The Student Room Group

I keep washing my hands

I don't know why but I keep washing my hands very often and feel the need to clean them because they feel dirty.

I also keep taking off my phone case and cleaning it with washing up liquid because of it picking up germs/dirt
Maybe you need to get used to touching things, without the fear of germs.
Original post by Anonymous
I don't know why but I keep washing my hands very often and feel the need to clean them because they feel dirty.

I also keep taking off my phone case and cleaning it with washing up liquid because of it picking up germs/dirt


has this happened before to you ?

and also is it causing you to be distressed ?
Reply 3
Original post by TheAlchemistress
Maybe you need to get used to touching things, without the fear of germs.


My mum keeps telling me that I've got something wrong with me when she sees me washing my hands
Original post by Anonymous
I don't know why but I keep washing my hands very often and feel the need to clean them because they feel dirty.

I also keep taking off my phone case and cleaning it with washing up liquid because of it picking up germs/dirt


I'm obsessed with doing that. You can't be touching sh1t with sh1tload of germs on it.
Reply 5
Original post by study beats
has this happened before to you ?

and also is it causing you to be distressed ?


Yeah I've been doing it for over a year now and I don't know why. I feel like I have to do it after touching things
It could be OCD.

You sound very similar to Howey Mandell
Original post by Anonymous
I don't know why but I keep washing my hands very often and feel the need to clean them because they feel dirty.

I also keep taking off my phone case and cleaning it with washing up liquid because of it picking up germs/dirt


Sounds like you're going through tough time. When did this all start? How often do you wash your hands in a day? How do you feel when you don't wash them?
Reply 8
Original post by games211
When did this all start? How often do you wash your hands in a day? How do you feel when you don't wash it?


I couldn't even begin to count... when I don't wash them I feel anxious and agitated and I feel like I can't touch anything until I've washed them
Original post by Anonymous
Yeah I've been doing it for over a year now and I don't know why. I feel like I have to do it after touching things


if the thoughts are distressing and it makes you angry then it could be some sort of psychological problem..

do you do any other repetitive behaviours ?
Original post by Anonymous
I couldn't even begin to count... when I don't wash them I feel anxious and agitated and I feel like I can't touch anything until I've washed them


Aww, that must affect your day-to-day life. Is this something you're concerned about? Have you tried anything for it?
Original post by study beats
if the thoughts are distressing and it makes you angry then it could be some sort of psychological problem..

do you do any other repetitive behaviours ?


I polish my room quite often and currently we've run out of it and I wanted to polish my room today and because we haven't got any I feel a bit stressed
Original post by Anonymous
I don't know why but I keep washing my hands very often and feel the need to clean them because they feel dirty.

I also keep taking off my phone case and cleaning it with washing up liquid because of it picking up germs/dirt


Could be something along the lines of OCD. I suggest you go have a chat with your GP about it.

You can also take a look at these links for some info:
http://www.ocduk.org/ocd
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/#.WXPRh-mQxPY
http://www.sane.org.uk/resources/mental_health_conditions/obsessive_compulsive_disorder

Essentially OCD is where your brain tells you to do things that don't make logical sense. That can mean cleaning your hands, flicking light switches, counting steps or anything else.
It is often paired with some form of fear (family dying, being contaminated with germs etc), but can just be an uncomfortable feeling.

OCD can be triggered by stressful events or just come seemingly out of nowhere. It is usually treated by CBT therapy to help you ignore urges, but reducing any other stresses can also help a lot.

There are also conditions and mindsets that are similar to OCD, but not quite the same. I don't know much about those, but your GP can help with them too.
Original post by Kindred
Could be something along the lines of OCD. I suggest you go have a chat with your GP about it.

You can also take a look at these links for some info:
http://www.ocduk.org/ocd
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/#.WXPRh-mQxPY
http://www.sane.org.uk/resources/mental_health_conditions/obsessive_compulsive_disorder

Essentially OCD is where your brain tells you to do things that don't make logical sense. That can mean cleaning your hands, flicking light switches, counting steps or anything else.
It is often paired with some form of fear (family dying, being contaminated with germs etc), but can just be an uncomfortable feeling.

OCD can be triggered by stressful events or just come seemingly out of nowhere. It is usually treated by CBT therapy to help you ignore urges, but reducing any other stresses can also help a lot.

There are also conditions and mindsets that are similar to OCD, but not quite the same. I don't know much about those, but your GP can help with them too.


I'll sometimes start counting steps when I walk as well be not that often but I have done it before
Original post by Anonymous
I polish my room quite often and currently we've run out of it and I wanted to polish my room today and because we haven't got any I feel a bit stressed


could be OCD
Original post by Anonymous
I'll sometimes start counting steps when I walk as well be not that often but I have done it before


Also before I go to bed at night I'll check to see if all the doors are locked several times.
Original post by Anonymous
I'll sometimes start counting steps when I walk as well be not that often but I have done it before


Definitely worth you seeing your GP. I would write down all the things you do that you think are odd (hand washing, step counting, cleaning etc) and take it with you.

For now just remember that it's not your fault and try not to get mad at yourself for it. Stressing out just makes it worse.
If you get an urge, tell yourself it's fine, see if you can distract yourself or stop yourself doing it for a while, but if you give in it's fine. It's a process to stopping and it's okay to slip up now and then or to take a while to make progress.

It also tends to help if you choose rituals to work on first. If you try to tackle everything all at once it puts you under a lot of pressure.
So for now, you may want to let yourself do the hand washing and work on the phone case thing first. Once you've made decent progress with that it will give you some reassurance that you can do it and you can move onto something else.

You might also like to take some hand sanitiser around with you. That way it's not a big thing if you need to wash your hands- you can just pull out the hand sanitiser when you need to and do it subtly. It also gives a safety net so you can try to delay but know that the sanitiser is there if you need it.

Basically, work with it, not against it. It's not worth getting mad at yourself and making yourself feel worse. Get a feel for what you are and aren't comfortable with and push the boundaries a little more as time goes on. You should find you settle into it better that way.

Good luck :smile:
@Faloodeh clocked Lady Macbeth
Original post by Anonymous
I don't know why but I keep washing my hands very often and feel the need to clean them because they feel dirty.

I also keep taking off my phone case and cleaning it with washing up liquid because of it picking up germs/dirt


Wash your clothes instead 'for us border line o.c.d !!, its a clean thing, I have done the same its like a little respite cos the duration of the wash your mind relaxes somehow, doctor says as long as your mind believes you are doing something to keep
Clean its less of a issue, great product bon the market now as well 1000 washes for twenty two quid 'washing powder in pellets' ecozone Its great and good for the
Environment !! SUPERMARKETS hate it cos they will loose loads, I can get it at
Almost cost get bak to me but it works , for me and saves my household bundles of
Cash and I get to sneak a extra load or two, don't make your hands too much of a
Issue or it may remain ,bye !!!

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