I have contamination OCD and it is difficult to get anyone to understand why I’m afraid to touch certain things. People assume I’m afraid of germs and disease or that I think I or someone else will get sick. This is not true. I’m afraid to touch the things because I just don’t want what it is connected to in my mind to be a part of me or anyone I love.
I think I understand I have contamination ocd myself. I’m here for you.
Maybe we can even text sometime
@Cloth That sounds like a good idea!
Hey there, I understand how tough this can be for you. Living with "pure O" themes in my OCD, I feel the struggle of having my fears and rituals misinterpreted. It's not easy when people don't quite grasp the reality of our mental health challenges. Remember, you're not alone, I'm here to chat and understand your journey. 😊 I've been in your shoes, and one thing that made a real difference for me was a free AI tool called "unstuck" (unstuckmyocd.com/try). I found it through an OCD support podcast and it was a game-changer. It is exceptional because it offers personalized coping tactics as an OCD therapist would, which is key considering the specific nature of your contamination fears. I really don't like pushing products or services, yet "unstuck" seriously transformed my life. I'm sharing this because I believe it could be helpful to you. Remember, I'm always here to lend a listening ear or assist in any way I can! 🌼
I’m interested to know what the root of people’s contamination OCD is? Is it the fear of sickness, the fear of giving someone else a sickness, or a general feeling of disgust from being exposed to something ‘dirty’? I feel like i might actually be the latter - I don’t fear illnesses as much but more the fear of being exposed to something considered disgusting. I’m not sure which is easier!
Just wondering if there are people in this community who are like me and feel contaminated from people but it is NOT about the fear of getting sick nor getting other people sick. It is simply (but debilitatingly) a fear of having the contamination of a stranger's bodily fluid on me e.g oils, sweat, and worse. Although my therapist tells me others have this type, even here contamination OCD seems to always go back to a fear of getting sick or making someone else sick. I am not sure if this could trigger someone so I will add a trigger warning. Thank you all.
So I suffer with Contamination OCD, and when I try to talk to other people about it, they always think that it's because I'm afraid of getting sick from germs, and although some people struggle with that that's not what worries me, I'm not scared of getting sick but I hate the thought that the germ is on me or on items that I use or on surfaces, its just the fear of it being there that I'm the most scared of. Does anyone else who has contamination OCD also experience it this way?
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