OCD without germ phobia? Am I alone?
- Thread starter bulldog
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dooby-duck
Well-known member
No, I'm pretty much the same. I have no problem with germs most of the time. I'm not too keen on shaking hands with people or sitting where I know other people have been but it is not such a big deal. I should probably wash my hands more often really.
I also have twitches. Both vocal and motor.
I also have twitches. Both vocal and motor.
Bama_Heath
Well-known member
I mildly have a germ phobia to the extent that I will break out the hand sanitizer from time to time, but I don't go nuts constantly washing my hands. But man I have tons of other OCD issues. Counting/Math, Rituals, Checking/Re-Checking, Obsession with Mental Thoughts, Organization/Stacking...etc etc.
LadyWench
Well-known member
Not at all. Those classic symptoms of OCD are way over-played. Not everybody with the disorder has these problems. I don't obsessively clean, count or wash my hands. My issues have nothing to do with any of those rituals. I have to obsessively worry. Usually about my health. I'm a huge hypochondriac, and I know that it's OCD-based. It's quite obvious. Sometimes my mind will drift and I'll worry and obsess over other things, but usually it's about not having control over my own body, and worrying that I have accumulated some sort of disease.
My compulsions consist of constantly checking my body, checking my temperature, making sure my pupils aren't dilated, checking my eyes and skin to make sure I'm not jaundice, making sure I don't have rectal bleeding every time I use the restroom, every time I cough, I have to make sure I'm not coughing up blood. The list goes on and on. Sorry I kind of rambled. I'm just trying to show you that not every OCD case has to do with washing hands, cleaning and other typical sh*t. Good luck with your OCD. It sure is a pain. I hope you can find some relief.
fmulmt217
Member
There are as many "types" of OCD as there are people on the planet.
OCD is a very lonely disease because it's so specifically tailored to the person suffering from it. It's literally that person's personal hell.
Since no one fears the same things to the same degree, no one suffers the same symptoms.
My OCD acts in phases. I've gone through cycles of being a germaphobe, where I cleaned for hours and hours and burned off the skin on my hands and arms and knees from using sooooo much bleach on everthing. Then that turned into thoughts that something was wrong with my car engine, or that I hit someone with my car while driving, or that I was going to run out of gas while driving. I was going to different mechanics every other day and filling up my gas tank literally every single time I had to drive somewhere. Sometimes I'd only put less than a dollar in my tank. I'm sure the cashier at the gas station thought I was peculiar, but I couldn't help myself.
I've had phases where I was convinced I had colon cancer. I went so far as to have a sigmoidoscopy, an endoscopy, and a colonoscopy - all the the tune of thousands of dollars and, you guessed it, no cancer. I just could not be convinced.
I go through periods where I have to line everything up a certain way, where I have to make lists of EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD. One time I had more than 1000 lists that I had to keep track of, and we're not talking to-do or grocery lists (though I did have those, too). I had lists for every single television program on the cable networks, categorized by channel and the time they aired (including reruns). I had lists of all the food in the world that contained Vitamin A, including percentage. It went on and on, and it was miserable.
I've gone through counting phases. Repeating phases. Etc etc etc etc.
I've gone through phases where I didn't like the texture of certain things. One time, I freaked out and totally threw everything away in the house that felt sticky - lotions, gums, cleaning supplies that left residue, fruit, tape, etc. I put it all in a trashbag, then that bag into another bag. Then I threw it all in the garbage can and dragged it out to the street. Then I laid in bed at night panicked because I felt like the stickiness was still to close to me.
OCD is a relentless disorder that can and will completely take over your life if you let it. It will ruin relationships, end careers, and alienate you from your friends and family. The MOST IMPORTANT thing you can do is seek help from a qualified professional. YOU CAN NOT CONQUER THIS DISEASE ON YOUR OWN. If it was that easy, I woulnd't have it anymore. You need medication or therapy, or a combination of both.
OCD is a very lonely disease because it's so specifically tailored to the person suffering from it. It's literally that person's personal hell.
Since no one fears the same things to the same degree, no one suffers the same symptoms.
My OCD acts in phases. I've gone through cycles of being a germaphobe, where I cleaned for hours and hours and burned off the skin on my hands and arms and knees from using sooooo much bleach on everthing. Then that turned into thoughts that something was wrong with my car engine, or that I hit someone with my car while driving, or that I was going to run out of gas while driving. I was going to different mechanics every other day and filling up my gas tank literally every single time I had to drive somewhere. Sometimes I'd only put less than a dollar in my tank. I'm sure the cashier at the gas station thought I was peculiar, but I couldn't help myself.
I've had phases where I was convinced I had colon cancer. I went so far as to have a sigmoidoscopy, an endoscopy, and a colonoscopy - all the the tune of thousands of dollars and, you guessed it, no cancer. I just could not be convinced.
I go through periods where I have to line everything up a certain way, where I have to make lists of EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD. One time I had more than 1000 lists that I had to keep track of, and we're not talking to-do or grocery lists (though I did have those, too). I had lists for every single television program on the cable networks, categorized by channel and the time they aired (including reruns). I had lists of all the food in the world that contained Vitamin A, including percentage. It went on and on, and it was miserable.
I've gone through counting phases. Repeating phases. Etc etc etc etc.
I've gone through phases where I didn't like the texture of certain things. One time, I freaked out and totally threw everything away in the house that felt sticky - lotions, gums, cleaning supplies that left residue, fruit, tape, etc. I put it all in a trashbag, then that bag into another bag. Then I threw it all in the garbage can and dragged it out to the street. Then I laid in bed at night panicked because I felt like the stickiness was still to close to me.
OCD is a relentless disorder that can and will completely take over your life if you let it. It will ruin relationships, end careers, and alienate you from your friends and family. The MOST IMPORTANT thing you can do is seek help from a qualified professional. YOU CAN NOT CONQUER THIS DISEASE ON YOUR OWN. If it was that easy, I woulnd't have it anymore. You need medication or therapy, or a combination of both.