OCD: I wash my hands a lot, because they always "feel" dirty/greasy. W!
Question: I do have OCD, pretty extreme (though I manage to suppress it often), but one thing I do constantly is wash my hands (my skin is extremely dry from this by the way). They just always feel greasy, and dirty. Why is this?
Answers: I do have OCD, pretty extreme (though I manage to suppress it often), but one thing I do constantly is wash my hands (my skin is extremely dry from this by the way). They just always feel greasy, and dirty. Why is this?
Our hands/fingers naturally secrete oils. You might just be hyper aware of this.
Get a little bottle of Nivia or another lotion to put on the backs of your hands after washing.
you are not going to want to hear this...you have OCD!
I am that way too. Only I call it germaphobia. You may be different. Some kind of phobia for dirtiness or whatnot.
i don't know, but you could always get hand sanitizer because it is quicker and easier to carry around
Well, I understand.
Make sure you don't use anti bacterial soap all the time. It's very hard on your hands during the winter months.
Best to see a mental health specialist.
Happy Mental Health
i dont have OCD but im the same way when it comes to washing my hands. i find that if i dont wash them in warm/hot water then they get dirtier faster. my hands are "chapped" all the time and lotion just makes them greasier.
i do not know, but i am the same way. i mean i washed my hands enough but after i got food poisoning i wash my hands all of the time. My doc told me not to do it as much as i do. i wash my hands in the morning, before and after i eat, going to the bathroom and while cooking and sneezing. if you must wash your hands so much use some kind of lotion.
seriously not to sound snide, but i think you kind of answered your own question with the fact that you are ocd. if you aren't doing something on a daily basis that would cause your hands to be dirty, this is probably just a tick of yours that comes with this disorder. also, if you have a high stress level or you are a nervous person, sweaty palms could be a symptom.
Because when experiencing OCD a person finds themselves trapped in repeated patters to avoid certain things from happening. In your case constant hand washing may be for fear of germs, it can even be something as extreme as to prevent a death of a loved one.
I'm no psychologist, counselor or professional in psychiatry, but I had a friend once whose mother continuously washed her hands and clothes (as often as you do, but back then there was no title like OCD put to the phobia). My friend said it was caused from something that happened in her childhood that made her feel unclean. I don't know if this fits your situation. Grown people who have sex or are pushed into sex when they weren't ready, or who were raped felt unclean afterward and continued to bathe to wash off the feelings of the preditor that made them do it. So I think you're trying to get rid of something that happened to you. Think about your past or maybe have a psychiatrist put you to sleep and maybe your subconscious can bring out the incident (and when you first tried to clean off something). It could even be a spider crawled on you and somebody made fun of your being frightened and you still cringe. But solving a problem means you need to get to the bottom of it.
i have had ocd since i was 7 and i'm 44 now. there is a short circuit in a specific area of your brain. after you wash you know your hands should be clean. and the part of your brain that should get the signal sent to it that you washed and you are clean, does not get the proper signal. so your brain is not satisfied that your hands are clean. the brain signal has gotten caught up in a loop and never reached it's target. .I will advise you what to do to control your OCD. I learned how to get a good grip on my OCD. if you want to see a therapist and can't afford one, then call your states social services department and ask them where you can get free help. most states, especially in the big cities offer free counseling with a psychiatrist and you can qualify for free meds from the big drug companies. they may charge on a sliding scale for a shrink, i went a long time ago when i needed help and i had to pay $6.00 per session. make some calls, it's all there for you. heres how i controlled my OCD, and it has caused me all sorts of problems in my life. i bacame an alcoholic for 14 years due to the anxiety from my OCD. i've been alcohol and drug free for 13 years now. don't drink or do drugs because this will only make your OCD worse. especially as you come down form substances because of the anxiety and stress that is associated with the comedown. coke and uppers will fuel your OCD severely and stay away from caffiene because this will also fuel your OCD. i am white knuckling it now as far as not taking any meds for my OCD, but i have learned to cut out stress in my life at a very good rate. don't get worked up about things. this will cause your stress and anxiety level to rise and severely impact your OCD symptoms. I should go on meds because when i took 100 milligrams of Luvox my OCD symptoms were reduced by 70%. i also learned to drink caffiene free teas at night and sometimes when i feel a bit anxious I will add cava cava or Valerian root to my tea. I will even at times take melatonin to help me relax at night. i even learned to practice ignoring my OCD when it demands that I perform rituals. It's hard to do at first, but when you ignore the obsessions by not giving in and performing these rituals, the OCD will greatly subside. over a few months time of ignoring rituals it will become easier and easier to not do this. Then it will become more of a maintainence for you to not do rituals. The strength of the OCD symptoms will now greatly reduce. I also learned to do rituals in my mind so I don't look funny to other people doing strange movements. you can learn to get a handle on this. as i got into my teens i was able to hide my symptoms from others by shifting focus of the rituals being performed in my mind. after you have shifted this focus then you realize that you can control, ignore and cut down on your symptoms. good luck.
;
ocd is a really wild and wicked disorder, is it not? cut down on stress and work on ignoring your ocd, when you get the impulse to do a ritual like shake your hands or touch something, don't. and say to your ocd, "i know thats just you ocd and your not gonna disrupt my life" focus your mind elsewhere so you can shake the anxiety of not doing a ritual. it gets easier to ignore over short time.
I'm not sure how often you wash your hands, but if it is interfering with your life then it may be a problem. There are medications that can control the compulsion if it is severe.
It is a type of anxiety disorder in which people follow their compulsions to relieve anxiety.
I would check with your doctor. And definitely switch to cetaphil which is easier on your skin in the meantime. ANtibacterial soaps or soaps with scents are harsh on the skin and really crack them.
dude HOLY CRAP!! i was the same exact way when i was about 4!! i grew out of it though