Fear of HIV

[Guest Michelle]

Hi all -

I was wondering if it is common for someone with OCD to be terrified of contracting the hiv virus.

I must point out I am a happily married woman (been with my partner for almost 12 years - and I am only 27), am not a drug user but I constantly worried I may contract it.

Today for example I sat on a bench and there was dry blood next to where I was sitting. It was definately dried blood. I dont think I touched it but my mind is telling me I may have done but cannot remember.

I have been doing really well with my ocd until the last couple of days and now it seems to have changed its tactic to this fear. I have had this fear in the past but it is strong at the moment.

I know in my heart that it would be no use having a hiv test as I would be needing to get tested every other day.

I guess what i am asking for is a little reassurance. I know we are not supposed to get reassurance but I really need it.

Many thanks.

Shelliex

[whitebeam]

Hi Shellie,

I think a fear of HIV is quite common amongst people who have contamination OCD. This often translates into a general fear of blood and other bodily fluids and can be quite debilitating.

There is an article by Dr. Fred Penzel that gives some insight into this problem:

When Epidemics Collide: OCD and AIDS

http://www.homestead.com/westsuffolkpsych/OCDandAIDS.html

Hope this helps

Take care

whitebeam

[Guest C*]

yes yes yes

like you, i had no reason to think i might contract HIV, but obsessed constantly none the less

that article whitebeam posted is really good, i've read it before

welcome to the forum btw

[Kelly2004]

Hi. I suffer the same as you. I had my belly button pierced properley 2 years ago, and over the past few months, I have become obsessed that I may have caught HIV. My doctors etc are convincing me that it is part of OCD, and the symptoms I think I have arent actually symptoms of HIV, but my mind tells me they are!

hope that helps

Kelly

[Guest Kris_Cy]

this is real weird but i have been worried recently about this exact subject but aint been on here for such a long while and i thought i would come on just incase someone has the same problem as me. I'm going to try and go to doctors soon anyway to check if i do have it to put my mind at rest but i do exactly the same as most others in this post and worry myself and can convince myself i have the symptoms of this. Thanks anyway its helped eased my worries a bit

[Kelly2004]

Hi Kris. It is an awful thing to worry about, but as we can see, quite common!..The tests are complex, and you have to see councellors etc before hand, as my doctor said if my mind didnt settle I could have one purely to put it at rest, and it seems to have settled, so maybe just talking to your doctor may help?

GOOD LUCK

Kelly

[whitebeam]

Hi,

I had a test for HIV in 1986 - to be honest I never thought I was really at risk and certainly wasn't in a 'risky' category; basically I'd had a fling with a friend (we were both single).....but there was the 'What if......? element - also some guilt about sex outside of marriage. In the end I could think of nothing else and so went for a test. That cleared up the issue.

BUT about 3 - 4 years ago, I was watching Holby City and they talked about having a test.....and all my fears flooded back. What if they'd said my test was negative but I just thought that was what they'd said...What if I'd misheard them? What if the test was wrong? All the fears flooded back with a vengeance and I think that contributed to the contamination fears that subsequently overtook my life.

I'm not saying to people don't go for a test - especially if you think you may have been in a risky group - but if it's part of your OCD, you will probably continue to have doubts even after the test proves negative .

Take care all

whitebeam

[Guest matt]

I agree with Whitebeam, I had a test in 2000 and the OCD didnt abate, then I had another test in October. After only a week of finding everything was ok I then worried endlessly that I had shaked someones hand!!

Im trying to come to the conclusion that sex and blood are a very very common part of life.

Hey but don't think Ive got a handle on this, Im good with the advice but like all am crippled with fear

[manxpete]

Well, after a break of over 20 years, I am almost at the stage of asking someonne out again. Only problem is, last time i had sex, I became convinced that I had contracted HIV. To my way of thinking, there was no point in having a test because that would just confirm the result to be positive. I did become really depressed over it.

I'm worried that if I have sex in the future, that the HIV fears would come flooding back.

Pete

[Guest Burt]

I've got this one at the moment - happily married with child but shook hands with a guy who had just put both hands thru a glass door and was just out of hospital and his wrists had bandages with dried blood and his hands had some dried blood too...

this happened a year ago - it bothered me a lttle but my OCD was pretty much under control then... am now much worse and can't stop thinking about this now...

Matt - I went for a test back in 95... only ever had 2 partners but still convinced myself I had HIV - when the result was negative I was elated for about 15 mins then went straight back to the clinic and asked for another incase it was wrong... they basically told me to get out! :blushing:

HIV isn't the problem - OCD is... it will always plant that doubt in your mind - you know its very unlikely but your OCD says 'but what if....? I MUST know for CERTAIN...' - well I guess life is full of uncertainty and we cannot control everything so we have to learn to accept this and change our beliefs about risk/certainty and life in general.

Wish I knew how...

Burt

[Caramoole]

Me too, it's a beggar :grin:

[Guest C*]

this one really is much more common than people think (sadly).

the only thing i can say is that there is hope i used to avoid using public toilets at all costs (and have very nearly been caught short in the past, oops), i found shopping difficult (and that's gone now, the amount of money i spend!) because of trying things on etc...

this weekend i was at a car rally- not only did i have to use public loos, some other girls and i had to use the mens because the womens was shut (blooming car places, useless ) but... i was fine :blushing: that's the bottom line.

burt has it spot on. you can't control everything, and one day, you WILL learn to accept this. it might take a while, but you'll master it in the end!

[Kelly2004]

I have to say, I just found these boards today, and would like to thank everyone on them!..Its great to share thoughts with people who really understand! :blushing:

Kelly

[Guest mothtoaflame]

I worry excessively about contracting HIV too. It's exhausting.

