- Date posted
- 23h
Is it ok ? Contamination OCD and a child
Hi everyone, I’m writing because I feel overwhelmed and I really need some support from people who understand OCD. I have contamination OCD, and since becoming a mother my fears have become much more intense. My baby is only a few months old, and my mind is constantly telling me that she could become seriously ill because of germs, viruses, or contamination. I know that many of my fears are driven by OCD, but when it comes to my daughter it feels almost impossible to tell the difference between what is a reasonable precaution and what is OCD. The biggest problem is that my partner, who is also the father of my baby, has become increasingly hostile toward me because of this. When I ask him to wash his hands in situations where I feel uncomfortable, instead of talking to me calmly, he often calls me “crazy” or says that I’m mentally ill. He has also threatened to tell other people how “crazy” I am so that they will agree with him. We even went to one session with a psychologist together, hoping it would improve things, but instead I feel like our relationship has become even worse. There has also been an incident where he forcefully pushed my arm away during an argument. Since then, I feel scared, not only because of the conflict itself but because I’m afraid he could use my OCD against me if our relationship ends. One of my biggest fears is that because I have OCD, he could somehow take my daughter away from me or convince other people that I’m an unfit mother. I love my daughter more than anything, and despite my OCD I do everything I can to care for her. I don’t want my illness to define me or be used as a weapon against me. I know I need to keep working on my OCD, and I’m committed to doing that. But it’s incredibly difficult to recover when I feel judged, insulted, and afraid in my own relationship. Has anyone else experienced something similar? Have you had a partner who used your OCD against you? How did you cope? And if you’re a parent with contamination OCD, how did you learn to distinguish between normal hygiene precautions and OCD-driven compulsions when it came to your child? Thank you for reading. I would really appreciate hearing from anyone who has been through something similar.