I think I suffer with this. I live with my family and I have to wipe down my the toilet, sink handles, light switches, and door knobs at least once a day. I turn the light switch on/off with my elbow and grab the doorknob with my shirt otherwise I'll feel like I need to wash my hands again. I often wash my hands twice just to make sure and I keep my toothbrush in my room since I know everything in the bathroom is covered in fecal matter. I keep a roll of paper towels in my room so I don't have to use the cloth hand towel in my bathroom. If I hear my brother stepping out of the bathroom while the toilet is still flushing because he obviously didn't take the time to wash his hands I get really upset and ask him to wash his hands but he is a defiant younger teenage brother so of course he doesn't. I don't touch anything that I know he's touched and my mom gets really mad at me because she thinks I'm doing it to be mean but I genuinely know his hygiene habits and I don't want urine or fecal matter on my hands. The list goes on lol. It's relieving to know that this is a diagnosable thing I can get help for because I truly wish I could just relax and not care about anything.
But the thing is you are right about being disgusted that he doesnt wash his hands. When you are old enough to move out you'll feel so much better. I could never live with anyone again.
I have contamination OCD, it is very hard to control and I haven’t gotten a grip over them. I open doors with my elbow and I wash my hands about 10 or 15 times a day. My hands always grow dry because of this. EDIT: Woah, I forgot I even wrote this comment! It’s been like 2 years... thank you so much for the support, and I’ve gotten a lot better since then. I went to therapy specifically for OCD for quite some time and it helped, but I also just started to notice my habits and work harder. My hands no longer bleed and crack. Also, about those saying it wasn’t severe; I was not sure so I edited the comment to just say I have contamination OCD. Thank you all for the support though! I hope everyone who is struggling with contamination OCD gets better! It may take a lot of work, but don’t lose hope.
OCD is no joke! I hear so many people say they are OCD because they like things neat. They really don’t understand what it’s like living with severe OCD! 😢 I’ve learned to live with it and be productive but it is very difficult many days. God bless my wife, we have been married for 30 years, I know it’s difficult for her! 😢
Yeah I hate when people are like that. They have no idea what it really is. Sadly for me my husband left in part due to my OCD. There were other factors too. But that was something he couldn't handle. But he's bipolar. He's already got it hard.
I suffer this, and it's awful, I can't do anything without washing my hands or questions everything, I had aniexty attacks and aggressive behavior because everyone says get over it or deal with it,
@Nubulis try wet paper towels with bleach next time to clean your stuff. I'm just saying I can't stand when I see people at Walmart with those cards that they take into the restroom and all I can think about is when people have accidents in the restroom or the restroom Waters overflow in the toilet and all the girls germs that are there and then those carts they push them and push them really close to you I freak out. And then when I see people touch things and then come and touch your stuff too it really freaks me out.
These comments are making me so happy; I’m sorry to hear y’all are struggling but at the same time I feel so normal here. I cannot touch doorknobs, handles, toilet handles, sink handles, the back of restaurant chairs, my phone a lot of times, kitchen knobs, the fridge handle, money, shaking hands with people, etc, etc, the list goes on without feeling I need to wash my hands. I hate it. I didn’t even know this had a proper name, I knew it was probably OCD but I didn’t know it was a specific type. My brain is always hyperactive about germs, and it’s weird I’ll remember if say my sister touches something in my room I’ll remember what she touched and that it’s dirty until I clean it or something like that. Like I remember what’s contaminated for the longest time when my general memory isn’t even that good. I really don’t like ordering finger foods at restaurants; sometimes wipes or hand sanitizer helps but sometimes I still feel it’s dirty. I often wash my pants after I sit in a restaurant for a while because I feel my pants are dirty. Also, the whole thing where he says, “touch a toilet seat and then eat a sandwich”, makes me want to throw up. If any of you (which I know a lot watching here relate) feel this way please know you’re not alone, you’re normal, and everything is okay even if it doesn’t feel like this. A lot of us are struggling with the same thing, you aren’t losing your mind. Also, if you know someone who struggles with this please try and be understanding even if it doesn’t make sense to you.
I am also struggling with the same thing and I have gotten tired of this to the point I can't tolerate it anymore. I barely go outside unless it's absolutely necessary, don't touch anything or anyone, no hugs, no handshakes. Even if someone or something touches me, I take a shower immediately and wash my clothes. I sanitize everything from my phone to laptop. I don't want anyone to come to my house and when they do I wash everything they touch like bed sheets, curtains and rugs. I know everyone is dirty and have come to realize that it's normal and people just don't care about it but can't resist the temptation to clean and wash myself and my belongings that come into contact with others. I rarely travel and use public transport as I feel the need to clean everything afterwards. This has seriously affected my social life and career as I avoid people as much as I can, including my own parents, and spend hours daily cleaning and washing things. I even wash fruits and vegetables among other grocery items with soap before I put them to use. The worst thing is I have to wash my feet the moment they touch the floor accidentally. I have tried to find a solution on the internet for so long but none so far. I am just tired of this as it doesn't get any easier. All of this started in 2012 during the end of my High School just after I started living with one of my relatives and found her so dirty. Ever since then it's getting worse and worse and it's been 10 years of having to cleaning and bathing for hours each day.
i literally had a breakdown just now because my hair touched a wall. a wall. i just washed my hair last night and it is dyed red, so i cannot wash it as often because i want the dye to last. the amount of times i shower is getting so exhausting and is making my hair fall out. i’m trying so hard to convince myself that i can lay down right now in my bed and that i’m not dirty but the image of my hair touching the wall (which i am 100% sure it didn’t) won’t leave. this disorder is fucking ruthless and i want to die lmao
My main symptom is avoidance. I let garbage pile up and don’t clean because I don’t want to touch the dirt. I am a prisoner to my bedroom cause it’s my only safe room.
I'm so happy that there are other people out there that feel the same way and do the dame things I do. Out of my 7 siblings and 2 parents that i have I am the only one with Contamination OCD. My dad keeps calling my compulsions stupid and that i am crazy cuz no one else in the world does this. I just take his insults becuase its pretty much my fault whenever we need to go somewhere and make him late becuase my compulsion take so long. My room is my only safe place because i let no one in eitber. I hust want to get rid of it
I wholeheartedly agree with you. I have had this for over 30 years and I have tried everything I believe that this type of OCD is incurable because our fears are based in reality. I believe we have to treat it as a chronic illness and find coping strategies and manage it as best we can. It is awful I hate having it but unless there is a way to reset the brain I feel I will always live with this.
50 years and 30 years!? I'm sorry to hear, it must've been really hard. I've never noticed mine until corona pandemic happened, it has become worse for me now.
Ok so I'm not the only one. I have had OCD since I was at least 10. I'm 44. They want me to try these therapies. But I have no idea how I can handle it. Most days I can cope. But there is one thing holding me that is ruining my life. I don't know what to do. But exposure isn't going to help in this situation.
I have contamination OCD, At restaurants I never put my back on the back of chairs because I feel like its dirty and that I'll get sick, I ALWAYS sit on the outside of booths because I feel like the inside is dirty and if there's a worn out spot on a chair and it's cracked I GAG sometimes, and I freak out if I'm forced to sit there.
My family call me crazy, I can’t help it. I don’t even like sitting on my family couches because I feel dirty sitting on them. I have wipes and cleaning supplies in my room because I’m so obsessed with having everything touched, cleaned. Especially with a pandemic going round, my anxiety has become obsessive and I can’t control it. God I sound crazy...
Touch a toilet seat and then eat a sandwich without washing your hands? Oh, hell no! That wouldn't be wise for ANYONE. I don't think I could survive this kind of therapy. I think I'd rather live with the OCD than get some sort of gonzo gastro bug. (I have had them, thought I was going to die, so no way, Jose.) I think my contamination OCD is partly driven by PTSD.
We’ve all touched things that are “unsanitary” in our lives without knowing it, and we didn’t fall over and die. He was just making a point that if you did touch a toilet seat (not saying those that look totally disgusting) and then ate something, it’s most likely you will not get some horrific illness and croak in a few days. There are everyday germs all around us, our immune system is designed to get used to them. When you go out and eat, you have no idea how the cook staff treated your food, and you still eat it anyway. It’s not possible to live in a germ free perfect world, but we still survive anyway.
@@user-hx7mi7ml8u But people with contamination OCD don't think that way. Since I made the comment, I have started OCD therapy, did an Intensive Outpatient thing a couple of months ago, and my awesome therapists said they would NEVER make me do the toilet-touch-eat-sandwich thing. They said you don't have to go to that extreme -- and indeed, they didn't -- and I'm doing a lot better (except the COVID surge set me back a little). They were horrified that anyone would use Exposure and Response Therapy to this extreme. ERP is what they do, mixed with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and when done with the patient's ultimate boundaries in mind, it works very well.
