Millions of people throughout the world suffer from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). People with OCD have intrusive, repeated thoughts and actions that they feel driven to execute. Fears of contamination are a recurring topic in OCD.
Extreme anxiety and discomfort is felt by people with OCD who have contamination fears at the notion of coming into contact with germs, dirt, or other substances they view as “dirty.”
Those who suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and contamination fears may benefit from this article’s in-depth examination of these conditions, as we’ll look at symptoms, causes, and treatment choices.
We hope this post helps you or a loved one better understand OCD and contamination fears and find the necessary resources to live with these conditions.
OCD and Contamination fears are about obsessions and compulsion disorder. Contamination is a subtype of OCD.
OCD consists of “O” Obsessions (nonstop thinking) and “C” compulsions (Action against obsessions for relief). Contamination fear is a subtype of OCD in which a person has an extreme fear of germs.
What is OCD?
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a common and chronic mental illness. In which a person faces unwanted, repeated thoughts (Obsessions) or behavior (compulsion).
People face obsessions and compulsions because of the urge for reputation.
For Example:
- People rearrange things all the time.
- People feel grams, so they always wash their hands, home clothes, etc.
OCD Types and Symptoms
According to DSM 5TR, the following criteria must meet for the diagnosis of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
- Experience obsession or compulsion, maybe both at a time.
- A person unable to ignore repetitive behavior and mental acts.
- The repetitive behavior such as cleaning, checking, and ordering)aims to reduce stress. People relieve stress by doing these acts.
- These thoughts and actions take too much time and make your life easier.
- A person spends hard life, which also creates difficulty in other lives.
What are Contamination Fears?
OCD has several types; contamination is the subtype of OCD. It involves the fear of spreading germs, dirt, or illness. The statement is straightforward, but it contains
- Dirt
- Mold
- Stickiness
- Food
- Germs
- Virus
- Body fluid(urine, sweating)
- Chemicals
- Radio activities
- Harmful things like lead
- Insects
Moreover, many other unlimited things that cause contamination fear.
Almost 46% of people face contamination disorder in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. It is also an imaginative fear in words, thoughts, and images.
A person having contemplation fear feels immoral and bad luck and superstitious thinking. They use specific ways of washing otherwise or cleaning for satisfaction.
Contamination fear is some of the real concerns. At the time of COVID-19, the fear of spreading.
OCD Symptoms
In Diagnostic Statistical Manual 5th edition does not have separate diagnostic contamination fear. Therefore, you can learn about OCD and contemplation fear from this article. You can diagnose from the given criteria of Contamination fear.
- You can experience obsession, competition, or both.
- These happen at least 1 hour a day.
- Your life becomes very distressed, and you cannot perform proper functions.
- Tense about Cleanness, dirt, and any contamination.
- Urge of cleaning.
- Excessive hand washing or taking a shower.
- Continuously rechecking the cleanness.
- Getting comments from others about cleanliness.
- Waste several items.
OCD and Contamination Fear Test
These are the standard OCD and Contamination fear diagnosis test
- Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS)
- You can also get help from
- History taking form
- Mental status examination
- DSM diagnostic criteria meeting
- Use some subjective personality test as Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
- Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
Types of OCD
Here are the most common types of Obsession Compulsion Disorder.
| Types | Details |
| Contamination | Fear of dirt and obsession about illness or harm by someone and a loved one. Common contamination concerns public toilets, chemicals, shaking hands, door handles, public phones, speeding, Hospitals, etc. |
| Symmetry and Ordering | They lined p and arranged everything for neatness. They set pictures, tinned cans, clothes, books, CDs, etc. |
| Rumination | People are stuck in philosophical, religious, or metaphysical problems. They are stuck in these thinking and ignore their responsibilities. Prolonged thinking about undirected them. |
| Checking | They repeatedly check, wind up, or finish the work like a Door lock or window, memories, gas, electric things, water tab, car, house lights, Illness, rereading, etc. |
| Hording | Need help to discard useless things. Cause less space in their house. It create anxiety to discard anything. |
Treatment of OCD and Contamination Fears
Well, do not think about OCD and contamination fear. Follow this pattern of treatment.
I hope this treatment becomes effective in the relief of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and contamination fear.
Medication
Use these medicines because these are serotonin reuptake.
Fluoxetine (Prozac)
- Sertraline (Zoloft)
- Citalopram (Celexa)
- Fluvoxamine (Luvox)
- Escitalopram (Lexapro)
- Paroxetine (Paxil)
Here is some old antidepressant medicine that is very effective. It has a little side effect on heart rate. Clomipramine (tricyclic antidepressant)
Psychotherapy
Exposure and response prevention therapy
You gradually experience unusual things in a safe environment. The person learns the coping skills to overcome Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and contamination fear.
How Treatment of OCD and Contamination Fears Works?
Suppose a person avoids touching anything due to the fear of germs. Organizing the exposure would help as the individual first touch the door handle. Touch his face.
The main thing is to try to stop hand wash. This technique is part of Cognitive behavior therapy CBT.
1st Day: Watch any pet and patient friend touching them
Second Day: Ask the patent to touch the cat or door handle
Third day: Open the door and close it.
Fourth day: touch the other door handle, open, and close everything.
Flooding
In this technique, a person exposure the worst fear. Moreover, at that time, make them normal.
Mindfulness
In this therapy, you can help to remove Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and contamination fear. In it, you should aware the patient about the breathing and stops thinking to
- Teach them to count their breathing or anything to distract their thinking.
- Provide effective ways for coping with OCD and contamination fear.
Conclusion
OCD and Contamination fear makes your life hard. You cannot carry an everyday life that also affects the other life. For information about this disorder, this article will help you.
It will guide you about its symptoms, causes, and treatment. Hope after reading this article, you learn about OCD and Contamination fear.
Frequently Ask Questions (FAQ’s)
People may ask about OCD and Contamination fears. So here are some quires that helps you to get more information.
Q no 1: What are the major causes of OCD?
Here is the list of leading causes of OCD
- Genetically transfer from parents.
- Imbalance of any Serotonin or any biological factor.
- Change in life as someone migrates from city to village.
- Some people are naturally over-conscious about neatness.
- If you experience any traumatic condition.
Q2: How do you assess that you are experiencing ODC?
Suppose you are experiencing unusual behavior or thoughts. This thinking and behavior make your life difficult.
Q3: What are the Examples of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?
Repeatedly, checking that a loved one is safe. Doing nonsense things to reduce stress and anxiety. As counting, checking, arranging, etc.
Q4: Is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder curable?
You can manage the OCD patient but not fully cure it.
