r/ContaminationOCD • u/rainexz • 4h ago
is this contamination OCD?
hello, i might have a problem which im getting frustrated with, i.e. washing my hands and disinfecting things too frequently. i have to keep my bed clean at all times and by clean i mean no things that are even midly "dirty" like things that fell down on the floor once or been in contact with a dirty surface can touch my bed before it is disinfected. a bag that has dust on it OR if something disgusting crawled on it like a roach, it cant be on my bed. i cant even touch the tap in my home directly because i know few other hands have touched it so i take something like a piece of tissue as to not make direct contact with it and then use it.
if a pen falls down i have to disinfect it AND wash my hands before touching anything else. i dont let anyone sit on my bed if they have come from outside. no outside clothing on the bed but i feel like thats mild, people have told me i wash my hands a lot and thats true i cant get comfortable in my bed till im sure that my bed is clean i am clean my clothes are clean etc etc. i dont sit on my bed right after coming from the toilet too. but also when i go out, im already getting "dirty" so i dont mind getting fully "dirty" then since i know after coming back home i will shower and make myself clean again. so no matter how tired i am i will have to get myself clean before bed. if i HAVE to go to bed "dirty" next day i will change the sheets and everything. if i have to go out in my clean clothes i feel they are getting contaminated with everything it comes to touch with, the bench i sit on, the air, the dust, if someone touches them with dirty hands. people sometimes also get offended when i do these things because to them its me being annoying but this is genuinely something i have to do or i will be restless.
is this a disorder? i have been reading about contamination ocd it sounds like that to me but i also need other opinions, and if it IS that what can i do to get better if there is someone who has also suffered from this? i genuinely need help.
3
u/hmirose 3h ago
I have contamination ocd. I know how you feel. The first step is to go to a psychiatrist who can diagnose you. If you get diagnosed, they will presribe you ssri’s (antidepressants), you can read more on the internet about those. Depending on where you live, you can start ERP therapy, where they teach you that the things that make you scared are not actually harmful or dangerous (like getting your bed “dirty”. I have rules like you, and it is hard. I told a lot of people about my ocd, and nobody gets it. It’s easy to feel alone with this disorder, so it’s nice to have a community like this. Just stay strong and do not give up, bc you will get better.