I’m not sure if I have contamination OCD or maybe it’s just something about me...but ever since I was young I’ve had a few problems. I feared walking barefoot in other people’s homes..even my own grandma’s house. I was 8 and I just hated touching the ground, even if it appeared clean. I hated the idea of anything sticking to my feet. Even if I wore socks I just felt like dirt was clinging to me. I’m 18 and I still have this problem. When I go to friend’s house I hate that I’m still this way. When I’m walking around I stare at the floor as I walk to make sure where I’m stepping is “clean.” And sometimes I’ll try to tippy toe to have less of my foot touch the ground. It’s even worse in bathrooms. My aunt is a very clean person but when I visit her I cannot use her bathroom. It appears clean but I cannot sit on the toilet seat. I cannot touch the sink. When I shower I would wear slippers as to not touch the tub floor. I can never enjoy vacations because all I can think about is how I have to suffer through my mental issue with touching certain things. I cry so much when I have to take a shower somewhere other than my own. Or even sleep in someone else’s bed. I sleep in one position the whole night so I don’t touch any more of the bed than I need to. When I eat from other’s plates I eat only the food that hasn’t touched the actual plate. At restaurants I don’t let my body touch the table, I don’t put my back against the chair. I usually sit on the edge of the chair. I know it’s weird but I can’t help it. I get so anxious about it all and I don’t even know what it really is. My mom had contamination OCD when I was younger and she got help but she still has her ways. I don’t wanna self-diagnose myself because I’m still confused. I can still be a messy person, but I’m comfortable in my mess. I don’t compulsively wash my hands. I can touch people fine. I don’t understand.
It sounds like you suffer from it. I would definitely get in to see a psychologist/psychiatrist and get help! Now that I know that I likely have it too, I'm definitely going to be getting help for it myself. I just want to relax and enjoy life without squirming in my skin at the thought of all the germs like everybody else seems to be able to 😭
I can relate to walking barefoot or even with socks on. Also I don’t sit on toilets I hover. Or put TP around it. Not touching door knobs as well. I don’t touch or let things touch me.
Love the part at the end about Exposure Response Therapy. I've been struggling with the most irrational obsession for the past few days, where a cashier handed me two receipts stapled together, and both of us touched the sharp ends of the staple. What if the guy had a bloodborne disease? Turns out you can touch the staple as much as you want, but it's actually pretty hard to draw any blood at all. No blood, no disease transmission. That makes me feel a little better - this video helped a lot.
I'm messy but the things making the mess are clean and disinfected. I'm bad at organizing so usually items and clothes pile up on my desk and in the cabinets .
I don’t know if I have this but I have “clean” and “dirty” parts to my day, normally at the beginning of the day I don’t want to touch ANYTHING but what’s in my room (the only clean space for me) if I do I have to wash it in the sink or if it’s an object wash it with a wet, soapy tissue. If anyone else touches anything in my room or me I freak. This is where it gets weird, if I touch anything in my dirty state I’m fine. The only exceptions are if I touch something in my room that’s clean (then I have to use a soapy tissue) or something like a toilet seat then I want to wash my hands like a normal person.(there’s no, “I dried them on a dirty towel so it doesn’t count”) I panic if someone asks me to get something from my room when I’m dirty. The only way for me to get fully clean is to take a shower till I feel clean. My family doesn’t really know and thinks I’m just over controlling. I don’t even know how to ask for help.
I'm like you. A little different way, but very similar for the clean/dirty mode. I've had to do this to function. My right hand is the dirty one on the street, car, gas station, store, etc. I won't touch ANYTHING but my face, clothes, etc. with my LEFT HAND. Right for dirty, left for clean. I can, touch ANYTHING with my right hand at all times, but both hands must be washed after the dirty work. Mostly that is because I can't wash my dirty hand good without the help of the clean/left hand. I can and every day do go full dirty mode, both hands, but I won't touch ANYTHING else on my body or my clean belongings until my hands are both clean again. Funny testament to this is, I'm a graphic designer for a small company, and being the only man in the building other than the boss, he asked me to take over trash (bathrooms, kitchen area, etc.) removal. No problem. I can easily do it.... But nothing can touch my clothing in the process. I'm careful. If a spot of my clothes are touched by a trash bag, I remember the exact spot, and spray it with disinfectant from my sterile bottle after I'm done and have washed my hands twice. Its a frustrating way to live, but I do it.
Yes I do this. When I feel contaminated I have stuff set aside that are dirty. I only touch them then. I have a dirty phone and a clean one. The only way I can feel comfortable with the clean one is to take a shower. If I take out trash I have to shower. If I do laundry I have to shower. I totally get it. You aren't the only one.
Even though I know there’s no guarantee anything will absolutely work, I’m sad because exposure therapy backfired and actually made things worse for me. I decided to just cope as best I can🙁
i think its very important to work on belief systems aswell. what are your basic principles. for me it helps to think about rationality. if i do not get exposed to certain bacteria, viruses etc, my immune system will be damaged. see it from a medical/physical point of view.
I think everyone hear that watches this video can agree on this statement. No one is really thinking , " Hmm, I wonder what Contamination OCD is?". Pretty much everyone hear i feel is watching this just to see if anyone else hear has the same compulsions as they do or just to see if there is any videos on Contamination OCD.
My little sister was sick a few weeks ago with stomach flu and I locked myself in my room and sobbed covering my ears because I could not stand it. I did not come out of my room for days because I was afraid of contamination. The only time I did was to use the restroom which I avoided unless it was an emergency. I would not eat unless my food was prepared with washed hands and rubber gloves even then I would not let anyone come in my room so my plate had to be set on the floor outside the room where I would quickly open the door and take the food inside. Even after my sister was no longer sick I avoided contact for the next week or so.
I have anxiety and I’m very sure that I have this too. I’ve gotten panic attacks over puddle water getting on my foot, I’ve had panick attacks over how dirty my bathroom is even after I’ve jsut cleaned it, sometimes I’ll take multiple showers in the space of an hour if I think I’ve touched something dirty
Same I'll wash myself over and over until I feel at ease and I also can't stepping on wet floor I can just imagine the germs getting on my foot and would never lay in my bed after that.
Feel like I'll go mad at some point in my life 😭😭, what's worse is my family doesn't understand and they keep on doing things that they know I can't tolerate, like sneaking in my room and contaminating everything 🥲. I use gloves and plastics to touch or clean "contaminated" objects, the clothes I go with outside don't make it in my room until they're clean again because I hop in the shower the moment I'm back from school. I really need help 😫.
I have OCD and I wash my hands until o feel like they are clean , and I have white hair (only white hair black hair is fine ) on my clothes or found on my floor and I hate it so much and I get so annoyed with myself that I can’t change it or help it and it is ruining my life I get so annoyed at my mum I don’t mean to but I do and it’s running our relationship , once I found a white hair and I held it in my fingers for too long and I kept washing my hands ... maybe like 10 times and it still felt like those two fingers were dirty still and I didn’t feel right and I just lost it and I ended up telling my mum I was gonna leave the house and jump in the road because I was ruining the relationship between me and my family and that I was messing up peoples lives
I’ve Skyped with Dr. Phillipson he’s great. My wife has this condition. She refuses to admit it wholly, or get help. Living under her rules are unbearable. My wife gets angry when I break her rules. Most of her rules I don’t. Mess around with. Last time I fought her in it, she packed up our 3 kids and stayed at a hotel for 3 days. All because I took out the trash and walked in the basement. It’s much worse than that. She demands I take a shower if I go into the garage for any reason. I’m not allowed to go into the basement (brand new remodeled) for any reason. Not allowed to even touch the washer or dryer. I put my belt on the bed last week, then noticed right afterward, that she stripped the bed. Why? Because the belt was dirty, because I mowed the lawn with that belt on. She refuses OCD counseling, and thinks she’s normal. I’m a prisoner. We have 3 small kids. My life was great while she was gone for 3 days.
I'm so sorry to hear that. I've recently been triggered by OCD due to a newly adopted cat having a gut parasite that could only be treated by an antibiotic that almost killed me back in 2015. For the last 2 months, I've been cleaning my house to make sure the parasite is DEAD because I'm afraid the cat will get sick again and have to take this medication. But here's the issue--the parasite can only live on surfaces for about a week. It's been 2 months. I know this isn't the right reaction but I feel so unclean in my house I can't hardly stand it. My cat is fine now--she's negative for the parasite. Now the OCD is trickling into other parts of my life and I've upset a few family members and friends. I'm researching what I can do to stop this, as I think it's a slippery-slope and I could end up like...well, your wife. I don't want to do that to people.
I totally feel for you but I totally understand her. Belts are always dirty you wear them and sit in chairs in public restaurants. When you took out the trash you should have gone right to the sink and washed your hands. I agree with her. Personally both of you would be better off apart. She will have less anxiety and so will you.
Be careful with counseling it made me worse and so did the Prozac and all the other drugs they tried. Psychologists really don't understand OCD they way the sufferer does.
I'm sorry the comments are so mean. In my couple, I am like your wife and I truly understand how my hubbie suffers from this. We love each other so we work on it and make compromise, but I do feel you. It is _also_ hard for the people around. But: you're not a prisoner. Have an open, KIND discussion about getting help, but if she doesn't want to, you're not a prisoner, you need to try to help her, and then make your own choice.
