Everything contaminated

[Fishmanpa]

With respect Phil, what most have said previously to your requests for help is to seek professional help.

Good luck and positive thoughts

[phil06]

Well I move in a day but still stressed I walked in and there was a toilet bag bag the bin and I worried my shopping went near it even if it never. Also getting the urge to sell my head says the paint tins are contaminated and I will breathe in dirty toilet water from the walls that's what my head says. This goes back months ago when I sold the Hoover as I feared a dirty coat hanger was in my my wardrobe even though it wasn't my head says stuff and it feels like real thoughts?

[Dan1975]

As I said in other posts toilet germs worry me. Basically I will post a few examples:

*The toilet got blocked and I used a coat hanger to unblock it and my mum said she put it in a bin. I seen a hanger in my cupboard the same colour so basically I wanted to chuck everyone out or sell it in fear its contaminated even though it probably wasn't the same hanger. I have a Hoover for when I move out now I fear the whole house would be contaminated.

*I had to buy a new mop bucket as after a shower I worried I brushed it and maybe my backside wasn't clean enough?

*I won't use a rucksack in fear its contaminated no idea why..maybe toilet germs some how?

Basically I get these thoughts all the time and loads of items in my room have bend off limits. I wouldn't plug headphone in my phone as one time after the toilet my backside wasn't 100% clean so fear my phone is too contaminated.

At the moment my OCD makes me worry every thought in my head is real
And my over active imagination is coming up with loads of scenarios where I can't use certain things. I buy new polish clothes, house brushes if I fear the old one is contaminated. Re buying is easing my anxiety but not a great long term solution...anybody else had issues like this before?

This sounds harsh, but guess what, everything isn't contaminated. What is the underlying fear?

[MyNameIsTerry]

This sounds harsh, but guess what, everything isn't contaminated. What is the underlying fear?

That it is. That things aren't perfect.

[phil06]

The paint one seems real. I fear the paint is now dirty and I will breathe in toilet water is this thought just anxiety? The urge to throw away stuff just won't go.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Germs only live on those types of surfaces for limited periods, Phil. We could provide the information for every germ that could come from a toilet and how long it lives or how it can be transmitted with the surfaces or items you are worried about but I guarantee you, it won't make this stop or if it did it would be for a very very short time with OCD.

We are covered in bacteria, we have it in us, it's everywhere BUT we developed immune systems to handle it. If our bodies can't, they very quickly tell us. So, in the past couple of years how many times have you have these possible exposure worries and how many times have you ever been ill with something due to them? How many times have you had things like sickness & diarrhea? If you contracted things from the amount of exposure worries you have, you would ill constantly.

Whilst you can cognitively take that in and even agree with it, the doubts will still come and you will worry. This is why you need something like ERP therapy which is used in OCD treatment. It's a classic treatment for contamination really. You will learn to expose yourself over & over and to habituate to the anxiety when you don't respond with compulsions. It's hard going, but it works. The exposures get harder and you work through them building up your resilience. Believe me, you can do it. I used to touch hundreds of items a day and check all sorts of things but I don't do this hardly at all now. I was severe in my eyes as it owned ny life and because of how it worked it would apply itself to pretty much any situation night or day.

You have to learn that things are dirty and accept that when you do X, it is enough to contain any possibility of contamination. ERP will teach you this.

[pulisa]

Phil, you will never be able to control germs. Things will never be "perfect enough" for you. There will always be a flaw. No one on here will be able to make you accept that though

[Sunflower2]

Nothing will ever be enough to satisfy your thoughts of things being clean. There will ALWAYS be something that has the potential to be contaminated. Where do you stop? A sterile room? An oxygen tank? A glass bubble away from the rest of the world?

What's the worst that could happen if you felt contaminated?

I have OCD over a fear of germs also but I have learnt to live my life along side it without it completely cutting me off from the rest of the world. I still see germs everywhere, all day long, but I've learnt that just because there are germs on surfaces etc, it doesn't mean they are bad.

[pulisa]

Get specialist help, Phil. Writing about these horrendous fears on here won't help you come to terms with living with germs. People can give you advice but you have to be in the right place to accept it and without the support of a professional this may be very challenging for you

[MyNameIsTerry]

Have a look at these, Phil:

http://www.ocduk.org/ocd-treatments

http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/support-...1441&layers=BT

See if there is a support group near to you. It can help. I used to go to one a couple of years back and everyone was very friendly, non judgemental and all in the same boat in some way or other. It's a good way to talk to a charity co-ordinator and find out what services are in your area other than the NHS.