I have just recently been diagnosed with contamination ocd but have been dealing with it for a while. Does anyone have any tips on how to maybe control some of the obsessive thoughts?

Hi! I also live with contamination OCD and have been since I was a little girl (I am now 32). I just recently became aware of the severity and need to get help. I think you should give yourself a lot of credit for downloading this app and asking questions. For me personally, I have been using this app’s controlled exercises to try and overcome my obsessions. I don’t like to be touched, especially skin-to-skin, for example, so I have been starting out every morning giving my mother, father, and sister hugs and shaking their hands without taking a shower or washing my hands afterward. Granted, I have only done this for two days, but it’s a step. It has been HARD and I’ve hated it thus far, but I am hoping the hard work will pay off and I will soon be free of some of my contamination obsessions. It’s hard because there are no easy answers in contamination OCD, possibly every kind of OCD- you just do the opposite of what your evil little mind is telling you until you don’t realize the discomfort it has been “causing.” Feel free to reach out and give me an example of an obsession you have and maybe I can try to think of a way to get control of it. If not, I will just tell you that the reward of less stress and anxiety caused by obsessions will only come if you are willing to suffer a little first. It sucks, but it’s true. No pill or therapist can fix you- only you can fix you.

About two years ago, I couldn’t even heard the words “exposure therapy” without crying and panicking. I didn’t think it would work and that it would far outweigh the stress and anxiety the actual obsession put me through. I hear you! I read this book called The Imp of the Mind: Exploring the Silent Epidemic of Obsessive Bad Thoughts by Lee Baer recommended by my therapist and in a lot of ways, it’s changed my world. I know now that for me, exposure therapy is one of the only ways I will overcome the obsessions. As extreme as I think it is, I believe it’s the only thing that will get me to make serious changes in my thinking. The advice given to me was to start with an obsession that is either recent or that doesn’t give you nearly as much anxiety as the others and work up from there. I started with stepping on cracks, lines, and mounds. I haven’t overcome it completely, but I am doing so much better than I have in the past. I know you don’t want my advice, so I won’t give it. But I will say that my OCD flourished as I got older, too and I had to lose my job, my apartment, my friends, and my finances before I realized that I needed help. Don’t wait for things to get worse, take the action now. It’s like people that want to lose weight. They say, “I’ll start eating better tomorrow.” Then pretty soon it’s a week and they still haven’t touched the kale. In my eyes, if you are miserable enough, you’ll put in the work to not be miserable anymore. I’m sorry if this sounded preachy, I am writing and talking to myself, too. Please reach out to me! I’ve also learned that overcoming OCD requires lots of support. I’ve got your back regardless.

Thanks for the tips! I'm honestly a little scared of exposure therapy and feel that it won't work like people have said, yet I may be willing to try it in the future. Everything seems to be getting worse as I get older. I now continuously wash my hands until they are dry and sore. I'm afraid that it's only going to get worse as life goes on, but hearing from someone that goes through the same thing gives me hope. Thank you so much for the support!