Omg I wash my hands after everything I touch that’s not in my room or that’s been on the ground . I hate touching doorknobs and light switches I always use a wipe or put on hand sanitizer after I touch those things I cannot calm down or touch anything else until my hands are clean . I wipe down the toilet with two wipes one on the seat and around the outside toilet bowl every time I use the toilet and I wipe down the whole car chair and seatbelt and door every time I go out with my mom to the store I hate groceries I disinfect everything even if the container gets soggy . Dude I hate my life . My therapist doesn’t think It’s a concern . I don’t even let anyone in my room. Everyone has germs 🦠 I’m sorry but I feel like they’re crawling on me wherever it’s touched until I wash or sanitize them. I need help I hate feeling this way. And I hate people who touch their nasty crusty feet and don’t wash their hands and then they start touching everything omg 🤮😓 and gross my dad once flushed the toilet when he threw toilet paper in there again eww he used toilet paper near the toilet that has bacteria on it from when u don’t close the lid and you flush . He used it and flushed it and didn’t wash his hands from touching the button and I yelled at him 😓 Sorry I needed to vent quarantine and people going crazy over disinfectants has me overwhelmed and out of disinfectants I can’t can calm down 😓.
@@DinosaurandSlushy i am excactly like this too. I dont have OCD but starting to think I do after a few cleaning jobs. Living with my parents seeing everything they do makes me not feel good. And they are so bad at cleaning things wich makes me seriously ill. The obsessions started last year firstly at the last cleaning job I will ever have where I had pizza with the co-workers and did not wash my hands after finishing eating. I also experienced my dad not washing the hands after going to the bathroom and ever since I can’t stop thinking about how many does this. 😕
wow girl you’re not alone. i feel the same and it’s gotten worse over the passed few months. i can’t stop thinking about where my hands have touched and then I don’t want to touch my clothes/bag/etc because I feel like I’ve now contaminated them....... i suffer from emetophobia so that doesn’t help. i also suffer from social anxiety so I feel like everyone thinks I’m crazy and I feel like I’m crazy when I see other ppl act “normal”.... it’s all I think about everyday.
I have before just because I’ve had a lot on my mind during stessfup times and being in a hurry...And guess whatty?...I didn’t fall over and die or get sick. There are many germs on things that our immune systems are used to...we aren’t going to croak and die if we accidentally touch a normal looking toilet seat..I don’t mean one that has crap all over it. That’s what OCD contamination people’s brains think though...but it is not true! Test it out!
Ever since moving to this new town I have developed what you speak of Dr. I have had horrible side effects of meds while living here and various Dr.'s abuse, lie and treat me bad even scare me with false diagnosis. One Dr. actually hid from me after I went for a second opinion and came back with results. Another wanted to give a a hysterectomy for fibroids I did not have another a while back asked me out on a date while examining me down there. I had a nurse shame me for a procedure I had in my youth. Even though I told her I am not that person any more. I now am horrified when I have to go to the dr. I have a ritual as I call it. I have to clean the car. wash my clothes the house mop where I have walked when I get home. shower, clean the bathroom. Wash my hair which can take over an hour because I have to iron it as well. I have curly troublesome hair. Any ways, any time I go near a medical building or any one living with me goes to the Dr. It's total fear of contamination not so much of getting sick which is weird.
I always had OCD and it got worse after watching Oprah show many years ago when she invited a doctor who said "you have to wash your hands for at least 15 seconds." Well, I was already washing my hands many many many times a day but with this new information I was washing my hands like crazy. Bleeding and my joints hurting.... not good.
I relate to this so much. Any time people pass on information like this that I meant to be helpful to the average person I hold onto it forever and file it away as a new deadly threat
I have been suffer a lot with all the thoughs and actions that I have to do to protect myself. The saddest thing is we cant have control of everything...my last crisis happens when i was sitting on the bus and a broken chair cut me .What are the chances? I just leave the bus crying a lot and searching researches about the contamination on a public bus. Its a non stop thing. I want to be free.
Yes that's my problem. I can't control the one thing that bothers me most. It's eating me up inside cause I'm stuck. For how long I don't know. No one can do anything to help. I don't know what to do cause I could just die like this and I feel like no one cares. Cause if I feel like this I can't touch anything normal til it stops. It could take a while. I don't know what to do. I had someone bring me food. But I can't do that a lot. Nor can I afford to get delivery for more than a day or 2. I don't know what to do in these situations.
please please can someone help me: i don’t want to self diagnose but this has been a recurring thing in my life which seems to be worsening everyday. I’ll start with this “germ” OCD. it began with not so strange things: not sitting on any toilet beside the one attached to my bedroom at my house, not touching door handles etc or anything which multiple people come into contact with. but now it has worsened to the point where i have skipped meals when i know the persons meal which i will be eating will be on plates which are hand washed (i have this thing where i think hand washed plates and cutlery etc aren’t clean) which sounds so rude but it’s just my head. like i’ll skip breakfast at a house which i know hand wash instead of use a dishwasher. or if i ever touch something like a door handle in a public place where other people have come into contact with it i have this very very distressed feeling where my hands cringe and i feel sick etc. when i had to use the school plates and cutlery in dinner times i had been brought to tears that my fork had touched the table and i just felt overwhelmed with anxiety and distress because of the germs that would now be on my fork. this is the stuff that is in my mind all day every day. this has developed as i got older. another thing which i’ve noticed from my child hood (idk if this comes under “ocd” is i have an overwhelming need for equality in my body: for instance everything i feel on my right hand i must similarly feel on my left. this has gotten to the extremes of even pain, for instance if i bang one foot on the door, no matter how painful i have to bang the other so they feel equal. i have a thing with pulling the skin back from under my nails which has to be equal both sides. the more i explain this the more i feel crazy but it’s just somehting i have felt always. please could someone help me to understand if i’m just “germaphobic” or if i have to be worried. the sense of anxiety i get with germs causes me to begin worry and think i need to control it as it’s already made me stop doing things i used to e.g swimming. anyway i’m sorry this is so long it feels good to let it out sort of anonymously because i’d feel crazy explaining it to people. thank u
Yeah, that's hard. If I were you I would definitely seek professional help to get diagnosed and potentially treated (if you're ready... otherwise at least diagnosed). I hope you'll get better! Xx
Cindy Desjardins thank you honestly i’ve been watching this comment hoping someone would reply because i don’t know if i’m just being over dramatic or i actually need to seek some further help... thank you again xx
@@maiax5389 No, I don't think you're being overdramatic, not at all actually. If the situation makes you suffer, that's a good enough reason to ask for professional help in my opinion. You deserve to live a full, serene and happy life!
idk if you've gotten pro help yet, but the body equality is definitely an ocd thing. im currently in therapy for ocd and while i dont do any body symmetry compulsions, my therapist told me that they are ocd related
My sympathies. 2020 has been damn hard for us with contamination OCD. Everything you've been told you don't have to do and in fact should refrain from doing, you now have to do. A metaphor I've used to explain how painful corona is to OCD-ers is that it's like being an anorectic, having struggled to not worry about your weight and not counting calories etc and all of a sudden having to go on a diet.
@@cindy846 Glad I could help. Few things feel more lonely and isolating than not being able to communicate what you feel, or think or what you are going through. So if this metaphor helps you do that, I'm just happy I could be of some assistance.
Yep and I have OCD about someone poisoning my food, chemicals some how getting into my system, exhaust fumes, etc. My biggest fear is something being injected in me like the “vaccine” I have two high risk kids one with cerebral palsy and the other with Crohn’s disease that’s on a autoimmune drug so I have to get the Vaccine to keep them safe and of course others. I’m scheduled to get it this Saturday and I’m scared to death!! So on to TH-cam and google to look for something encouraging to read which is not a good idea. My wife just says do it and get it over with! It’s not that simple! If I can get through this I think I’ll be able to handle all my other obsessive thoughts and fear.
my hands have gotten cracked and bloody from washing my hands so much, i have to wipe down my shower all the time, and my phone a lot, i barely make food for myself or want to cuz i don’t wanna touch a dish and then touch my phone, so i leave my phone upstairs when i eat, it’s just hard because i can’t help feeling the need to wash my hands so much
I have a second phone just for when I feel contaminated. Cause once I was stuck and couldn't touch my phone. Everyone was worried. Freaked out. They didn't know if I was ok cause I wouldn't pick up my phone. I really want to get a Google home or something hands free for when I'm at home.
Thanks. I'm worried. Been having to miss work. May loose my job. I may loose my apartment. I just don't know. I'm stuck with something right now and not sure what to do. I'm so worried I will not make it thru this. I'm on my floor. Little food qnd water I feel comfortable touching. I can't handle things. I dont know who to turn to because my go to person is out of town. I am struggling at my worst today. I am so scared.
@@maryharoldsen2088 i know it is hard, but i know you can make it though, eventually u touching little amounts of water and food will turn in to big amounts, i doubt you’ll lose your job, i would say get in contact with a therapist who specializes in contamination ocd, i have one and he’s helped me so much, i wish you the very best and i know you have the strength to get through it
Thanks. I really just need what is wrong to stop. It's actually such a simple thing. If it stops. I can shower and back to normal. I just want back to normal. I am meeting with doctors thru human services. But every time I make an appointment it takes weeks and can almost never go with my schedule. When I'm sure I'll get back to work by Mon I hope. I work 11am to 8pm. Always hard to get appointments except early before work. But then I sleep til it's 9am dressed wash my hands for a long time and ru. Out the door. So it's hard except on my day off. But they don't always have appointments then. I don't know just right now I'm struggling. Feeling fear and panic I will be stuck like this for longer than I want. I am having extreme panic at the moment. Not sure what to do. Just want it to stop and shower and get out of here. I feel trapped.
