- Username
- Sunflower 🌻
- Date posted
- 5y ago
I’m new here, too, but it’s my teenage daughter who suffers from contamination OCD, and I’m looking for information and ways to help her. She’s suffered for the past five years (at least that’s when she was officially diagnosed), and has been in therapy since then. Trying medications for the past year, but haven’t landed on one that works for her. It kills me to see her so low and suffering every day. I’m so sorry you’re all going through this, and I hope you have some support at home.
Hi Cath. I was told ERP is the best solution for contamination ocd but I’ve been struggling. When I was in my younger teen years I struggled with it too but didn’t know to get help or even talk about it so it’s great you are helping her.
Washie. Great points. When I cut down on sugars and carbs I find my ocd decreasing but I don’t know if that is a coincidence. Sadly I’ve been consuming a lot of both lately b
Lark: I know, it's hard to keep strict diets going, even if it works. I've tried a few for a week or so (that's how long my diet motivation lasts?) If I find something that works 100%, I would stick to it. But if not, it's not easy to have ocd AND lots of diet restrictions. I need some comfort eating now and then :) But cutting down on sugar is always a good idea. I did some reading on a "Low glutamate" diet as well, but it's so restrictive and it just seems to be in "everything". Btw, I'm also going through a really bad ocd period right now, do you think wintertime could be worsening it? Days with less sunlight affect serotonin, and that's already a problem with ocd so.. ?♀️
Same ocd and same goal here :)
Same! This has been a rough week and I couldn’t leave the house this weekend. I’m so afraid to go back to school and my job and I’m breaking down in tears.
Cath: Hello & welcome to the app! :) Like Lark, I am struggling with ERP too, so at the moment I'm looking into supplements/diets to help. I've also seen some research pointing to elevated glutamate as a potential contributing factor in ocd. I am sorry you are going through this as well. I know ocd is hard to deal with, both for the person who has it and also for family. I hope your daughter finds the right therapy/medication and starts seeing some progress soon. Wish you the best of luck! :)
Yes! For sure wintertime doesn’t help but summer aggravates it for me lol. I heard exercise and gym helps a lot too but I work and go to school so time is an issue and also gym is my trigger so gyms add an hour to my contamination rituals. It’s so hard. I’m curious about glutamate and will read about that.
Oh my!! I eat a LOT of glutamate heavy foods. Oh my!!
Yeah, mine is pretty bad all year round too, so I dont know how much I can really blame on winter haha. If you Google ocd and glutamate, the connection is explained well. I try to focus on just cutting down on the high glutamate foods, I feel like that's restrictive already. So I'm counting on magnesium + b6 (to hopefully boost serotonin) and just eating healthy in general. Guided meditation is also great, but I always fall asleep lol
I’m new to this app and really happy to be within a community of people working through same thing. I have been working through contamination ocd since the start of the pandemic. It’s debilitating mentally. It just wants me to seek certainty in every compulsion and also reassurance and researching online incessantly. Anyone else struggle with this specific ocd? Wiping down doorknobs every time someone touches them. I can’t even sit outside in the grass I’m afraid of the pandemic. I won’t touch my groceries for three days. I miss my old self. I literally feel like a different person since March.
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!
Hi I’m new to talking about my ocd, since I never knew what I had, I always thought I was crazy till I found out was ocd was and started doing research. Im glad I am not alone. I’m looking in doing some therapy soon, I was just wondering if anyone had any advice or tips on how they try to work on their ocd on their day to day, I struggle with intrusive thoughts, compulsions and contamination.
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