Briefly, she said, “I have a problem with hygiene, I always wash my hands with and without a reason. Every time I touch something I feel an urgent urge to wash my hands with soap.” With more questions and thinking, I began to remember when and how the problem began. I noticed that my father neglects hygiene and does not wash his hands even after he does something that requires it, such as getting rid of the garbage or going to the bathroom.Since then I became very focused with him and focused on myself and I became disgusted to touch anything in the house that touched it even if it was a stove key or a remote control .whenever I touch anything I wash my hands immediately and avoid touching anything unless it is necessary.”

She continued, “The trouble is that I got married and my husband also repeats my father’s actions, so I feel the same disgust when I touch anything and he is upset about it and makes fun of me when he sees me washing my hands too much. What do I do?”

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We presented the problem to Dr. Raymond Michel, a consultant for mental health, family counseling and behavior modification, who said: In the beginning and before offering solutions, we must first distinguish between obsessive-compulsive disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The obsessive-compulsive personality does not see and does not recognize the existence of a personal problem. Basically, but she sees the problem in how to deal with others and convince them that it is normal, and obsessive-compulsive disorder is a psychological disorder that a person suffers from. The sufferer is convinced that they are irrational thoughts and actions and would like to get rid of them, but he is unable to do so on his own, so he seeks medical help and receives medical treatment because of the unpleasant symptoms they cause him, for example, obsession with hygiene by repeating washing hands, for example, for five or six consecutive times to ensure that their cleanliness .

With regard to what is stated in the text of your letter, there is no doubt that the matter is disturbing to you and to others as well, but this situation can be completely treated or it can be greatly improved upon adherence to the following instructions and guidelines, which are based on scientific methodology and are known to therapists and doctors.

One of the behavioral treatment programs is based first on demeaning the idea that the person repeats the phrase “I will only wash my hands once.” That is enough to kill bacteria and germs, and I will not respond to any other idea. Then the person is exposed to a kind of dirt that immerses the hands in it, then the person waits for a short period and only a small and sufficient amount is used of soap and water, this is repeated several times a day, and this is called curbing the pathological response, and the act can also be linked to physical pain. Psychotherapy sessions are well known to psychiatrists and come with good results during the period of adherence to them, and the patient improves greatly within a few weeks. I hope to apply these behavioral techniques.

There are now very good and effective medicines for the treatment of OCD, and the medicines that are used to treat OCD are the same as the ones that treat depression, because the same biological origin is often associated with an imbalance of serotonin in the brain, all psychiatric medicines that treat OCD are also used to treat mental depression.

Therefore, we believe that it is better for you to apply the aforementioned behavioral therapy, and it is better that the treatment be carried out under the supervision of the therapist or psychologist, with the need to follow up on drug therapy that helps treat this type of obsessiveness and improves the situation significantly.