I've been suffering from this for years and years I can't take it anymore I feel like I have the worst contamination OCD ever I even wash my arms. I touch my shirt with my arms I have to wash it all over again. I touch my fingernails I have to wash my hands. I wash my face and if only a LITTLE water drop is going our of my lip I have to wash it again. I'm suffering please nobody knows how much I'm suffering. I wet the counter because I wash my face and the water drips out of my elbow to the counter and then I wet the floor. I wet the floor and if I clean it with any paper towel or napkin I have to wash my face because I wipe it on the floor and I feel like the floor germs will fly to my face. Everytime I scratch myself I feel the need to wash my hands I CANT EVEN SCRATCH MY OWN SELF ANYMORE THIA IS HOW MUCH I CANT TAKE IT ANYMORE I AM IN PAIN SO MUCH I NEED THERAPY. If I do something like get poop on my hands or putting my feet on a dirty floor then I feel like I have to wash my feet again and again. I can't stress enough how I'm not over this. I got poop on my hands and I washed my hands probably over 100 times. WHY DO I HAVE TO KEEP LIVING LIKE THIS
And then my whole family complains about me wetting the floor workers at convenience stories even complained about it and kicked me out. I still don't know whats wrong with me. As I'm typing this right now I keep thinking about washing my feet over and over again just because I touched a dirty kitchen floor in my grandmas house.
I’m a germaphobe and it’s extreme and it kills me everyday. My biggest fear is anything school related. If I see a backpack that has touched anything I know not to touch that because then I would have to wash my hands to feel better knowing I don’t have those germs on me. And I feel my body tickling when I focus on that part I know has germs. I carry hand sanitizer in my truck and always use it after pumping gas or doing anything when I’m done. I won’t ever touch personal stuff knowing me hands and body is dirty. I wish I can be fixed I hate it. If drags me down.
N also, it goes beyond the "dirty part.." Ik this man is just giving a basic example of how contamination OCD is..but still..I wish more people were aware of how far contamination OCD can go..instead of always talking about the basics of OCD itself, n just stopping from there n not going any further into the reaserch
I had a traumatic experiance at Schiphol AirPort were I worked, no my concerns are with stuff I cant recognise on the street mostly, If its yellow and it looks sticky, ithink I take it with me under my shoes to my place. So I start to wonder If its a kind of poison....I aint afraid of germs, any suggestions what to do?
I have contamination OCD with urine and other bodily fluids. Like poop and mentrural blood. I clean houses for other people to try and battle this but I still get anxious and there are some days I can go without my gloves and rubbing alcohol on my hands but other days I have to have them. This is extremely costly too. I spend almost 20 dollars on gloves a week and almost 15 in rubbing alcohol. I wish I could afford to get this kind of helo. Self treatment is never 100%
I feel u. I've felt this way with body fluids too..except for blood..for me, it use to be urine, but I was once told by my youth worker that the bacteria in urine can only last up to one hour..then it drys up n dies. So now when I see urine, I don't worry too much about it cuz I tell myself that the germs in the urine will go away in just one hour..now it's just poop..I bring vinager with me everywhere I go n I take my hand sanatizer with me when I go to the bathroom sometimes..
@jo joanna Ya for sure! There are days were I don't even wanna get out of bed because I don't wanna go through hours of trying to un-contaminate something n myself...I lose so much sleep because of it n other issues I have too
I thought I was the only one with this stupid thing... I got this thing for about 3 months and my life is only about cleaning my things in the room ( Phone, Gaming Setup etc..) My hands are really dry and I shower literally everyday.. For example when I see my little sister eating chocolate or greasy food I feel kinda nervous because O'm afraid of getting dirty. Anyone got any tips?
U could of just said "Handing SOMEONE a quarter" Instead of "Handing A HOMELESS PERSON a quarter..." Ya..that just makes us look bad now..thanks alot.......
You know what I _don't_ understand about contamination OCD? Okay well, OCD is considered "all in the sufferer's head". What's real to them is unrealistic. Contamination OCD is an example of that. But why? Contamination could be anything really. Society reduces OCD's worries to their _own_ worries, like "What if this happens" or "I have this dark thought so I'm a bad person". OCD is considered "overthinking" or "worrying too much," and apparently that includes the concept of germ phobia. But that's just it. How can such a concept exist without the _context/specifics_ of which germs? You can't generalize. Contamination/cleanliness is very conditional. An OCD can be wrong about something happening, but cleanliness is, again, conditional. What's the point of an online article talking about an OCD's problem with germs and excessive worrying/washing, if the _type_ of germs aren't mentioned in the article?
Or you could not force people to accept germs that they arent ready for. My family would purposely do things they knew would kill me inside and all it did was make it worse. Instead of just doing what I ask to alleviate the stress and be respectful. Forcing ppl to accept things they arent ready for and purposely causing anxiety, & stress unnecessarily is not helpful at all. Just another bad day of internal panicking. You telling others to not respect our boundaries is messed up. But if my sis has a similar request or sees everything as gross, then that's just her, and is to be respected. I just dont allow nobody to come into my house anymore, period. Maybe if ppl were respectful of my needs, then they can come over. If you dont wanna do what I ask, then dont come over. I dnt see you having to clean up after your mess. Plus, their hands are dirty, and I wouldn't want them cleaning anything with their dirty hands. && I have every reason to be a germaphobe when my whole life ive saw my entire family be completely unsanitary and unclean leaving dirt and germs and viruses to sit forever without Ever being cleaned. Surprised we didnt get a disease growing up like that. I actually watch people and saw people do some sick nasty ish like put their hands in their pants and scratch like no tomorrow and then have the audacity to start touching everything. Teachers spitting on their fingers to give out paperwork. Seeing old ladies use the bathroom and only use water to rinse their hands. Seeing old ladies cat pee on their counters and dishes and all she did was use her hand as a scrubber to rinse the pissy dish off with water only. H3ll even i do some sht at times I would never want cross contaminating. In conclusion, i dont see why we are treated like we are crazy by others when most of the time we have every logical reason to be like this. When you're surrounded by germs your whole life that coulda really harmed you and nobody cared(some trying their best but can only do so much), it makes you want to scrub everything down 3 times to get the layers off. Maybe a lot of germaphobes grew up in unsanitary unclean conditions. & maybe some have had traumatic health issues growing up that makes them never want to be sick again. Ppl think im weird cause my germaphobe. i wont use a razor more than twice, and throw away loofas that are used only once. I had two close females ask to use my used dirty razors before & i told them no. Why would I risk giving you anything and Why would you risk giving me anything. Absolutely insane that im the one looked at like im crazy.
I think I suffer with this. I live with my family and I have to wipe down my the toilet, sink handles, light switches, and door knobs at least once a day. I turn the light switch on/off with my elbow and grab the doorknob with my shirt otherwise I'll feel like I need to wash my hands again. I often wash my hands twice just to make sure and I keep my toothbrush in my room since I know everything in the bathroom is covered in fecal matter. I keep a roll of paper towels in my room so I don't have to use the cloth hand towel in my bathroom. If I hear my brother stepping out of the bathroom while the toilet is still flushing because he obviously didn't take the time to wash his hands I get really upset and ask him to wash his hands but he is a defiant younger teenage brother so of course he doesn't. I don't touch anything that I know he's touched and my mom gets really mad at me because she thinks I'm doing it to be mean but I genuinely know his hygiene habits and I don't want urine or fecal matter on my hands. The list goes on lol. It's relieving to know that this is a diagnosable thing I can get help for because I truly wish I could just relax and not care about anything.
Madison W yess
my brother doesn’t wash his hands as well and when i kinda “nag” and scold him to wash his hands, my parents are like stop it.
@@elizabethkang2447 ugh I'm so glad there is someone else who gets it!!!
But the thing is you are right about being disgusted that he doesnt wash his hands. When you are old enough to move out you'll feel so much better. I could never live with anyone again.
Well my Dad does this thing where he does not wash his hands after going to the toilet and has very poor hygiene.
Girl this is me 😢
I have contamination OCD, it is very hard to control and I haven’t gotten a grip over them. I open doors with my elbow and I wash my hands about 10 or 15 times a day. My hands always grow dry because of this.
EDIT: Woah, I forgot I even wrote this comment! It’s been like 2 years... thank you so much for the support, and I’ve gotten a lot better since then. I went to therapy specifically for OCD for quite some time and it helped, but I also just started to notice my habits and work harder. My hands no longer bleed and crack. Also, about those saying it wasn’t severe; I was not sure so I edited the comment to just say I have contamination OCD. Thank you all for the support though! I hope everyone who is struggling with contamination OCD gets better! It may take a lot of work, but don’t lose hope.
I've been here too, but I know you can get through this 👍
I'm bothered by germs and food contamination and fearing getting sick.
I do everything you do, my hands are dry and cracking a lot. I never knew it was severe
Are u feeling better?
It's not sever . I'm washing 100-110 times every day . I think its severe not yours
OCD is no joke! I hear so many people say they are OCD because they like things neat. They really don’t understand what it’s like living with severe OCD! 😢 I’ve learned to live with it and be productive but it is very difficult many days. God bless my wife, we have been married for 30 years, I know it’s difficult for her! 😢
Lucky you. My wife left after 5 years, and I'm no where near as bad as many comments I've read.
