Contamination OCD and college (tw: germs)

[ATLAfan786]

Next week, I’m going back to campus and will be living in an apartment with three other girls. I have contamination OCD on top of other things and I’m worried about living with others in a place that isn’t my own home, especially with sharing a bathroom where the toilet has no lid. I was able to do this last year with a different set of suitemates but I think my ocd has gotten worse over the summer. Does anyone have any tips on how I can deal with this? Thank you

[aparente001]

You may wish to self-disclose your OCD as a disability with your college's office for students with disabilities, if you haven't yet done so. They should provide emergency adjustments while you are getting the required documentation in.

Colleges and universities in the US regularly provide a single room as a "reasonable accommodation" in these situations. You might need to pay a bit extra but I would encourage you to try to get the single room provided at no extra charge.

Self-disclosure can be easier for a lot of students when made via email. However, they will probably require a zoom or in-person intake interview. It is very reasonable to request, as an additional accommodation, to bring a support person along. This can be a relative or non-relative. The support person can help you explain things.

The key, with OCD, is to explain that when the environment is such that you spend a lot of time and energy coping with heightened anxiety, you have less time and energy available for your studies. The goal then needs to be for the university to level the playing field for you.

If you don't have any documentation from high school, such as a 504 plan or IEP, and a psychoeducational evaluation, then I suggest you start with something simple, such as a letter from a treating therapist, or a letter from your primary medical provider.

Please follow up and let me know how it's going, and if you have any questions. I've just been through this process with five different colleges, assisting my son who has OCD and anxiety. Some colleges make the process pretty straightforward and some don't.

If you like you could take a look at the OCR FAQ about postsecondary education. However, not all of your rights under 504 are included in that FAQ.

[StuckForYears]

I would suggest making sure you are seeing an ERP therapist regularly while at college, to support you while you are going through these new challenges. And I would make sure you draw on anything you have around you that makes you feel supported and good in your life generally.

For me, ERP, which I started after college, was what really turned my OCD around. College was definitely the hardest time in my life with OCD, and drawing on the things and people that made me feel good was what got me through.