“I think i have ocd”

Thank you for reaching out. What you’re describing—repetitive hand washing, intense fear of contamination (such as from saliva), social withdrawal, and disrupted eating—can be consistent with symptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). You're not alone in this, and the fact that you’re recognizing these patterns is a strong first step toward healing.

OCD is a treatable condition, and many people experience significant relief with the right support. Treatment may include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)—especially a technique called Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)—and in some cases, medication can be very helpful.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to a mental health professional who can provide a full evaluation and guide you through the treatment process. You can feel better, and there is hope.

Wishing you strength and healing ahead.

— Dr. Mahir Shah, MD
Integrity Behavioral Health, SC

It sounds like you would probably be best served to have a psychiatric assessment to make a formal diagnosis and provide you with treatment options and recommendations to help you get on a path to feeling better! Best, *Rachel McKenna, MD* [image: MD-Support-Final Logo-01.jpg] CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-mail message including attachments, if any, is intended for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message. Thank you.

This condition is called Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder or OCD. It is characterized by intrusive thoughts (about being dirty in your case) or "obsessions" which cause increasing anxiety until behavior is done to reduce the anxiety (in your case, hand washing). This pattern of intrusive thoughts, rising anxiety, and relieving behaviors repeat over and over. The repetitive behaviors are called "compulsions". OCD responds well to cognitive -behavioral therapy and to serotonin-reuptake inhibitors. However, the doses of SSRIs required to treat OCD are generally higher than those used to treat depression.

Your symptoms are suggestive of OCD. Please get a referral to a psychiatrist for an evaluation as soon as possible. Treatment can be helpful for most people.

That sounds serious. Thanks for reaching out. Try therapy first and start by desensitizing your germ fear first. There are meds in case you can’t get it calm down with therapy Alone