Yeah I hate when people are like that. They have no idea what it really is. Sadly for me my husband left in part due to my OCD. There were other factors too. But that was something he couldn't handle. But he's bipolar. He's already got it hard.
I suffer this, and it's awful, I can't do anything without washing my hands or questions everything, I had aniexty attacks and aggressive behavior because everyone says get over it or deal with it,
Same😔
I have the same issue its not fair that people tell you that I'm sorry that happens to you
Same here my life is getting bad this OCD is taking over my life.
@Matilda I understand. Nobody seems to understand us.
@Nubulis try wet paper towels with bleach next time to clean your stuff. I'm just saying I can't stand when I see people at Walmart with those cards that they take into the restroom and all I can think about is when people have accidents in the restroom or the restroom Waters overflow in the toilet and all the girls germs that are there and then those carts they push them and push them really close to you I freak out. And then when I see people touch things and then come and touch your stuff too it really freaks me out.
These comments are making me so happy; I’m sorry to hear y’all are struggling but at the same time I feel so normal here. I cannot touch doorknobs, handles, toilet handles, sink handles, the back of restaurant chairs, my phone a lot of times, kitchen knobs, the fridge handle, money, shaking hands with people, etc, etc, the list goes on without feeling I need to wash my hands. I hate it. I didn’t even know this had a proper name, I knew it was probably OCD but I didn’t know it was a specific type. My brain is always hyperactive about germs, and it’s weird I’ll remember if say my sister touches something in my room I’ll remember what she touched and that it’s dirty until I clean it or something like that. Like I remember what’s contaminated for the longest time when my general memory isn’t even that good. I really don’t like ordering finger foods at restaurants; sometimes wipes or hand sanitizer helps but sometimes I still feel it’s dirty. I often wash my pants after I sit in a restaurant for a while because I feel my pants are dirty. Also, the whole thing where he says, “touch a toilet seat and then eat a sandwich”, makes me want to throw up.
If any of you (which I know a lot watching here relate) feel this way please know you’re not alone, you’re normal, and everything is okay even if it doesn’t feel like this. A lot of us are struggling with the same thing, you aren’t losing your mind. Also, if you know someone who struggles with this please try and be understanding even if it doesn’t make sense to you.
I am also struggling with the same thing and I have gotten tired of this to the point I can't tolerate it anymore. I barely go outside unless it's absolutely necessary, don't touch anything or anyone, no hugs, no handshakes. Even if someone or something touches me, I take a shower immediately and wash my clothes. I sanitize everything from my phone to laptop. I don't want anyone to come to my house and when they do I wash everything they touch like bed sheets, curtains and rugs.
I know everyone is dirty and have come to realize that it's normal and people just don't care about it but can't resist the temptation to clean and wash myself and my belongings that come into contact with others. I rarely travel and use public transport as I feel the need to clean everything afterwards.
This has seriously affected my social life and career as I avoid people as much as I can, including my own parents, and spend hours daily cleaning and washing things. I even wash fruits and vegetables among other grocery items with soap before I put them to use. The worst thing is I have to wash my feet the moment they touch the floor accidentally.
I have tried to find a solution on the internet for so long but none so far. I am just tired of this as it doesn't get any easier.
All of this started in 2012 during the end of my High School just after I started living with one of my relatives and found her so dirty. Ever since then it's getting worse and worse and it's been 10 years of having to cleaning and bathing for hours each day.
It’s not normal
i literally had a breakdown just now because my hair touched a wall. a wall. i just washed my hair last night and it is dyed red, so i cannot wash it as often because i want the dye to last. the amount of times i shower is getting so exhausting and is making my hair fall out. i’m trying so hard to convince myself that i can lay down right now in my bed and that i’m not dirty but the image of my hair touching the wall (which i am 100% sure it didn’t) won’t leave. this disorder is fucking ruthless and i want to die lmao
My main symptom is avoidance. I let garbage pile up and don’t clean because I don’t want to touch the dirt. I am a prisoner to my bedroom cause it’s my only safe room.
OMG ME TOO MY ROOM IS MY SAFE SPOT THAT I FIND TO BE CLEAN ANYWHERE IN THE HOUSE IS A NO NO FOR ME.
Same
And then avoiding makes it worse and so much harder to clean later
@@arissag960 me too! i wont sit down in any chair outside my room and if someone touches something in my room i freak out
I'm so happy that there are other people out there that feel the same way and do the dame things I do. Out of my 7 siblings and 2 parents that i have I am the only one with Contamination OCD. My dad keeps calling my compulsions stupid and that i am crazy cuz no one else in the world does this. I just take his insults becuase its pretty much my fault whenever we need to go somewhere and make him late becuase my compulsion take so long. My room is my only safe place because i let no one in eitber. I hust want to get rid of it
I've had OCD for over 50 years. I can assure you this type of treatment would send me over the edge.
I wholeheartedly agree with you. I have had this for over 30 years and I have tried everything I believe that this type of OCD is incurable because our fears are based in reality. I believe we have to treat it as a chronic illness and find coping strategies and manage it as best we can. It is awful I hate having it but unless there is a way to reset the brain I feel I will always live with this.
50 years!!!!!!!!
50 years and 30 years!?
I'm sorry to hear, it must've been really hard.
I've never noticed mine until corona pandemic happened, it has become worse for me now.
Same I cry scream and cringe and my brain would be going at 1,000 mph I want help but I can't do those therapies
Ok so I'm not the only one. I have had OCD since I was at least 10. I'm 44. They want me to try these therapies. But I have no idea how I can handle it. Most days I can cope. But there is one thing holding me that is ruining my life. I don't know what to do. But exposure isn't going to help in this situation.
I have contamination OCD,
At restaurants I never put my back on the back of chairs because I feel like its dirty and that I'll get sick, I ALWAYS sit on the outside of booths because I feel like the inside is dirty and if there's a worn out spot on a chair and it's cracked I GAG sometimes, and I freak out if I'm forced to sit there.
Ngl, it’s so comforting knowing that I’m not alone in this.
My family call me crazy, I can’t help it. I don’t even like sitting on my family couches because I feel dirty sitting on them. I have wipes and cleaning supplies in my room because I’m so obsessed with having everything touched, cleaned. Especially with a pandemic going round, my anxiety has become obsessive and I can’t control it. God I sound crazy...
same... you’re not alone.
same with me man the exact same for me
I'm like that too but more extreme when in public or in somebody else's house.
i 100% relate...my ocd has gotten so bad that i just don't leave my house anymore lol
@@sf2490 same :(
This kind of therapy would make me suffer so much. It´s such a big no to touch a toilet.
I cry and cringe and feel like I'm dying during those types of therapy mentioned.
Touch a toilet seat and then eat a sandwich without washing your hands? Oh, hell no! That wouldn't be wise for ANYONE. I don't think I could survive this kind of therapy. I think I'd rather live with the OCD than get some sort of gonzo gastro bug. (I have had them, thought I was going to die, so no way, Jose.) I think my contamination OCD is partly driven by PTSD.
Ditto
I think that example was way too extreme. Nobody would do that irl
We’ve all touched things that are “unsanitary” in our lives without knowing it, and we didn’t fall over and die.
He was just making a point that if you did touch a toilet seat (not saying those that look totally disgusting) and then ate something, it’s most likely you will not get some horrific illness and croak in a few days.
There are everyday germs all around us, our immune system is designed to get used to them.
When you go out and eat, you have no idea how the cook staff treated your food, and you still eat it anyway.
It’s not possible to live in a germ free perfect world, but we still survive anyway.
@@user-hx7mi7ml8u But people with contamination OCD don't think that way.
Since I made the comment, I have started OCD therapy, did an Intensive Outpatient thing a couple of months ago, and my awesome therapists said they would NEVER make me do the toilet-touch-eat-sandwich thing. They said you don't have to go to that extreme -- and indeed, they didn't -- and I'm doing a lot better (except the COVID surge set me back a little). They were horrified that anyone would use Exposure and Response Therapy to this extreme. ERP is what they do, mixed with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and when done with the patient's ultimate boundaries in mind, it works very well.
I’m not sure if I have contamination OCD or maybe it’s just something about me...but ever since I was young I’ve had a few problems. I feared walking barefoot in other people’s homes..even my own grandma’s house. I was 8 and I just hated touching the ground, even if it appeared clean. I hated the idea of anything sticking to my feet. Even if I wore socks I just felt like dirt was clinging to me. I’m 18 and I still have this problem. When I go to friend’s house I hate that I’m still this way. When I’m walking around I stare at the floor as I walk to make sure where I’m stepping is “clean.” And sometimes I’ll try to tippy toe to have less of my foot touch the ground. It’s even worse in bathrooms. My aunt is a very clean person but when I visit her I cannot use her bathroom. It appears clean but I cannot sit on the toilet seat. I cannot touch the sink. When I shower I would wear slippers as to not touch the tub floor. I can never enjoy vacations because all I can think about is how I have to suffer through my mental issue with touching certain things. I cry so much when I have to take a shower somewhere other than my own. Or even sleep in someone else’s bed. I sleep in one position the whole night so I don’t touch any more of the bed than I need to. When I eat from other’s plates I eat only the food that hasn’t touched the actual plate. At restaurants I don’t let my body touch the table, I don’t put my back against the chair. I usually sit on the edge of the chair. I know it’s weird but I can’t help it. I get so anxious about it all and I don’t even know what it really is. My mom had contamination OCD when I was younger and she got help but she still has her ways. I don’t wanna self-diagnose myself because I’m still confused. I can still be a messy person, but I’m comfortable in my mess. I don’t compulsively wash my hands. I can touch people fine. I don’t understand.
