Hand-washing OCD started again

Hello. I said I had one episode of this type of OCD before. I usually get checking rechecking OCD, but now it's back to washing. It's usually at school. Every time I touch something at the school, I feel contaminated, and want to wash my hands. And this is like every 15 mins or so. How do you stop it? I am trying to get a diagnosis for treatment but... it's taking some time. What should I do in the main time? Thanks.

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Hello Nike007, when you get the feeling, do you go and wash your hands? You could get those anti-bacterial hand bottles, so then you don't have to keep going to wash your hands?

I usually use hand-sanitizer, but in one class, I can't use it because it makes a scent and we aren't allowed scents in that class because the teacher is allergic to scents. Some times the hand-sanitizer seems to make it worse though. So every class I wash my hands for a minute or so. Also 1 or 3. 2 is a bad number.

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Seems like the OCD is strong. Have you ever had CBT? (Cognitive behavioral therapy)
That can be helpful for people with OCD and part of it can be/is exposure therapy.

I have done CBT, just for social anxiety though. I haven't done much lately because I am being referred to a different place.

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Well hopefully once you are referred to a different place then you can get back into having the CBT or some sort of therapy.
Does the OCD frustrate you?

It does a bit. I wish that it didn't feel like everything I touched was dirty. This mainly happens at school, but. I want to bring in a wet cloth or something to wipe the table off first, but I'm afraid of people judging me (social anxiety).

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I understand, is it possible to use the cloth when there is nobody around and before everyone else gets there?
I'm guessing that your anxiety levels go up when for example you touch a dirty surface or in your mind it's a dirty/contaminated surface. Do you have to leave the class immediately?

Maybe. I am usually not the first person..

No, I don't need to leave, I usually just use hand-sanitizer unless I have already used it and then I say if I can go to the washroom to wash my hands for 5 mins or so because it feels good. I just don't want to do anything when my hands feel contaminated but I do.

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What is your OCD like at home? the same?

The hand-washing OCD part isn't bad at all, no. I think it's probably because a lot more people touch the same object than at home. Before, I had really bad checking/rechecking OCD symptoms, like needing to check over what I was writing/typing for 2 hours before submitting it and I would get super anxious over it after I submitted it because I would be afraid of it not being perfect. I sometimes get a problem with order, not really. When I am by myself, I usually get a lot of intrusive thoughts and I have this compulsion where I need to shake my head, cover my ears with my hands, and tell myself "no" or "stop" several times until the thought is gone. That is pretty terrible.

Gosh, the OCD sounds really bad in regards to the intrusive thoughts and compulsions. I get intrusive thoughts also as well as compulsions? Impulses?
At least the OCD isn't bad at home? And at least the checking/rechecking in general? and in regards to submitting a paper isn't bad now?
I react to the intrusive thoughts and intrusive feelings by shaking my head as well and verbally/vocally.
Is the OCD/Anxiety exhausting? It is for me mentally in regards to going over things in my head in a ordered/check list way and if i'm disturbed or my mind wanders off, I go over it again. Or I will just go over it again because I want to/feeling that I need to, to help reinforce it. I will go over it more than once But also whenever I try to go over it the first time or more, is just putting things together then I go over it.

Well, it's not as bad. I usually get one thing that is really bad and then the others are just kinda there.

It kinda is. I just wish it wouldn't be this way.

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What does your family make of the OCD?

I don't think they know. I have kept it to myself. I thought I'd be deem "crazy" if I told them.

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So no one in your life knows about your OCD? At least you have this forum though. Anyways all the best in regards to your OCD and getting help for it. I hope you get the help you need soon.

One of my friends knows about my OCD. I am not clinically diagnosed with OCD, but she knows I have OCD tendencies so. And thank you.

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"Every time I touch something at the school, I feel contaminated". do you fear about germs infection when you touch something.

" number 2 is bad" it's sign of counting OCD. i think OCD affecting you studies??. am i right ??

cure for OCD is removing it's course not symptoms.

I don't know how to explain it. Like, I will be doing my work and then my hands will feel contaminated and I have the urge to wash them because I feel extremely dirty/unsanitary and I don't like the feeling. I don't fear about getting a sickness or something, it's this weird, uncomfortable feeling about not being clean. I'm washing my hands with sanitizer at least every 15-30 minutes or so. If I don't, I can't concentrate on what I'm doing because I feel contaminated. It's not really germs at all. I just want to feel normal or "clean".

I know I have counting OCD. I shuffle a deck of cards 7 times, get paper towels out after 5 pulls of a lever, certain numbers are bad. If I wash my hands 2 times, I have to wash my hands 3 times. If I don't feel clean then, I will wash my hands 4 times. Etc.. I like the numbers 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 19, 20, 22, and multiples of 5s and 11s or numbers that have the same number in it a bunch of times like 55 or 444444. That's fine too. Just. Not other studies. It affects my studying a bit. I don't like getting up to wash my hands so frequently. It feels terrible. Counting OCD is only for certain things. I'm okay with answering homework questions that are numbers I don't like, but for other things it can be irritating.

What do you mean by removing its course and not symptoms? I don't understand your wording. May you please reword please? Thanks for the response .

cure for OCD is removing it's cause(not course)lol not symptoms. i'm ESL

in your hand washing OCD. you told the CAUSE."I have the urge to wash them because I feel extremely dirty/unsanitary" so you'r
feeling your hand are dirty.your are wasing hand ever 15-30 min. that mean so many handwashings per day

you have to overcome your OCD mind you get rid of this issue
let's say you're wiring someting and you inner mind /OCD mind tell " your hand are dirty go wash"now you should try to cure the
CAUSE method.tell your mind "no it's not dirty" " how can a paper is dirty??".convince your mind "it's an OCD thought
(in other words chemical imbalance in brain causeing these fake/unwanted thought notheithng real) DONT GO and wash your hand
continue your work.( tell you mind i'm not goint to wash my hand)
firest it will be hard to you to do this but belive be if you keep on try to overcome OCD thoughts things will be easy for you

why do you think some numbers are bad? what tha reson ? do you think something bad will happen for you ??
reply me

Okay, sorry. I didn't know that.

I know, it feels really uncomfortable. I have a big urge to wash them really often.

I don't know why some numbers are bad. It just is.

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ok just try one day without counting numbers and see the results at end of the day

I will try. I haven't had the urge to wash my hands recently so that's good.

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I don't have much advice, but I struggle with this too. For a while my handwashing wasn't too intrusive, but now I'm very frustrated with it and want to change it. So I'm right there with you. If I find anything to help I'll check back in again. Right now I'm finding that mindfulness meditation helps, and also using brain games like from Luminosity helps to pull me back from the obsessions.

Thanks. I do have Luminosity on my phone, along with games, but I usually can't play them during class when this happens. I need to work, but I can't work until my hands are clean. I haven't had the urge to clean my hands lately. I don't know. I usually get this in episodes with other types of OCD switching all the time. Thanks for the response .

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