- Date posted
- 5y ago
- Date posted
- 5y ago
I have similar problems, had ocd for over 30 years and contamination problems since about 7 years, to this extent 3 years. I know that almost nobody understands.
- Date posted
- 5y ago
I have a similar issue. One of my challenge is the mental idea that if one thing is contaminated then it contaminates everything else around it by just being around it when this is not the case. What have you guys done to cope with it? I also have a prescription but don’t want to start drugs. I want someone whos an expert at contamination to help with ideas. I’m waitlisted at the one place where I live for cbt but that’s a long wait.
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Thanks for the book recommendation. I’ve been listening to ocd help ocd recovery by ali greymond( Spotify) which are short little helpful tips. It’s really hard when people don’t understand. I went on fluxotine a few times and it seemed to help slightly but I feel I need one on one treatment. Medication alone in my opinion doesn’t work and made me have really bad nightmares . I’ve got a nhs referral letter for group classes that i have tried before but I’d prefer to go somewhere where everyone is talking about Contamination ocd. A lot of the other members suffered with ocd such as checking if the door was locked etc and I felt a bit alone as that isn’t a trait of my ocd. Its so annoying being on a waitlist. I just want someone to come and be with me all the time who is trained to help me deal with things. I need to help in uncomfortable situations no away from them in a room. I just keep imagining what my life would be without ocd, I think it would be a pretty great life but ocd had ruined so much for me. Therapy is expensive.
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Thanks both. My issues now it’s I always think contamination spreads like wildfire when I know it’s not. For example if I come close something dirty today even if I wash my hands I will feel like every thing I touched today is now contaminated which makes cleaning sooo haed
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Hi 1Bob, same here. I have contamination OCD. I rarely get out of bed due to fear of contamination. Had to wash everything we buy from outside. When something falls on the ground even at our own house, I would get a panic attack and ocd worsens. It's frustrating. I'm taking Setraline 100mg. I used to take 200mg but my doctor decreases the dosage to help me not become too dependent on medication. I believe ERP is an effective method of managing OCD. It's extremely difficult. I've been struggling with it for a long time.
- Date posted
- 5y ago
"The belief that ‘contaminants’ can transfer from an infected source to another person or to an inanimate object, which can then infect you, is a common one in OCD and totally without medical foundation. What is being transferred is the idea of contamination. "
- Date posted
- 5y ago
That’s great you have started ERP well done it can’t have been easy to start and gives me motivation to do so too. ID situation was extremely hard for me, last year my 4month travel was totally disrupted because of it but this trip I’ve told myself it’s fine and not letting myself give in however hard it is. It’s was so hard giving passports in at check in as it meant I could no longer eat or feel safe at places. I don’t know how I’m coping so well this time I’m just trying not to give in. However my whole handbag and contents that are “contaminated” are still at home so I don’t have any cards on me or anything, one step at a time I guess. I clean things to make them feel safer but I wouldn’t advise it as it’s not the right thing to do. I just keep telling myself i can do it. Dreading going home though as I cant deal with the contaminated things at home
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Templeout your comment helped me so much. I am struggling. My cousin who was picking her nose touched my phone. And while I briefly wiped it and then put it in my bag I felt like my bag and all the clothes that day was contaminated. I ended up wiping my phone 5x more after and each day but I can’t do the same for all the contents of my bag nor can I throw it away. 3 weeks later this is still bugging me like crazy. Same when I see things that are contaminated. I feel like every thing I come across that day is contaminated too.
- Date posted
- 5y ago
I think you might like this book – "The Complete Guide to Overcoming OCD: (ebook bundle) (Overcoming Books)" by David Veale, Rob Willson. Start reading it for free: http://a.co/dnMisxW
- Date posted
- 5y ago
It’s so so hard . I also had a period when I was a teen where I was in bed for month on end.I am slightly negative to my family for not realising there was an issue. I understand about the floor touching ,when I order take out I have to get my partner to get it from the front door because sometimes the delivery guy puts it on the door step and I have to throw it all away. I’ve tried to quickly eat something if I fear it’s contaminated to not allow my brain to manifest over it and make it worse. . It’s so controlling, time consuming and super expensive with the amount I waste. ERP scares me so much, especially as my contamination revolves around a person. I’m so happy to have found this site to talk to you all. Makes me feel less alone. Also going on holiday today with a contaminated passport. We can do this
- Date posted
- 5y ago
That contaminated ID I cannot control. How do you manage it?
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Templedout it’s super hard I have a method of cleaning to make things better but I still remember that they are contaminated. I just went shopping and my partner put water on the floor and now I’m afraid to drink the water. I just had a sip and trying not to let the anxiety get to me. I hate living like this
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Hi Bob, I also got mental contamination and just started ERP. Before that I thought I must be the only one doing 'crazy' things that I now know are just compulsions I need to learn to take.
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Can you tell me how you handle the ID situation as that is my top fear.