It sounds like you suffer from it. I would definitely get in to see a psychologist/psychiatrist and get help! Now that I know that I likely have it too, I'm definitely going to be getting help for it myself. I just want to relax and enjoy life without squirming in my skin at the thought of all the germs like everybody else seems to be able to 😭
Madison W I feel you! Thanks, I’ll look into it. Wish you the best in recovery !
I can relate to walking barefoot or even with socks on. Also I don’t sit on toilets I hover. Or put TP around it. Not touching door knobs as well. I don’t touch or let things touch me.
Matilda Lu wow that must be exhausting ): must be even harder with Covid. Thank you for the kind words. I wish you the best as well!!!
Gaby same here! . in school I always had to put toilet paper all over the toilet seat🥲
Love the part at the end about Exposure Response Therapy.
I've been struggling with the most irrational obsession for the past few days, where a cashier handed me two receipts stapled together, and both of us touched the sharp ends of the staple. What if the guy had a bloodborne disease?
Turns out you can touch the staple as much as you want, but it's actually pretty hard to draw any blood at all. No blood, no disease transmission.
That makes me feel a little better - this video helped a lot.
ETT therapy works for contamination OCD. Messy ppl can have OCD too.
I'm messy but the things making the mess are clean and disinfected. I'm bad at organizing so usually items and clothes pile up on my desk and in the cabinets .
I don’t know if I have this but I have “clean” and “dirty” parts to my day, normally at the beginning of the day I don’t want to touch ANYTHING but what’s in my room (the only clean space for me) if I do I have to wash it in the sink or if it’s an object wash it with a wet, soapy tissue. If anyone else touches anything in my room or me I freak. This is where it gets weird, if I touch anything in my dirty state I’m fine. The only exceptions are if I touch something in my room that’s clean (then I have to use a soapy tissue) or something like a toilet seat then I want to wash my hands like a normal person.(there’s no, “I dried them on a dirty towel so it doesn’t count”) I panic if someone asks me to get something from my room when I’m dirty. The only way for me to get fully clean is to take a shower till I feel clean. My family doesn’t really know and thinks I’m just over controlling. I don’t even know how to ask for help.
I'm like you. A little different way, but very similar for the clean/dirty mode. I've had to do this to function. My right hand is the dirty one on the street, car, gas station, store, etc. I won't touch ANYTHING but my face, clothes, etc. with my LEFT HAND. Right for dirty, left for clean. I can, touch ANYTHING with my right hand at all times, but both hands must be washed after the dirty work. Mostly that is because I can't wash my dirty hand good without the help of the clean/left hand. I can and every day do go full dirty mode, both hands, but I won't touch ANYTHING else on my body or my clean belongings until my hands are both clean again. Funny testament to this is, I'm a graphic designer for a small company, and being the only man in the building other than the boss, he asked me to take over trash (bathrooms, kitchen area, etc.) removal. No problem. I can easily do it.... But nothing can touch my clothing in the process. I'm careful. If a spot of my clothes are touched by a trash bag, I remember the exact spot, and spray it with disinfectant from my sterile bottle after I'm done and have washed my hands twice. Its a frustrating way to live, but I do it.
I feel the same my room is the only place I feel at ease any where else is a big trigger.
@@vikingmetaldragon I use gloves at the gas station.
Yes I do this. When I feel contaminated I have stuff set aside that are dirty. I only touch them then. I have a dirty phone and a clean one. The only way I can feel comfortable with the clean one is to take a shower. If I take out trash I have to shower. If I do laundry I have to shower. I totally get it. You aren't the only one.
This is literally me
Even though I know there’s no guarantee anything will absolutely work, I’m sad because exposure therapy backfired and actually made things worse for me. I decided to just cope as best I can🙁
That is the only thing that worked for me using my own coping mechanisms and avoiding the most stressful situations.
i think its very important to work on belief systems aswell. what are your basic principles. for me it helps to think about rationality. if i do not get exposed to certain bacteria, viruses etc, my immune system will be damaged. see it from a medical/physical point of view.
I hate contamination OCD 😭
Me too
Same
I do too, it really disrupts the flow of life. 😭
I think everyone hear that watches this video can agree on this statement. No one is really thinking , " Hmm, I wonder what Contamination OCD is?". Pretty much everyone hear i feel is watching this just to see if anyone else hear has the same compulsions as they do or just to see if there is any videos on Contamination OCD.
My little sister was sick a few weeks ago with stomach flu and I locked myself in my room and sobbed covering my ears because I could not stand it. I did not come out of my room for days because I was afraid of contamination. The only time I did was to use the restroom which I avoided unless it was an emergency. I would not eat unless my food was prepared with washed hands and rubber gloves even then I would not let anyone come in my room so my plate had to be set on the floor outside the room where I would quickly open the door and take the food inside. Even after my sister was no longer sick I avoided contact for the next week or so.
Kage the Calamity lord i wont even make food made by my family anymore and i dont use the plates or bowls or cups.
I have anxiety and I’m very sure that I have this too. I’ve gotten panic attacks over puddle water getting on my foot, I’ve had panick attacks over how dirty my bathroom is even after I’ve jsut cleaned it, sometimes I’ll take multiple showers in the space of an hour if I think I’ve touched something dirty
Same I'll wash myself over and over until I feel at ease and I also can't stepping on wet floor I can just imagine the germs getting on my foot and would never lay in my bed after that.
@@arissag960 I relate to that so much
Feel like I'll go mad at some point in my life 😭😭, what's worse is my family doesn't understand and they keep on doing things that they know I can't tolerate, like sneaking in my room and contaminating everything 🥲.
I use gloves and plastics to touch or clean "contaminated" objects, the clothes I go with outside don't make it in my room until they're clean again because I hop in the shower the moment I'm back from school.
I really need help 😫.
I have OCD and I wash my hands until o feel like they are clean , and I have white hair (only white hair black hair is fine ) on my clothes or found on my floor and I hate it so much and I get so annoyed with myself that I can’t change it or help it and it is ruining my life I get so annoyed at my mum I don’t mean to but I do and it’s running our relationship , once I found a white hair and I held it in my fingers for too long and I kept washing my hands ... maybe like 10 times and it still felt like those two fingers were dirty still and I didn’t feel right and I just lost it and I ended up telling my mum I was gonna leave the house and jump in the road because I was ruining the relationship between me and my family and that I was messing up peoples lives
I know the feeling. I feel miserable. I can't take it sometimes.
I genuinely hope you are feeling better. Stay strong.
I’ve Skyped with Dr. Phillipson he’s great. My wife has this condition. She refuses to admit it wholly, or get help. Living under her rules are unbearable. My wife gets angry when I break her rules. Most of her rules I don’t. Mess around with. Last time I fought her in it, she packed up our 3 kids and stayed at a hotel for 3 days. All because I took out the trash and walked in the basement. It’s much worse than that. She demands I take a shower if I go into the garage for any reason. I’m not allowed to go into the basement (brand new remodeled) for any reason. Not allowed to even touch the washer or dryer. I put my belt on the bed last week, then noticed right afterward, that she stripped the bed. Why? Because the belt was dirty, because I mowed the lawn with that belt on. She refuses OCD counseling, and thinks she’s normal. I’m a prisoner. We have 3 small kids. My life was great while she was gone for 3 days.
I'm so sorry to hear that. I've recently been triggered by OCD due to a newly adopted cat having a gut parasite that could only be treated by an antibiotic that almost killed me back in 2015. For the last 2 months, I've been cleaning my house to make sure the parasite is DEAD because I'm afraid the cat will get sick again and have to take this medication. But here's the issue--the parasite can only live on surfaces for about a week. It's been 2 months. I know this isn't the right reaction but I feel so unclean in my house I can't hardly stand it. My cat is fine now--she's negative for the parasite. Now the OCD is trickling into other parts of my life and I've upset a few family members and friends. I'm researching what I can do to stop this, as I think it's a slippery-slope and I could end up like...well, your wife. I don't want to do that to people.
I totally feel for you but I totally understand her. Belts are always dirty you wear them and sit in chairs in public restaurants. When you took out the trash you should have gone right to the sink and washed your hands. I agree with her. Personally both of you would be better off apart. She will have less anxiety and so will you.
Be careful with counseling it made me worse and so did the Prozac and all the other drugs they tried. Psychologists really don't understand OCD they way the sufferer does.
I'm sorry the comments are so mean. In my couple, I am like your wife and I truly understand how my hubbie suffers from this. We love each other so we work on it and make compromise, but I do feel you. It is _also_ hard for the people around. But: you're not a prisoner. Have an open, KIND discussion about getting help, but if she doesn't want to, you're not a prisoner, you need to try to help her, and then make your own choice.
I can understand u. Sorry for wat u r going through. M suffering with the same like ur wife is.....
