Hi there can anyone help! I’m a stay at home mum to two gorgeous kids a boy and a girl.. I don’t work and not many friends so my days are literally staying at home and cleaning! I’m obsessed with cleaning and keeping things tidy even toys have got to be put away as soon as they have finished playing.. floors need to be cleaned and hoovered every day .. I walk barefoot no slippers or socks on so anything I feel under my feet I reach out for the sweeping brush and start sweeping until it feels clean enough for me to approve . I’m scared that every time someone walks in with their shoes my baby’s are going to get sepsis or some sort of desease so then I start mopping floors as soon as the person leaves ! I get angry .. mad if the daily clean isn’t done . I’m on antidepressants and have been for 5 years now . My mum suffered with OCD but the doctor puts it down to depression? Is this how a person with OCD feels or is it just me been a clean freak ... Please help . Thank you
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Bubba14
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That sounds like OCD to me. It's normal to take care to be reasonably hygienic but cleaning and avoiding dirt obsessively is a typical symptom of OCD.
Some people are naturally clean and tidy, and it sounds like you are one of them. There is nothing wrong with that. But children aren't normally harmed by a bit of dirt, and in fact it is good for them to be exposed to various germs to help build up their immune system.
That's not to say you should keep them and your house in a state of filth! Just that you can relax a bit about being hygienic.
There is also a bit of ritual that comes in here. Having OCD means you are liable to create rituals for yourself, and you feel uncomfortable if they are not done, and not done in the same way.
I attach a couple of downloads that might help explain OCD and how you can be helped. But go to your doctor and ask to be referred to a community mental health team. The standard treatment is cognitive behavioural therapy.
It could well be that your mum also had OCD. Being on antidepressants isn't a bad thing if you have OCD, but CBT could help you as well.
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