- Date posted
- 5y ago
Hi you both. I just started therapy and let you know how I fare and what approaches worked for me. I was on Escitalopram due to depression, made me tired all day, now I'm starting zoloft as it's said to be one of the top 3 meds for OCD.
- Date posted
- 5y ago
1Bob I hear you. We are so similar.
Related posts
- Date posted
- 24w ago
I feel like it's got to a point that I just can't deal with stuff on my own anymore. I've tried to help myself with compulsions and thoughts and behaviours and it helps to an extent but I feel like I just need more help. But I don't even know where to start, I've felt so ignored in the past and I don't even know where you can turn to. I'm in the UK so it's difficult, especially considering I'm only 17, to get any help for this kind of thing. I just want someone to talk to, something to help – medication, maybe? I want to try it, I want to see if it would stop the overthinking for a while. Stuff isn't as bad as it has been before, but I feel like I can't just leave this anymore. I just don't know who to turn to or where to go from here.
- Date posted
- 21w ago
I have contamination OCD that causes me to excessively wash my hands/clean items with disinfectant wipes. I know I just need to start with small exposures but how do I do that without spiraling? I tried a while back by just touching the outside of my dishwasher and not washing my hands after and it led to me being unable to even exist in my house. I basically lived on my couch for three weeks as it was the only 'safe' space that I had not touched with my dirty hands. I had to take a week off work to clean my house to make it somewhat liveable. I still haven't got round to cleaning everything though so things like my kitchen are still no-go zones that I don't enter. I just don't know how to start ERP without it making everything worse. Any advice would be appreciated. I am not seeing a therapist at the moment due to financial constraints.
- Date posted
- 11w ago
It’s been 4 years. 4 years since I spiralled into a world controlled by rituals of 4, it started as 2, then 3, then 4 - my safe number. The amount of times I wash my hands after touching something dirty and how many repeats it takes until I feel ‘clean’, the amount of taps I make when closing doors to make sure I don’t ‘die’, the amount of times I rinse cutlery and plates before eating off them, the amount of times I disinfect things. My OCD subtype is contamination and I know 2020 lockdowns and the pandemic caused it to spiral but what started as a small ritual quickly became bigger until I no longer remembered what my life was like without the obsessive thoughts of germs and contamination. Could that person be ill? What if I go outside to the shops and someone makes me sick? You can’t answer the door to get that package from the delivery driver because he might make you sick, oh you can’t put the shopping away without disinfecting it first - what if someone has coughed on it? ‘I’ve got to wear gloves to do that’ I can’t, I can’t, I can’t. For 4 years I’ve lived like this, the ‘I don’t want to touch that’ or ‘I can’t go to this place because I don’t want to get ill and die’ ‘can you go do that for me as I don’t think I can right now’ - I know my OCD is irrational, I know the likelihood of those things actually happening are slim to none and I know my OCD stems from a need of control in my life because for so many years I felt like everything in my life was out of my control. But no matter how much I know of how many books I read, how many mindful practices I do the panic I feel after being ‘exposed’ or before exposing myself to a trigger is horrible. I’ve avoided and avoided and avoided to the point where something small now seems and feels like an impossible mountain to climb. It often feels like there isn’t light at the end of the tunnel on the dark days, when I know there is, it’s just going to take some time. Despite this on the outside to those not in my circle my life is a whole picture perfect painting. I run my own business, have a nice car, a nice house, a happy relationship and the of best friends and I’m so grateful for all those things but the reality is much different - behind closed doors and hidden in the closest is the OCD monster. I’ve decided now, after 4 years it’s time to change. I’m breaking the cycle and starting anew. The irony that 4 is my safe number too and it’s been 4 years since things started to get dark. I’m ready to lose control and find myself again. Why am I writing this? Honestly, I really don’t know. I found this app recently and hope it can be a help for my ERP practices I’ve been practicing on my own and it’s actually the first time I’ve ever openly posted or spoken about my OCD to date. For years I have lived with a huge amount of shame and embarrassment, hiding my issues from everyone - even my closest friends have no idea how much it impacts my day to day. I’ve felt shame as I can’t control my own mind despite knowing the thoughts are irrational and the rituals only provide temporary relief but each day again and again the safety blanket of the rituals wraps me up and takes over. The only person who truly knows how much it affects me is my partner, who has been by my side through it all, he’s burnt out and has seen first hand the impact it has had on me, my life and my happiness. I’ve sheltered him as much as I can, but I’m sure those who are in relationships with OCD can relate to the burnout their partner feels day in day out. So that’s my story, I hope those going through similar can take comfort in this and know they aren’t alone in it all as my OCD has made me feel so incredibly lonely, isolated and empty for 4 years too long. It feels freeing to finally share my monster and I hope I can connect with others who are on a similar journey to me. The biggest thing I want to be able to do again? I want to be able to hug my loved ones without feeling triggered, I want to go outside and enjoy life without worry, I want to live again. This app has made me feel seen for the first time in a long time and reading your stories, your experiences and how you’re coping is comforting, encouraging and makes me feel less alone ❤️ thank you for reading x
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