Obsessive washing clothes

[Peacefulmindforever]

Hi everyone. I wanted to ask if anyone dealt with obsessive washing by washing clothes over and over again because of bad thoughts. I open the washing machine and then something negative comes to my mind and I start again. Shortly - bad thoughts make me wash clothes again and again. It has nothing to do with the laundry being dirty.

[Peacefulmindforever]

Do you have this problem?

[LiveOutLove_22]

Hey I have the same problem with my OCD and handwashing and washing clothes and laundry in general. I’m currently in therapy in dealing with ERP treatment which is (Expose Response Prevention) it is considered the gold standard treatment for OCD. Of course there are other means but I’ve already seen progress made in just three months. Of course I have my good days and bad days. My therapist and I have created a schedule so for instance I would be washing my clothes almost everyday if not every other day. So now we have a schedule that I follow where I was allowed to wash two days a week now I’m just down to one load a week. It can be hard and I’ll get pop up thoughts in my mind typically regarding germs and sickness and I feel the need to wash again even though I’ve already washed them. You have to learn how to sit with the thoughts and let them push past you. Realistically washing takes up a lot of time energy and money. So I think if you can try to narrow down of how much your washing try to make just washing two days a week and then see how it goes. I’m not a therapist or a doctor but this is what I’ve been doing to help me. Of course I’ll catch myself wanting to wash but try to delay as much as you can over time it will get easier. I wish you luck I hope this helps.

[Peacefulmindforever in reply to LiveOutLove_22]

Thanks a lot for your reply. Yeah, I realized that when I somehow push past the thoughts and try not to repeat it is better. I already wash just once or twice a week as I'm busy with my children and work. However, I live in a stressful environment with a narcissistic mother and it makes my OCD worse. I feel I'm trapped in this situation at the moment and can't get out. If you don't mind my asking - do you also take medicines or just therapy works for you?

[LiveOutLove_22 in reply to Peacefulmindforever]

Hey I take medicine and do therapy. The same for people struggling with OCD the combination of medicine and therapy is key. The medicine helps a lot with tools in therapy that I’m using as a guide per my therapist. I take Sertraline and I’m in ERP therapy which is Expose Response Prevention Therapy. It’s pretty much where you face your fears head on it can be pretty intense but it is considered the gold standard treatment of therapy. Of course I’m not a doctor or therapist so always reach out to the medical professionals first but so far that is what has helped me so far. And I’m sorry you are currently living in a stressful environment that can make your OCD so much more harder and stressful. I would say always put your health first if your not good no one else around you is. Never be ashamed to put yourself first from time to time. I hope life gets less stressful for you.

[Peacefulmindforever in reply to LiveOutLove_22]

I used to take medicines too - Seroxat and then Paroxinor. I stopped taking them and I'm feeling awful these days so I consider taking them again. I stopped because I read that SSRIs should not be taken for a long time and I took them for almost 4 years. Is your therapy expensive? I attend free sessions with a psychologist but it is not enough as she can just give me some advice regarding life. The psychiatrist I used to go to in the past wasn't great and the only thing she did was giving medicines.

[LiveOutLove_22 in reply to Peacefulmindforever]

Yeah that’s one of the toughest things to do is finding a good therapist that specializes in OCD and I think that’s the biggest thing and the hardest thing is finding the necessary help but also that’s affordable. Unfortunately the more specialized in therapy the more expensive it tends to get. But I’m telling you once you find the right therapist I love mine she try’s to find enjoyment in the process which I love because let’s face it OCD can be awful and confusing at times. Although my therapy is expensive insurance does help some. I think as far as the medicine I’m not a doctor but taking medication throughout this process is what I have to have and what you need. The more time you spend online researching it’s going to tell you everything that you know you don’t want to hear or see. As people have said to me if you research something online you’re going to find it. I would reach out to a doctor first and see if you can get on some medicine to help in the meantime then do some research into therapy. It’s hard I know but thankfully there are a lot of ways and resources for help.

[Peacefulmindforever in reply to LiveOutLove_22]

Thanks, it makes a lot of sense. May I know where you are from?

[LiveOutLove_22]

Your Welcome and no problem. I wish you the best of luck on your journey and hope you find the help you need soon.

[Sallyskins]

Sorry for the tardy reply - but I know how this feels! I often feel I have to repeat something if I have a negative thought while I'm doing it. At my worst I have carried out the same task over and over until I'm exhausted - it could be taking a plate out of the cupboard or the milk out of the fridge, and putting it back, taking it out again, until it feels just 'right'.

It doesn't help if doing something sets off the bad thought. So in your case, getting the laundry ready to wash reminds you that this is a difficult task for you, and sets of the bad thoughts. And that somehow 'contaminates' the whole wash.

I too have this with laundry, though I've managed to get it somewhat under control. I've often found myself pouring the laundry liquid into the little cup, pouring it back, washing the cup and pouring it again. And so on - like carrying the laundry to be done downstairs, and then taking it up again and carrying it downstairs again, because I had a negative thought on the stairs.

I've taken sertraline for many years - I haven't heard that you shouldn't take it long term. It might be worth taking an SSRI again - they really do damp down the worst of the OCD.

It sounds as though your therapist doesn't really understand OCD or how to treat it. I had a really bad therapist many years ago, who was useless like that - he just sat there in his cowboy shirt drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes and asking me about my childhood.

Psychiatrists aren't the same as therapists - they are actually medical doctors and responsible for things like prescribing. Often both psychiatrist and therapists are involved in treatment.

If possible try to find a therapist who understands OCD and uses CBT/ERP techniques. If this is difficult, eg because it's too expensive, then there are a lot of self help books that can enable you to do CBT/ERP yourself. I've found Overcoming Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and The OCD Workbook to be the best ones for me. There is also Overcoming Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts by Sally M Winston and Martin N Self.

I've often found practical considerations to be a spur to overcoming OCD. As another responder to your question has pointed out, laundry is time- and energy-consuming and puts your electricity bill up!

To some extent, it's matter of simply getting used to doing the laundry without doing it again. Try not to avoid wearing clothes because you feel you need to wash them again - just get on and wear them! If it feels uncomfortable, try them on and keep them on for a bit.

I know how strong the feeling of 'contamination' can be, although there's no feeling of physical dirt.

Don't be afraid of trying - the attempt alone is part of the solution. Each attempt, no matter whether you give in to the OCD or not, is a little victory against the OCD.