had one a few months back and I was a EMT for a few year so I kinda know all the facts

ERP which is the gold standard to treat ocd would have you start exposing yourself to the items that you know will not transmit a blood borne disease but that OCD is telling you "what if" such as the napkin. This means that you would walk away from or throw away the napkin as you normally would and then resist the compulsion of getting a blood test for this encounter. An ERP specialist can help you more but this is the general idea of ERP.

Ok thank you I will look into that

Is that what you went through

No problem! Yes I still struggle but I've improved a lot. I have a lot washing compulsions so it's hard for me to figure out when to stop cleaning, when is enough.

Yeah I get like that also

That's probably my biggest hurdle. Because there are germs out there, it is appropriate to clean to a certain extent I just can't always find that line without going overboard on the cleaning. Also those thoughts of did I just touch this or that are difficult to manage when the object is something really gross I would clean a lot if I actually did come in contact with it.

Yeah that’s true my friend has anxiety and he just tells me not to aid into them which kinda helps me. I guess being a EMT kinda triggered something for me and now it’s just there but be way from it kinda helps. I also try to tell my self that nothing is wrong with me and that there is nothing there Ninfa helps and going out side more