Hi. I suffer from contamination ocd. I suffer from two chronic illnesses and, when I get sick (even from just a cold), it is magnified and takes an especially long time to recover. The ocd developed because I wanted to avoid aggravating my illness. I’m also very scared that what I’m feeling in my body isn’t normal and constantly wonder if something is wrong medically. I understand that with my illnesses (POTS and hyper-mobility syndrome), I feel a lot of weird sensations, but I’m always afraid I won’t be able to tell if something is going seriously wrong. I get a lot of panic attacks, wash my hands to the point of bleeding, and am constantly cleaning myself. I am tired of letting this control me, and I want to get better.

Hi- I totally understand what you are going through and that is so hard! I suffer from a chronic illness (Chrones) which is an autoimmune disease and it also takes a very long time for my body to recover from an illness or even a cut. I have contamination OCD and have for about 7 years. It is hard. I found for me that therapy has really helped and especially when I do my ERP homework at home between therapy sessions. I hope you find the help you need from a therapist. Every little step in the right direction, is the right step!

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I also have Crohn's, which is being treated with several immunosuppressants. Personally, I had severe contamination OCD before my immune system was compromised. But afterwards, when the danger of contamination became much more real, the obsessive fears disappeared entirely. I theorize it's because I was essentially dunked into the most extreme kind of exposure therapy, whether I liked it or not. But maybe I'm just strange... In any case, perhaps some kind of (real and safe) ERP under the supervision of a professional would be good for you? I've heard it's very successful in treating all kinds of OCD. Do you have a therapist or psychiatrist to talk to regarding your OCD?