Cold and flu season is starting, and with it come more hand sanitizer and more reminders to wash up. For most people, those habits are sensible and easy to drop once they leave the grocery store. For people with obsessive-compulsive disorder, this time of year can stir up contamination fears that are much harder to set aside. Here is how to tell ordinary caution from a pattern that deserves a closer look.
What Separates a Habit From a Compulsion
The National Institute of Mental Health points out that everyone rethinks or double-checks things sometimes, and that not all repeated thoughts are obsessions. People with OCD can’t control their obsessions or compulsions even when they know they’re excessive, and they spend more than an hour a day on them. Fear of germs or contamination and excessive cleaning or handwashing are two of the most familiar examples NIMH lists.
The key questions are control and cost. A person who washes carefully after a sick coworker sneezes is being prudent. A person who can’t leave the sink until the washing “feels right,” and loses part of every morning to it, may be dealing with OCD.
Signs contamination fears may be OCD
- Washing until the skin is raw or cracked
- Following strict rules about how to wash, and starting over if interrupted
- Avoiding doorknobs or handshakes far beyond what health guidance suggests
- Asking family members again and again whether something is clean
- Spending more than an hour a day washing or worrying about germs
Germs are only one theme
OCD can center on many fears. Some people check locks or appliances for long stretches. Others feel driven to arrange objects until they look exactly right, or struggle with unwanted, upsetting thoughts they would never act on. The theme matters less than the cycle of fear followed by a ritual that brings only brief relief.
How OCD Is Treated
Cognitive behavioral therapy is a common starting point. NIMH notes that exposure and response prevention, or ERP, a specific type of CBT, effectively reduces compulsive behaviors. In ERP, a therapist helps you face a trigger in small, planned steps, such as touching a doorknob, while you hold off on the usual ritual. Over repeated practice, the urge tends to lose strength. Medication can also help. The most common prescriptions for OCD are antidepressants that target serotonin, and a doctor can explain whether they make sense for you.
Choosing a level of care
Weekly therapy works for many people. When rituals take hours, or when work and relationships start to suffer, a more structured program can help. Multi Concept Recovery offers OCD treatment in Los Angeles through its outpatient center in Burbank. Options include a Partial Day program, intensive outpatient care, standard outpatient sessions and a family support group for relatives who get drawn into reassurance and rituals.
OCD often occurs alongside anxiety or depression. If you or someone close to you is thinking about suicide, call or text 988 at any hour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is liking things clean the same as having OCD?
No. Liking a clean, orderly home isn’t a disorder. OCD involves distress and a loss of control, and the obsessions or compulsions take up enough time to disrupt daily life.
Do I have to stop washing my hands during ERP?
No. ERP works within normal hygiene and public health guidance. The goal is to drop the extra rituals while keeping good habits like washing before meals or after using the restroom.
Will ERP make my anxiety worse?
Some discomfort is expected at first. Exposures are planned with your therapist and start small, so you build tolerance step by step.
Start Reclaiming Your Time This Season
Before flu season hits its peak, take a close look at how much of your day goes to cleaning or checking. Write down a rough count of minutes for a week. Then share it with a doctor or therapist and ask specifically about ERP. A clear picture of the problem is the fastest route to the right kind of help.
