The OCD Stories Story: Amy (relationship OCD, harm OCD, contamination OCD) (#530)
Mar 22, 2026
A personal story about intense relationship, harm, and contamination obsessions. She recalls hiding symptoms, escalating compulsions, and giving up cooking and other activities. Partner support, finding the OCD community, and starting exposure-focused online therapy are discussed. The role of medication in reducing mental noise and rebuilding everyday life through repeated exposures is highlighted.
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Hidden Intrusive Thoughts Before Diagnosis
- Amy first experienced intrusive harm and relationship doubts for years without telling anyone because she feared being judged as a “psycho.”
- She described crying constantly, feeling impending doom, and believing thoughts meant she would be imprisoned, yet still went through big life events like engagement and marriage while concealing symptoms.
Contamination Compulsions Triggered By Everyday Tasks
- Contamination fears morphed into compulsions around food and household cleaning, like leaving the last bite of yogurt or over-washing peppers until they were soggy.
- A sandwich incident where Amy feared she'd poisoned her husband triggered self-recognition of OCD when she spat out a party snack.
Compulsions Consumed Daily Life And Eating
- Contamination rituals escalated until Amy stopped cooking and relied on her husband to prepare food, which led to disordered eating and near-anorexia.
- She described three-bottle hand‑washing sessions and needing her husband to become a full-time carer during COVID lockdown.