Omg I wash my hands after everything I touch that’s not in my room or that’s been on the ground . I hate touching doorknobs and light switches I always use a wipe or put on hand sanitizer after I touch those things I cannot calm down or touch anything else until my hands are clean . I wipe down the toilet with two wipes one on the seat and around the outside toilet bowl every time I use the toilet and I wipe down the whole car chair and seatbelt and door every time I go out with my mom to the store I hate groceries I disinfect everything even if the container gets soggy . Dude I hate my life . My therapist doesn’t think It’s a concern . I don’t even let anyone in my room. Everyone has germs 🦠 I’m sorry but I feel like they’re crawling on me wherever it’s touched until I wash or sanitize them. I need help I hate feeling this way. And I hate people who touch their nasty crusty feet and don’t wash their hands and then they start touching everything omg 🤮😓 and gross my dad once flushed the toilet when he threw toilet paper in there again eww he used toilet paper near the toilet that has bacteria on it from when u don’t close the lid and you flush . He used it and flushed it and didn’t wash his hands from touching the button and I yelled at him 😓
Sorry I needed to vent quarantine and people going crazy over disinfectants has me overwhelmed and out of disinfectants I can’t can calm down 😓.
okay, wow.. i didn’t think there was anyone else like me.. living this way is awful. i’m the exact same way 😭 it’s so exhausting
@@DinosaurandSlushy i am excactly like this too. I dont have OCD but starting to think I do after a few cleaning jobs. Living with my parents seeing everything they do makes me not feel good. And they are so bad at cleaning things wich makes me seriously ill. The obsessions started last year firstly at the last cleaning job I will ever have where I had pizza with the co-workers and did not wash my hands after finishing eating. I also experienced my dad not washing the hands after going to the bathroom and ever since I can’t stop thinking about how many does this. 😕
wow girl you’re not alone. i feel the same and it’s gotten worse over the passed few months. i can’t stop thinking about where my hands have touched and then I don’t want to touch my clothes/bag/etc because I feel like I’ve now contaminated them....... i suffer from emetophobia so that doesn’t help. i also suffer from social anxiety so I feel like everyone thinks I’m crazy and I feel like I’m crazy when I see other ppl act “normal”.... it’s all I think about everyday.
@@carolinagorlonmachaen277 awww I thought I was crazy too seeing myself do all this :( I thought I was alone omg 💖
Omg I feel like ants are crawling on me until I've fixed the germy situation
There is NO WAY IN HELL I'm using anything after touching a public toilet, even less eating a sandwich! are you nuts?!?
I have before just because I’ve had a lot on my mind during stessfup times and being in a hurry...And guess whatty?...I didn’t fall over and die or get sick. There are many germs on things that our immune systems are used to...we aren’t going to croak and die if we accidentally touch a normal looking toilet seat..I don’t mean one that has crap all over it. That’s what OCD contamination people’s brains think though...but it is not true! Test it out!
@@user-hx7mi7ml8u I appreciate the response but I will not test this out, thanks.
Ikr this is extreme even for a person who doest'n suffer from contamination OCD
Ever since moving to this new town I have developed what you speak of Dr. I have had horrible side effects of meds while living here and various Dr.'s abuse, lie and treat me bad even scare me with false diagnosis. One Dr. actually hid from me after I went for a second opinion and came back with results. Another wanted to give a a hysterectomy for fibroids I did not have another a while back asked me out on a date while examining me down there. I had a nurse shame me for a procedure I had in my youth. Even though I told her I am not that person any more. I now am horrified when I have to go to the dr. I have a ritual as I call it. I have to clean the car. wash my clothes the house mop where I have walked when I get home. shower, clean the bathroom. Wash my hair which can take over an hour because I have to iron it as well. I have curly troublesome hair. Any ways, any time I go near a medical building or any one living with me goes to the Dr. It's total fear of contamination not so much of getting sick which is weird.
I always had OCD and it got worse after watching Oprah show many years ago when she invited a doctor who said "you have to wash your hands for at least 15 seconds." Well, I was already washing my hands many many many times a day but with this new information I was washing my hands like crazy. Bleeding and my joints hurting.... not good.
In nursing school we learned the length of time to wash your hands should be singing (in your mind) two rounds of the Happy Birthday song
I relate to this so much. Any time people pass on information like this that I meant to be helpful to the average person I hold onto it forever and file it away as a new deadly threat
@@megmusicgirl14 OCD sucks. Having three kids made it worse too. With each kid my OCD got worse and worse. I love them but OCD is 1000% worse now.
@@girlinthesouth850 Sometimes I would wash my hands 10 times straight. It is crazy.
I wish my hands for about 2 minutes twice
Thank you so much for making this video
I have been suffer a lot with all the thoughs and actions that I have to do to protect myself. The saddest thing is we cant have control of everything...my last crisis happens when i was sitting on the bus and a broken chair cut me .What are the chances? I just leave the bus crying a lot and searching researches about the contamination on a public bus. Its a non stop thing. I want to be free.
Yes that's my problem. I can't control the one thing that bothers me most. It's eating me up inside cause I'm stuck. For how long I don't know. No one can do anything to help. I don't know what to do cause I could just die like this and I feel like no one cares. Cause if I feel like this I can't touch anything normal til it stops. It could take a while. I don't know what to do. I had someone bring me food. But I can't do that a lot. Nor can I afford to get delivery for more than a day or 2. I don't know what to do in these situations.
please please can someone help me: i don’t want to self diagnose but this has been a recurring thing in my life which seems to be worsening everyday. I’ll start with this “germ” OCD. it began with not so strange things: not sitting on any toilet beside the one attached to my bedroom at my house, not touching door handles etc or anything which multiple people come into contact with. but now it has worsened to the point where i have skipped meals when i know the persons meal which i will be eating will be on plates which are hand washed (i have this thing where i think hand washed plates and cutlery etc aren’t clean) which sounds so rude but it’s just my head. like i’ll skip breakfast at a house which i know hand wash instead of use a dishwasher. or if i ever touch something like a door handle in a public place where other people have come into contact with it i have this very very distressed feeling where my hands cringe and i feel sick etc. when i had to use the school plates and cutlery in dinner times i had been brought to tears that my fork had touched the table and i just felt overwhelmed with anxiety and distress because of the germs that would now be on my fork. this is the stuff that is in my mind all day every day. this has developed as i got older. another thing which i’ve noticed from my child hood (idk if this comes under “ocd” is i have an overwhelming need for equality in my body: for instance everything i feel on my right hand i must similarly feel on my left. this has gotten to the extremes of even pain, for instance if i bang one foot on the door, no matter how painful i have to bang the other so they feel equal. i have a thing with pulling the skin back from under my nails which has to be equal both sides. the more i explain this the more i feel crazy but it’s just somehting i have felt always. please could someone help me to understand if i’m just “germaphobic” or if i have to be worried. the sense of anxiety i get with germs causes me to begin worry and think i need to control it as it’s already made me stop doing things i used to e.g swimming. anyway i’m sorry this is so long it feels good to let it out sort of anonymously because i’d feel crazy explaining it to people. thank u
Yeah, that's hard. If I were you I would definitely seek professional help to get diagnosed and potentially treated (if you're ready... otherwise at least diagnosed). I hope you'll get better! Xx
Cindy Desjardins thank you honestly i’ve been watching this comment hoping someone would reply because i don’t know if i’m just being over dramatic or i actually need to seek some further help... thank you again xx
@@maiax5389 No, I don't think you're being overdramatic, not at all actually. If the situation makes you suffer, that's a good enough reason to ask for professional help in my opinion. You deserve to live a full, serene and happy life!
I read u . M suffering from the same. At extreme
idk if you've gotten pro help yet, but the body equality is definitely an ocd thing. im currently in therapy for ocd and while i dont do any body symmetry compulsions, my therapist told me that they are ocd related
And then came the coronavirus 😑
My sympathies. 2020 has been damn hard for us with contamination OCD.
Everything you've been told you don't have to do and in fact should refrain from doing, you now have to do.
A metaphor I've used to explain how painful corona is to OCD-ers is that it's like being an anorectic, having struggled to not worry about your weight and not counting calories etc and all of a sudden having to go on a diet.
@@theyakkoman OMG what a great metaphor!! I shall use it for sure, because people _do not_ understand the pain and struggle.
@@cindy846 Glad I could help.
Few things feel more lonely and isolating than not being able to communicate what you feel, or think or what you are going through.
So if this metaphor helps you do that, I'm just happy I could be of some assistance.
Yep and I have OCD about someone poisoning my food, chemicals some how getting into my system, exhaust fumes, etc. My biggest fear is something being injected in me like the “vaccine” I have two high risk kids one with cerebral palsy and the other with Crohn’s disease that’s on a autoimmune drug so I have to get the Vaccine to keep them safe and of course others. I’m scheduled to get it this Saturday and I’m scared to death!! So on to TH-cam and google to look for something encouraging to read which is not a good idea. My wife just says do it and get it over with! It’s not that simple! If I can get through this I think I’ll be able to handle all my other obsessive thoughts and fear.
my hands have gotten cracked and bloody from washing my hands so much, i have to wipe down my shower all the time, and my phone a lot, i barely make food for myself or want to cuz i don’t wanna touch a dish and then touch my phone, so i leave my phone upstairs when i eat, it’s just hard because i can’t help feeling the need to wash my hands so much
I have a second phone just for when I feel contaminated. Cause once I was stuck and couldn't touch my phone. Everyone was worried. Freaked out. They didn't know if I was ok cause I wouldn't pick up my phone. I really want to get a Google home or something hands free for when I'm at home.
