- Username
- BillieD
- Date posted
- 5y ago
This was the first ocd issue I had! My ocd has changed over the years to other fears, but I still do not like bathrooms esp public ones. I had a co-worker tell me how when you flush, it all flies up onto pretty much everything around, and I was in panic mode too having to de-contaminate everything. But yes, the comments above on how your body should work to prevent you from getting anything, seems like that mindset would help the most.
Guys I have major issues with this and trying sooo hard to break through as I now have a crazy feeling contamination routine. I know I can’t get sick from the toilet but it’s still disgusts me esp seeing used products In the female bins. Nct2010- I like you have diff forms too. For awhile I had a fear of viruses and sickness. I’m trying to do erp but it’s been slow and hard.
it would be reassurance, i guess, but there are scientific studies on this - especially on the toilet flushing issue but also on aerosol generation in general (which is basically unavoidable when dealing with water - happens also in the shower or when washing hands). there is only acceptance of the fact that traces of stuff which was in the water will be in the air and as a consequence also on you and your stuff.
and, cleaning is always just a dilution process, that is, what you want to get rid off via wiping and especially rinsing will get less and less per round but there is no certainty that every last bit (cell or even molecule) will be removed.
if your issue is 'just' about microorganism you can trust your immune system. it exists for exactly this reason - and it is an amazingly capable and complex system.
Cfs: sorry if I seemed looking for reassurance, I didn’t expect no one replying but I guess subconsciously that’s all I wanted, facts, logical facts that would break the train that are my intrusive thoughts. Thank you so much for sharing a sense of knowledge. How do you know about this? Can’t thank you enough!!!!
i am dealing with the same issues - however, not bacteria but other 'germs' ...
Same, even when I’m logical about it, I’m disgusted that would go into my eye, etc..
How is it going with it? Do you manage to ignore thoughts and find logical knowledge to break the vicious circle?
haha, no. i am preaching water and drinking wine. actually, i am currently housebound. ... because I can't accept the fact that i HAVE TO bring 'my contaminants' into the environment. so, in my case 'i am spreading stuff'.
Learning about our bodies’ defence mechanism helped me a lot with this kind of acceptance!
yeah. but to me it is still just disgusting what enters bodies all the time...
Are you dealing with this still. ?
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
Hi everyone. First time here. I suffer from Contamination OCD. I have a good support group in friends, family, and my boyfriend, but I have not met anyone else with OCD and I needed to reach out to others to find help. I first got OCD when I was 17 (I am now 33) and was able to go into remission, but COVID brought it back. I was struggling at work (which was outside with the public). I found a therapist and she wrote me a doctor’s note suggesting I be allowed to work from home. My work was not accommodating at all and only offered me FMLA leave, so I took it as my only option and eventually got on Short Term Disability. The whole process took forever and was incredibly stressful. My leave was supposed to be a time of healing and it just made my OCD symptoms worse. My employer basically treated me as though I was trying to get out of work and proved to me that though they talk about the importance of mental health, they don’t take mental health seriously. I ended up having to leave my job “involuntarily due to health reasons” as they would not grant an extension nor let me return with any restrictions/accommodations. My therapist seemed good at first, but it became clear that she wasn’t really helping me. She would often use our sessions to vent about the insurance company and in one session, she basically called me a hopeless case and kept saying “I don’t know. I am concerned. I don’t know how you are going to be able to function” and threw out the word hospitalization, though she did backtrack on that one. I struggle everyday. I am worried that something from outside of the home touched something clean and is now contaminated. I need help working through this. I am constantly looking for reassurance, question if things are clean, wash my hands, use too many disinfectant wipes, and take showers upwards of 50-60 mins. I feel like my mind is being taken over by my OCD, I’m losing time, and it’s straining my relationship. For anyone who is struggling with contamination OCD brought on by COVID - any tips? My therapist never gave me anything specific to work on with this - to help me focus on something else. I am in the process of finding another therapist, but until then - any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
I am brand new to this app. I've been seeing a therapist for a while, but not one that specializes in OCD. I'm having a hard time recognizing when a thought about something being contaminated is just an OCD thought, and when it is rational. I mean, germs exist - so a thing can be contaminated with XYZ. I don't know when I'm over estimating how easily things are "spreading" (which because I have a diagnoses, must be an OCD thing) and when I don't need to worry about something anymore. I'm getting caught in loops with rituals until I satisfy the anxiety or I have been at it for too long to continue. Does anyone have tips for recognizing when something is indeed an OCD thought rather than an rational concern?
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