From the famous bathroom scene in The Aviator and author John Green opening up on his struggles, Contamination OCD is one of the more well-known themes of OCD.
Compulsions such as washing and cleaning have made this one of the more well-known themes of OCD. But despite it being used as a stereotype, it is still an incredibly difficult theme to deal with.
Checking: Repeatedly checking hands, clothes, or objects to make sure they are not contaminated.
Staring: Closely staring at surfaces or objects to see if any dirt, germs, or residue might be present.
Washing or cleaning: In the movie The Aviator, Leonardo DiCaprio plays a character with severe OCD. Compulsions include hand-washing.
Contamination OCD was portrayed really well in the 2004 movie The Aviator. Leonardo DiCaprio plays a character called Howard Hughes, a filmmaker and aviation tycoon with severe OCD.
In the bathroom scene below, Howard struggles with cleaning compulsions before attempting to leave a public bathroom.
I usually refrain from fictional portrayals of OCD as they are often misleading or get used as comedy. But this scene does show the serious side of OCD. Compulsions that consume many hours of the day, lead to injury’s and are just damn debilitating.
So thank you The Aviator, for showing the true nature of OCD.
Ordering and Symmetry: Arranging items so “clean” objects do not touch anything perceived as contaminated.
Counting and numbering: Washing hands a specific number of times to ensure contamination has been removed.
Hoarding: Keeping certain items because of a fear of touching old things.
John Green, the best selling author and YouTuber, suffers from contamination OCD.
John has talked about how OCD can trap someone in intense “thought spirals,” that repeatedly hijack their thinking. One example he have of this was when eating a salad.
It is a reminder that OCD can sometimes be endless thinking and doesn’t always display as obvious, visible compulsions.
Reversing or neutralizing thoughts: Thinking specific thoughts to cancel out fears of spreading contamination.
Repeating words or phrases: Silently repeating words like “clean” or “safe” to reduce contamination anxiety.
Perfecting things or starting over: In S3 Ep12 of Scrubs, a doctor struggles with handwashing compulsions, often starting again if not done correctly
Asking for reassurance: Asking others if something looks clean or if you might have touched something dirty.
Avoiding places, people or things: Avoiding public spaces, objects, or people that might carry germs.
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