@@maryharoldsen2088 hang in there, i’m doing a lot better then i was 4 months ago, but still trying to progress, i know you can too❤️
Thanks. I'm worried. Been having to miss work. May loose my job. I may loose my apartment. I just don't know. I'm stuck with something right now and not sure what to do. I'm so worried I will not make it thru this. I'm on my floor. Little food qnd water I feel comfortable touching. I can't handle things. I dont know who to turn to because my go to person is out of town. I am struggling at my worst today. I am so scared.
@@maryharoldsen2088 i know it is hard, but i know you can make it though, eventually u touching little amounts of water and food will turn in to big amounts, i doubt you’ll lose your job, i would say get in contact with a therapist who specializes in contamination ocd, i have one and he’s helped me so much, i wish you the very best and i know you have the strength to get through it
Thanks. I really just need what is wrong to stop. It's actually such a simple thing. If it stops. I can shower and back to normal. I just want back to normal. I am meeting with doctors thru human services. But every time I make an appointment it takes weeks and can almost never go with my schedule. When I'm sure I'll get back to work by Mon I hope. I work 11am to 8pm. Always hard to get appointments except early before work. But then I sleep til it's 9am dressed wash my hands for a long time and ru. Out the door. So it's hard except on my day off. But they don't always have appointments then. I don't know just right now I'm struggling. Feeling fear and panic I will be stuck like this for longer than I want. I am having extreme panic at the moment. Not sure what to do. Just want it to stop and shower and get out of here. I feel trapped.
I've been suffering from this for years and years I can't take it anymore I feel like I have the worst contamination OCD ever I even wash my arms. I touch my shirt with my arms I have to wash it all over again. I touch my fingernails I have to wash my hands. I wash my face and if only a LITTLE water drop is going our of my lip I have to wash it again. I'm suffering please nobody knows how much I'm suffering. I wet the counter because I wash my face and the water drips out of my elbow to the counter and then I wet the floor. I wet the floor and if I clean it with any paper towel or napkin I have to wash my face because I wipe it on the floor and I feel like the floor germs will fly to my face. Everytime I scratch myself I feel the need to wash my hands I CANT EVEN SCRATCH MY OWN SELF ANYMORE THIA IS HOW MUCH I CANT TAKE IT ANYMORE I AM IN PAIN SO MUCH I NEED THERAPY. If I do something like get poop on my hands or putting my feet on a dirty floor then I feel like I have to wash my feet again and again. I can't stress enough how I'm not over this. I got poop on my hands and I washed my hands probably over 100 times. WHY DO I HAVE TO KEEP LIVING LIKE THIS
And then my whole family complains about me wetting the floor workers at convenience stories even complained about it and kicked me out. I still don't know whats wrong with me. As I'm typing this right now I keep thinking about washing my feet over and over again just because I touched a dirty kitchen floor in my grandmas house.
This was painfully healing.
Wow, very informative!
How to differentiate between a real danger and an OCD thought? With contamination OCD you don't want to expose yourself to something really harmful
I’m a germaphobe and it’s extreme and it kills me everyday. My biggest fear is anything school related. If I see a backpack that has touched anything I know not to touch that because then I would have to wash my hands to feel better knowing I don’t have those germs on me. And I feel my body tickling when I focus on that part I know has germs. I carry hand sanitizer in my truck and always use it after pumping gas or doing anything when I’m done. I won’t ever touch personal stuff knowing me hands and body is dirty. I wish I can be fixed I hate it. If drags me down.
I have this in a major way .. it's more contamination of smells.
I'm still like this
N also, it goes beyond the "dirty part.." Ik this man is just giving a basic example of how contamination OCD is..but still..I wish more people were aware of how far contamination OCD can go..instead of always talking about the basics of OCD itself, n just stopping from there n not going any further into the reaserch
Most people don't know how far it can go. They have no idea how bad it can get. They act like we can just get over it. It's not that simple.
This is definitely my #1
When I used to have obsessive thoughts about germs.I just have the urge to wash my hands a lot until they are sore dry and cracked skin.
I had a traumatic experiance at Schiphol AirPort were I worked, no my concerns are with stuff I cant recognise on the street mostly, If its yellow and it looks sticky, ithink I take it with me under my shoes to my place. So I start to wonder If its a kind of poison....I aint afraid of germs, any suggestions what to do?
try therapy or just leave your shoes that you wear out and about outside.
I would cry and cringe and have a massive anxiety attack doing all these therapies to treat contamination OCD.
I have contamination OCD with urine and other bodily fluids. Like poop and mentrural blood. I clean houses for other people to try and battle this but I still get anxious and there are some days I can go without my gloves and rubbing alcohol on my hands but other days I have to have them. This is extremely costly too. I spend almost 20 dollars on gloves a week and almost 15 in rubbing alcohol. I wish I could afford to get this kind of helo. Self treatment is never 100%
I feel u. I've felt this way with body fluids too..except for blood..for me, it use to be urine, but I was once told by my youth worker that the bacteria in urine can only last up to one hour..then it drys up n dies. So now when I see urine, I don't worry too much about it cuz I tell myself that the germs in the urine will go away in just one hour..now it's just poop..I bring vinager with me everywhere I go n I take my hand sanatizer with me when I go to the bathroom sometimes..
@jo joanna Ya for sure! There are days were I don't even wanna get out of bed because I don't wanna go through hours of trying to un-contaminate something n myself...I lose so much sleep because of it n other issues I have too
@jo joanna Thank u..I will try not to give up
so relatable
I thought I was the only one with this stupid thing...
I got this thing for about 3 months and my life is only about cleaning my things in the room ( Phone, Gaming Setup etc..) My hands are really dry and I shower literally everyday.. For example when I see my little sister eating chocolate or greasy food I feel kinda nervous because O'm afraid of getting dirty.
Anyone got any tips?
Tell your family about it , my family knows not to get up in my personal space and to not touch me/or my stuff with their hands until they wash them
U could of just said "Handing SOMEONE a quarter" Instead of "Handing A HOMELESS PERSON a quarter..." Ya..that just makes us look bad now..thanks alot.......
Help me .... My wife facing this
Anyone with asbestos ocd
help
hi
fishyz have u got asbestos Ocd
fishyz hello do u suffer from asbestos Ocd fishyz ?
@@samuelsnell9474 I don't have that certain type (I have severe contamination ocd and other's) but I noticed you and I want to say you aren't alone.
You know what I _don't_ understand about contamination OCD? Okay well, OCD is considered "all in the sufferer's head". What's real to them is unrealistic. Contamination OCD is an example of that. But why? Contamination could be anything really. Society reduces OCD's worries to their _own_ worries, like "What if this happens" or "I have this dark thought so I'm a bad person". OCD is considered "overthinking" or "worrying too much," and apparently that includes the concept of germ phobia. But that's just it. How can such a concept exist without the _context/specifics_ of which germs? You can't generalize. Contamination/cleanliness is very conditional. An OCD can be wrong about something happening, but cleanliness is, again, conditional. What's the point of an online article talking about an OCD's problem with germs and excessive worrying/washing, if the _type_ of germs aren't mentioned in the article?
oh neat i just found the exact type of ocd i got
neat
atleast i got a name for it
🚽🥪 Nope! 🤮
Or you could not force people to accept germs that they arent ready for. My family would purposely do things they knew would kill me inside and all it did was make it worse. Instead of just doing what I ask to alleviate the stress and be respectful. Forcing ppl to accept things they arent ready for and purposely causing anxiety, & stress unnecessarily is not helpful at all. Just another bad day of internal panicking. You telling others to not respect our boundaries is messed up. But if my sis has a similar request or sees everything as gross, then that's just her, and is to be respected. I just dont allow nobody to come into my house anymore, period. Maybe if ppl were respectful of my needs, then they can come over. If you dont wanna do what I ask, then dont come over. I dnt see you having to clean up after your mess. Plus, their hands are dirty, and I wouldn't want them cleaning anything with their dirty hands. && I have every reason to be a germaphobe when my whole life ive saw my entire family be completely unsanitary and unclean leaving dirt and germs and viruses to sit forever without Ever being cleaned. Surprised we didnt get a disease growing up like that. I actually watch people and saw people do some sick nasty ish like put their hands in their pants and scratch like no tomorrow and then have the audacity to start touching everything. Teachers spitting on their fingers to give out paperwork. Seeing old ladies use the bathroom and only use water to rinse their hands. Seeing old ladies cat pee on their counters and dishes and all she did was use her hand as a scrubber to rinse the pissy dish off with water only. H3ll even i do some sht at times I would never want cross contaminating.
In conclusion, i dont see why we are treated like we are crazy by others when most of the time we have every logical reason to be like this. When you're surrounded by germs your whole life that coulda really harmed you and nobody cared(some trying their best but can only do so much), it makes you want to scrub everything down 3 times to get the layers off. Maybe a lot of germaphobes grew up in unsanitary unclean conditions. & maybe some have had traumatic health issues growing up that makes them never want to be sick again. Ppl think im weird cause my germaphobe. i wont use a razor more than twice, and throw away loofas that are used only once. I had two close females ask to use my used dirty razors before & i told them no. Why would I risk giving you anything and Why would you risk giving me anything. Absolutely insane that im the one looked at like im crazy.
Why does he have no expressions