[Kelly2004]

True I know

[Guest richard]

i suppose this is my biggest fear relating to my ocd and is the reason i have the disorder.

i used to work in an art gallery in sheffield, and one day my friend found a drug users needle in our public loo's. i freaked out and didnt go back to work until i left for good 6 months after it happened.

my ocd spread to a general fear of blood, body fluids etc and ive still got to challenge my HIV fear in therapy.

maybe a day volunatry work at a needle exchange is what they have planned for me, i dunno?

[Guest NickNickNick]

With this type of fear, though still very real feeling and crippling, contracting HIV is not a terribly real possibility.

Doing health research for the summer has been very enlightening, and in my research I've found that the possibility of contracting HIV is miniscule, especially if a person practices 'safer' sex through the use of condoms.

HIV is not a very strong virus in terms of its ability to get into the human body.

For example, say a woman had unprotected sex with a male carrying the HIV virus or AIDS. This does not automatically mean that she'll now have HIV. In fact, the chances of transmission in this way are only about 1 in 10 to 1 in 15.

HIV cannot survive outside the human body or in body fluids outside the human body for more than a few seconds in most cases. So, touching dried blood, or a dirty needle/coming into contact with semen/vaginal fluid outside the body carries no risk of contracting HIV.

Even unprotected oral sex carries virtually no risk of infection.

Saliva and sweat do not successfully transmit the virus either.

Unfortunately, we all know that these facts do little to quell fears sometimes...I too have found myself in knots wondering if my gf may have come into contact with the virus and passed it to me, even if we just kiss...

But, I just continually remind myself of these facts. It does help, especially if I keep them on a note to just refer to when I am the most worried.

[Guest Poppet]

I have had a fear of HIV for at least 5 years now even though I have a long term partner and a daughter. If I walk past a person that has a bandage on their arm etc I have to take a wide berth and then keep replaying it over in my mind to convince myself that I didn't touch them.

Poppet

[Guest The Twisted Cube]

is that really true about the unprotected sex bit? i thought if you slept with an infected person even once then it was automatically passed on? this concerns me a lot

TTC

[Guest NickNickNick]

HIV is NOT automatically passed on in any case.

Even if you were to have blood from an HIV infected person drip directly onto an open wound on your skin, transmission of HIV would not be for certain, though it would be extremely high (about 90% likely).

Sexual intercourse is how HIV is passed on in about 60-70% of all cases, though the actual chance of getting HIV from someone infected by it through sexual intercourse is anywhere from 0.1% to about 1%.

If condoms are used always and properly, the chance of transmission is about 1 in 1000 (0.1%). If they are used most of the time and properly, the chance is closer to 1/100 (1%). If condoms are not used at all, risk increases to 1 in 10/1 in 15 or about 10%.

The reason people become infected is that they participate in high risk behaviours such as consistant unprotected sex with many people they do not know. Risk increases with number of partners, but the chances are still very relatively low.

From the Centre for Communicable diseases, this is the info they give on transmission rates:

Risk of HIV-1 Transmission by Type of Exposure

Exposure.....................Transmission rate

Blood Transfusion..........Very high (>90%)

Perinatal (mother to baby birth)..............................From 10%-30%

Sexual Intercourse...........From 0.1% (1/1,000) to 1% (1/100)

Injecting drugs................Generally less than 1%

Health care(pricked by a needle).....................Less than 0.5%

Household......................Very Rare - can occur via fresh blood contact

Other...............................Virtually Nonexistant

The AIDS foundation says that contact with these things are WITHOUT RISK for contracting HIV and there have been NO cases of HIV/AIDS reported through these types of contacts:

Casual Contact

Shared Food

Feces, Urine

Insect Bites Pets

Saliva, Sweat, Tears

Swimming Pools

Here is a link to the AIDS foundation website with further info.

http://www.sfaf.org/aids101/transmission.html

There is very little chance to contracting HIV; bottom line. Obviously chances like having unprotected sex or sharing needles should never be taken, and if they aren't you have virtually no chance of getting HIV.

Sleep easy.

[Guest C*]

thanks for clarifying that NNN didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea! but that's made it all really clear, cheers.

[Guest NickNickNick]

And it must get into the bloodstream.

It is not enough to be in contact with an infected fluid to become infected. Healthy, unbroken skin does not allow HIV to get into the body; it is an excellent barrier to HIV infection. HIV can only enter through an open cut or sore, or through contact with the mucous membranes in the anus and rectum, the genitals, the mouth, and the eyes.

Also from the AIDS foundation website.

[Guest The Twisted Cube]

NNN,

really helpfull and informative document, thanks thats made me feel a little better, but im still confused as to how the risk is low if you only sleep with an infected person even once for example. Since you are still exposed to the infected sperm how can there be anyway that you can be negative still? sorry to go on, very good link tho, cheers

TTC

[Ashley]

Since you are still exposed to the infected sperm how can there be anyway that you can be negative still? sorry to go on,   very good link tho, cheers

TTC

13320[/snapback]

Well a lot of it is luck, you may only once in your life sleep with someone whilst unprotected and contract HIV.

However, someone else will have 100 different partners in a year (Unprotected) and not catch anything, even if sleeping with someone who was HIV positive.

In some ways it is like a couple trying to have a baby, they may try and try for a baby and the female may not become pregnant, yet they stop trying and 2/3 years later she does become pregnant.

Catching HIV is down to luck in many ways, but that should not negate people using protection, the risk is there so everybody should always, always use protection.

[Guest C*]

TTC, it is possible that if you sleep with an infected person just once, that the virus will not be taken up into your blood stream. sort of the same way that, if you come into contact with someone who has a cold, you might not get a cold yourself.

however, it's obviously not worth taking this risk. sleeping with lots of people is a risk, going about a non-promiscuous, non drug using lifestyle is not as high risk as OCDers may believe!