How do people cope with a lack of support at home? One of my ocd themes is contamination and I sometimes have very very dry hands that are really noticeable and people will comment on them. My dad doesn’t really “believe” in mental illness despite all my diagnoses and appointments with specialists, I’ve been diagnosed with ocd for eight years now. He is very against medication and when I was taking it, he’d ask every day if I was still using it, would I ever stop taking it, when will I stop taking it, etc. so I just ceased it myself to keep him quiet and he was so glad when I did. Tonight he said that my hands looked awful, I need to stop washing them, I need to stop using so much soap. He’s brought this up many times these past few weeks but today I just burst into tears. I told him he’s not the one who has to deal with them, I’m the one who’s in physical pain every time I move them, that I don’t enjoy washing my hands so often, and that he never even tried to understand what it’s been like all these years. I’ve pretty much accepted that this will be something I’ll always struggle with. When I’m medicated I feel a little better, I can often challenge the urge to wash my hands but as I said he hates the idea of medication as well. I can’t win. I’m sorry for the lengthy post, I’m tired and sad and I don’t have anyone to talk to. I’ve had the worst week at work and this has tipped me over the edge.

Reading your post really brought me back to where I was a few years back. I also have contamination OCD where I wash my hands obsessively. My hands used to be the same as you describe yours-dry, cracked, raw, and bleeding. I remember bursting into tears after having to wash my hands, whether it be for a compulsion or a “valid” reason and how much pain I was in. That feeling was when I hit my tipping point to get help and I ended up withdrawing from college to star and intensive outpatient program to get help. That program helped me a lot and my hands have been a lot better but one thing I learned in that program is that no matter what treatment/therapy you do, it is always best when used in conjunction with medication. I was on medication before and it wasn’t until meeting with a psychiatrist that knew how to work with OCD did I get my meds figured out to what was best for me. And I started to see progress. And I know it was progress because any time I forget to take my meds for a few days I notice I get worse again. I am fortunate enough my parents were supportive of the choices I made but I do relate to you in that they were very hesitant on me taking any medications. They didn’t know enough and while they understand mental illness is a thing, they still were skeptical of things. And they were hesitant about my choice in programs when I found where I wanted to get help. They wanted something closer you our home and didn’t seem as intense, but I insisted that what I picked was what I needed and that’s where I was going to go. I guess what I’m trying to say is that it is really hard to deal with OCD when you don’t have a stable support system or you don’t know how supportive that support system is, but it is in your best interest to do what YOU think is best for yourself and what makes you feel better. Being in pain 24/7 because your hands sting and burn is one of the worst feelings ever. Not dealing with that pain made making my own decisions worth it. I encourage to talk to an OCD therapist (if possible) and to talk to your doctor start taking your meds again despite what your dad says. I understand that it is probably very hard to do that but right now your the one suffering, not him. You need to do what’s right for you so you can be comfortable. Sorry if that is a lot of rambling but I saw your post and couldn’t help but relate to it. I really hope you can find a solution that allows you to get better

Also to add to the post before mine, udderly smooth hand cream or any aloe-based cooling lotion will probably feel best on your hands. You can also talk to a doctor about getting a steroid cream that helps. I had that while I was going through treatment to help with healing and moisturizing my hands.

You take meds, you get therapy if you can and you self-care. He has no idea what you're going through. I have the same theme and it can be terrible to deal with. Maybe you could put a bit of hand cream on before bed. Even a little will help your hands.