OCD - dirt

[JohnB9]

Does anyone else have experience with OCD, primarily with fear of being dirty (particularly faeces/urine, animal or human)?

[geoff]

dear John, hi and thanks for posting your comment.

Having OCD is such a controlling illness, and I wish it upon nobody, but when someone does have it either by genetics, or by circumstances and because of anxiety then it has us under control.

I have had it for 55 years, so I know what you are saying.

Some people have been able to overcome it or part overcome it by CBT and/or medication, while this is not possible for others.

Keeping clean or checking locks is a common ritual/habit, but then everybody has their own thoughts, so if you want to get back to me then we can talk about it, but first I would be interested in knowing how long you have had it and what other thoughts you been troubled by.

So please get back to us. Geoff.

[Zeal]

Hi John,

Like Geoff, I too have OCD and I'm quite accustomed to it. Geoff has more experience with it, having suffered for 55 years. I've had it for almost a decade now, since I was about 13.

My main OCD fear is germs, illness, and vomit. My phobia of vomit ties into the OCD, but is something I've had for as long as I can remember. I get anxious when people say they feel physically sick. I also wash my hands frequently, including after touching door handles. When I am out and about, I can sometimes go for longer without washing my hands, because I know I have to control it. When I'm relaxed and happy, my OCD is better. Stress does accentuate the OCD tendencies for me, and I feel this would be the case for many people with OCD.

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) can be a helpful way to break down the barriers of the OCD obsessions and compulsions; obsessions being the thoughts or fears, and compulsions being something you do to reduce the anxiety, such as hand washing. I found CBT challenging, but it is worth trying, as it has proven to be effective for many.

If you don't mind me asking, have you been formally diagnosed with OCD? I also second Geoff's question about how long you've experienced this for. Your fear of being in contact with faeces, urine, blood, and so on, is something non-OCD individuals could relate to, as these are generally considered "unclean" bodily products. Getting animal poo on your skin, for example, would revolt many people. A clinical (OCD) reaction to animal poo, for example, would be to avoid walking on lawns for fear of stepping in dog poo. Or, for example, being fearful of using public bathrooms due to fear of contamination.

OCD is a very complex illness, with varied symptoms and degrees of severity. Talking to your GP about your symptoms and concerns would be wise.

Best wishes,

SM

[JohnB9]

Hi SM and Geoff

Thanks for your comments.

I have had OCD for most of my adult life, although it started mild and gradually got worse, until I sought medical help at about age 40, about a decade ago.  I have been formally diagnosed and take medication which helps considerably, but I still suffer significantly from the OCD.

Apart from the fear of dirt, I tend to generally be obsessive.  I am naturally a hoarder, but when my psychiatrist said that the hoardng was a symptom of OCD, I threw out stuff I was hoarding with no difficulty.   I have tried CBT, but with little success.  My problem is that I see contact with faeces or urine as being inherently undesirable.  With something like hoarding, I can answer the question “what is the consequence of throwing out stuff?” with “nothing significant”.  However, it doesn’t help me to question the consequences of being dirty, because the consequence that I am afraid of is simply being dirty.  

For example, the fact that getting animal poo on my skin would probably not make me ill doesn’t matter to me, as it would simply be revolting.

However, I am able to cope with getting dirty when I know I can get clean.  I am less stressed about dirt when I am not at home, as long as I know that when it comes to relaxing at home at the end of the day, I will be clean.  However, I am still concerend that if I get dirty then when I go hmoe I might contaminate the house.

John

[geoff]

dear John, thanks so much for getting back to us as it means that feedback is always appreciated.

Have had a look at doing desensitisation,, as it's used for overcoming many phobias. Geoff.