Are contamination worries not always about getting ill?

[BristolChris]

I was thinking about this the other day. I have mild contamination worries. What is interesting is that I don't actually think the worry is about getting ill. More it's about the idea of touching certain things.  E.g. I will quite happily touch my parents dog. I'm not even that worried if he licks me. Where as I will get quite distressed if I touch certain peoples hands. A lot of it is to do with worrying that they might not of washed their hands after going to the toilet. It started of with my dad who does have a habit of doing that. However I do it with a lot of people now. 

However I don't get that distressed if I touch a bin. I do wash my hands after taking something to the bin however it doesn't cause any real distress. For me that shows that it is not about getting ill more the idea of touching certain things.

Anyone else find this?

 

[LeopardM]

Yes, I have similar thoughts, for example I'm quite happy to eat in my kitchen, which my OCD tells me is 'contaminated', provided I wash my hands afterwards before I touch anything that's 'clean'.  Doesn't make any sense really, but then OCD never does. The good news is CBT can overcome this, I'm gradually reducing the number of things I think of as 'contaminated' and washing my hands less often than I used to. I'm sure you can too and if it's at the mild stage now I hope you can nip it in the bud before it becomes a big problem. 

[PolarBear]

I'd think a lot of people with contamination OCD don't specifically worry about getting sick. The thought that something is contaminated gets stuck in your mind. It's completely irrational but there you have it.

[paradoxer]

Agree, I think there's a good chance that concerns about becoming ill, for many, might just be in the minority.    

Edited July 13, 2019 by paradoxer