Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Support Group
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder, more specifically, an anxiety disorder. OCD is manifested in a variety of forms, but is most commonly characterized by a subject's obsessive (repetitive, distressing, intrusive) thoughts and related compulsions (tasks or rituals) which attempt to neutralize the obsessions.
ive had my germaphobia since i was 13...im 18 1/2 now and ive been working with my behaviorist for almost a year and ive gotten better with my ocd and hand washing. but one thing that still terifies me soooooooo much is bathrooms...more public bathrooms and theres no way i can get past it. today i had a job interview at apple bees and the manager said he could see me more as a hotess and so i was like ok and then he was like and u have to do bathroom checks too.....so i started oanickin gin my head and even though i stayed for the rest of the nterview and did the questionaire....u know wat i did? i totally sabotage myself in the questionaire...by answering in total honesty...i dont want the job anymore....thats how much im affraid of bathrooms. thats an issue....has anyone ever had to deal with that?
Itzjustme
sooo...i guess the senior manager liked me cuz i got hired today
Evie13
Are you going to take the job? I just wonder because I'm 43 y.o. and have ALWAYS let my OCD of germs control my choice of jobs since I couldn't use a bathroom with multiple stalls in a job, it always had to be a bathroom with a single door and lock that only one person could use at a time. I really regret jobs I passed up that I might have liked but didn't take because of the germ fear. I hope you decide to go for it. Most behaviorist will tell you the best way to get over the germaphobia is exposure, so if you're braver than me, it may be the best therapy. And they'll be PAYING you for it!
Itzjustme
u know wats funny...im terrified of single bathrooms...id rather go into the multiple stall ones cuz the first one is usually the cleanest and i can protect myself better....ill tae the job but if it gets too much for me im quitting...hahaha my behavorist told me to take the job and she was like hey look at it this way more exposure! even in college i have such a hard timee...ive been taking showers twice a day to get the germs offf of me...before school and after cuz i feel so dirty after schoool..witting at desks...using the bathroom etc and plus its been raining hard and i hate being outside in wetness i feel like the germs just stick to me
Evie13
Good for you for taking the job anyway, even though it's making you uncomfortable! It's funny how OCD is different for everyone and that stalls bother me and single bathroom bother you, but bathrooms in general are an issue for both of us. Hey, anyway, to cheer you up, you're doing better than me, because I take 3 showers a day! Good luck on your new job! Try to hang in there! Evie
deleted_user
Germaphobia is a hard thing to deal with especially with OCD- I was a huge germaphob with washing my hands over 20 times a day. I eventually became an EMT so I had to overcome this fear. After a while, with a lot of mental turmoil, I had to get over the fear of germs. Becoming an EMT exposed me to these fears-as well as educated me on the certain diseases that I feared most. Learn about the different types of germs and situations u fear most. It will help.
deleted_user
And I'm also a so called "scientist"-so if you have any questions feel free to ask.
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