OCD and Carona Virus

[W1984]

Hi guys, I am new here! I was diagnosed some 23 years ago with OCD. Really all types of it as I’m sure many of you are too. This pandemic has me going over board! I have bleached and washed my hands so much that my hands have dried out and blisters have formed. But I am trying to get better at it. I’ve been so afraid of being infected and then infecting my loved ones. I have felt like I am running a fever although I have checked several times and that is not the case! I live in MS and LA so the pollen is so bad this time of year and I have sinus issues and sore throat from all this crap and then fear it’s because of the virus! I’ve got to remind myself that the odds of getting the virus is extremely low and such an extremely small part of the actual population is sick and even a smaller amount die, and that I am ok! Still the thoughts persist, and I try to bulldoze them. It’s so hard to do because I think I’m putting my loved ones at risk! God when will this end!?!?! I have recently gotten off medication to give my system a rest and hopefully reboot it because I stopped responding to it, but since the pandemic I am back on Prozac and we just upped it to 40 mg. I pray it helps! I am on a sliding scale for my doctor due to lack of insurance and hope to find a therapist, God willing! I am however so thrilled to find that I am not alone with this awful illness that is OCD because I have always felt I was! It is amazing to read and relate with so many of your stories and realize it is possible to recover from this! I have lived with it so long and pray that we will all kick this!

[LuvSun]

Welcome! I can relate to your feelings but PLEASE stop bleaching and washing your hands to the point of them blistering- this is just exposing your hands to more by creating openings in your protective skin. I know because I have been where you are. Keep reading on this forum - it will help you

[trailwalker53]

Hi and welcome! I'm sorry you are struggling. I wish you well....you are not alone.

[Hidden]

Hi W1984! This is such a tough time for everyone and for those of us who are already struggling with a psychiatric issue, it just makes things tougher. I was diagnosed with OCD 16 years ago and there are always ups and downs, but it gets worse under stress and this is a very stressful time. What my therapist would have recommended to you is kind of counter-intuitive, which is a tool called "flooding." Flooding is not easy or fun to do, but it definitely helps with OCD. What you do is write out a script to read over & over (or tape it into your phone to listen to over and over). You make it as over the top and ridiculous as you can. So, if I were worried about spreading Coronavirus to everyone I would write out a script like this: "I definitely am going to spread Coronavirus to my whole family and my entire neighborhood and eventually everyone in the State. I absolutely already have it and I am a thousand times more contagious than anyone else who has ever had it. Plus, I am the sloppiest person there ever was when it comes to handwashing. I am constantly licking my fingers and touching doorknobs and spreading my germs everywhere..." Well, you get the idea. It sounds like it would make everything worse, and it's no fun to get started, but what you do is give yourself a number 1-10 on how distressed you are when you start. Then you read it (or listen to it) over and over and after a while it will either get boring or it will just start to seem completely ridiculous. It helps if you put in something that will make you laugh when you are starting to feel better. Like my therapist once suggested, "The city will erect a statue of me." When you start to feel better you will know it and then write down your distress number then. If I stay on top of my OCD I can bring it down from 9 or 10 down to 5 or 6. I try to do this every day. It's not fun to start. It feels like diving into a cold swimming pool. But it really helps. Please let me know how you're doing!! Sending virtual hugs.

[W1984 in reply to Hidden]

Thankyou so much for the idea!!! I am feeling better, I think my meds have started to kick in and my fighting compulsions and bulldozing thoughts are starting to pay off! Praise God and knock on wood!

[Hidden]

Glad to hear it!! You should be proud of yourself.

[Joe_Brown]

Wow! Reading that really made me feel like I was experiencing it with you

I have been on prozac for a year and I think that if you give it a bit of time, it will set in. Also, it is really good to practice some medations. I can send you some really good ones...

U GOT THIS!!