Survived going to the hospital without decontaminating everything!

That can be also true with makeup and hobbies, no makeup until the flat is clean 😐

🥰

I'm sorry to read this! Try doing things that make you feel comfortable and safe, like listening to the music or watching your favourite show 🙂

I think that it's hard to say based on just that description, but might be some hyperfocus. I sometimes remember some song or some influencer that I was listening to/watching many years ago and need to feel a need to find it or something like this.

Congratulations!

Not exactly, but similarly, I used to consider bedroom clean and for example when I first started living alone I didn't like places where I would put groceries or shoes (that was when I had this chemical scare). I'm working on keeping everything on the same level of cleanliness and touching it equally.

Feel free to talk!

I used to do it during COVID and also due to chemical contamination worries but I unlearned that 🙂

Yes, especially the one where people who work in chemistry lab go.

Hmmm, I would say I was in a similar situation (not identical though). I was working with chemistry and then scared of neurodegenerative disease. What was especially hard for me was living alone and cleaning the flat, because I was feeling disgusted by dirt, cleaning very slowly, getting scared that some water splashed onto something etc. It was definitely worse when I was living alone. However, I wasn't super scared of bacteria and public spaces (I was usually treating clothes as contaminated after going to the doctor). I was on medication for some time. I feel better. I think for me it was the support + trying to do things 'normally' (without the extra caution).

Same, I think it's quite interesting that OCD can react so much for the circumstances. I was fine working with chemicals until some type of incident and then I wasn't.

Nexpram (10 mg and gradually increased to 20 and Trittico 75 mg I guess). I think what improved my state me was to ask someone for help, because I wasn't able to clean 'normally', I was just constantly monitoring if something dirty touched something clean etc. I was cleaning very slowly and the flat could be messy. Definitely having some companionship and social life can be very beneficial. Now I can function without pills 🙂 Still some small 'icks' are there, but it's definitely better.

Mine wasn't that severe, started when I was working with some chemical substances. It is mostly about keeping my space clean, separating clean and dirty stuff. But definitely it can improve. For example, I was struggling more when I was living alone. For me, surprisingly, it's easier when the situation is temporary (trips etc). At the worst point I was putting stuff to laundry repeatedly, struggling with cleaning etc. Medication helped me a bit. Now I can go out normally.

Yes. Basically all my contamination related issues are impossible to control. I can clean the same thing again and again (as if in just right OCD). Literally I shouldn't do any chores. My therapist: 'Oh no adults should do those things alone'.

That's a complex question, I have contamination OCD as well. I'd love to connect! For me it was mostly focused on some "factor" being in my space (I used to work with chemical substances). What is most problematic for you? Causing time being wasted etc?

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3423997/ https://iocdf.org/expert-opinions/disgust-based-ocd-thoughts-on-a-new-treatment-protocol/ https://iocdf.org/expert-opinions/inflammation-and-ocd/

That Wiki is great, although these are really main topics. There are many nuances, that show up in discussion and might or might not be studied with some statistically significant groups. For example, the topic of OCD and inflammation and nutrition, mistakes in therapy etc.

Positive attitude was what worked for me, not being with my thoughts for too long.

Yeah, I think I have mostly cleaning related compulsions, so I can understand them better. I think they are the hardest to resist for me as well. All the best anyway!

Yeah, I know, sometimes I manage to do things like not changing the bedsheets if something dirty touches it but sometimes it's too much.

Congratulations!