seeking reassurance- obsessive compulsive disorder?

Question

i have a terrible OCD with germs, after touching keyboard at work im scared to touch my clothes wallet etc as am scared i may also cared to touch my mouth and face. transfer germs onto my clothes and then " take the germs home with me".
problem is cant even wash hands as am afraid of any germs or disease in the toilets.
can anybody offer reassurance backed with logical explanantion as to whether i should be worrying to this extent???

please help u kind souls

Answer 1

I have had ocd for many years......not the germy kind but I do understand how the anxiety works. From experience.....most of the obsessive thinking can be helped with therapy and a medication. I personally take Zoloft and it has helped majorly with my obsessive behavoir. Hope this helps......good luck

Answer 2

I also don't like ferms and wash my hands whenever I return home from anywhere, and before eating if I am exposed to germs outside the home.
This is the thing, most if not all germs die within a few hours, so as long as you wash your hands after exposure within that time frame you're OK.
Personally, I don't touch toilet seats and use foot to flush toilets, then will wash my hands and if the handle of the faucet looks dirty you can use a paper towel, tissue, sleeve or something of that nature to touch the handle so after my hands are washed I'm not re-exposing them to germs. Then, I use a paper towel to open the door of the bathroom.
As far as the clothes, wallet etc.... as I said the germs do die so by the time you get home they're gone we can wash our clothes,
This is my logical explanation as to why you shouldn't worry to any extent. You are aware of the germs and theats the best thing as you make an effort to eradicate exposure. Fantastic as many people aren't. But here's the thing. If you do catch a germ what is the worst that will happen? Keep it in perspective. Maybe a cold, at the worst a flu and unless your immune system is compromised you'll get through either with just a minor inconvenience.
My concern is a little for myself but more for the people around me. I don't want to spread cold or flu germs to the elderly-not just the elderly I know but any of them, or someone who may not survive an illness...........so we need to be careful not to spread germs to others.
It may help you to put your focus on protecting them and it will help you not worry.
I hope this helps.-One more thing, When people enter my home I explain I don't want a cold and ask if they wouldn't mind washing their hands.

Answer 3

I suggest you get some antibacterial towels and wipe your keyboard and then know you are killing the germs (do this when you come in). That will take care of anything that would harm you.

Public toilets, you can put down the paper or better yet learn how to squat. Use paper to open the door after washing your hands and use an antibacterial towel. Those two things do the trick.

Understand that we have pretty incredible bodies that fight off all this bad stuff daily. Just keeping yourself healthy will do a great deal to combat any germs affecting you. We actually have bacteria and other little critters inside us that keep us healthy, so know they are not all bad. Remember, health care professionals deal with germs all day long and don't have problems.

One big thing is simply taking off your shoes when you get home and walking around in slippers instead. You can track stuff into your home on your shoes, so taking them off really helps not spread anything around.

Answer 4

No. You shouldn't. Go buy some hand sanitizer for your desk and center console of your car. That way you won't "bring" home the germs. Anyway, you should NEVER touch your face with your hands. Unless you are in your own bathroom at home and you have just scrubbed them germ-free. That's how germs are spread. People touch things then they touch their face (nose, mouth, eyes) and then they are sick. But there is NO WAY to prevent everything. You do the best you can do and figure that you will get a couple of colds a year.

Answer 5

Find the root of your problem through therapy or soul-searching and deal with it so you don't have to suffer with this disorder any longer than necessary.

My wife had a phobia of waiting rooms for decades until we discovered (through the pain and effort of many deep conversations) that her fear was based upon an event in her childhood which was not dealt with properly by the adults around her.

She had witnessed a murder at age twelve and discussion of it had been suppressed by her family. After we made the connection between her irrational fears and this event she could understood that she had always been afraid that she would run into one of these women in public and they would be angry. She did not want to be caught in a small room because she was afraid that she would not be able to get away. She was afraid that they would be angry that she had witnessed the murder and talked to the sheriff about it.

The reality is that they have no idea who she is and have received punishment and mental treatment for their crimes and disorders long ago. She felt much better after she discussed it and no longer has these fears.

Think about it.

WK

Answer 6

Actually you are right about the keyboard. They are loaded with germs especially if you aren't the only one using it.

Carry the alcohol based hand cleaners with you. They make purse sized ones.

I would rather have people be over cautious about the spreading of germs than lackadaisical. Don't worry about it unless it gets to the point where it's interfering with other parts of your life.

Answer 7

This is a very good blog, a beginner’s guide to abnormal psychology.
Short, clear and simple; and you can even post your question and contact the author regarding particular subject you are interested in

http://sensitive-psychoworld.blogspot.com/