OCD-like symptoms. How to deal with them?

[Guest guest]

I don't think I have real OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder). I

hadn't had anything remotely similar to OCD before my first mold

exposures and related problems, but once that started to happen I

developed something that might qualify as OCD.

It started like a real obsession about something (mold exposures) but

in this case that was an obsession WITH a reason (unlike in real OCD

patients who have compulsions unrelated to real threats in life - e.g

they'll wash their hands endlessly fearing that if they don't do it

right something bad will happen, but what that 'something' might be is

not clear even to them).

So, for instance, if a moldy object such as a trash can in the street

has caused me a lot of terrible symptoms, I will attempt to evade it

(if I can't dispose of it immediately). But then, I guess my brain

begins to generalize things and I'll become wary of other trash cans

at other places - even though I know they are not moldy. And I'll

subconsciously evade all such places. The same goes with borrowed

books (if one of them has caused some problems, I can become too

cautious about other books as well etc.). But it didn't stop there.

Unfortunately I think I have been having almost real OCD symptoms for

some time now. Things such as this - if I'm thinking that I will get

severely contaminated while I'm writing this sentence, I will delete

it and rewrite it. Or, if I'm thinking something moldy is going to

happen while I'm drinking the coke, I will try to " undo " the " bad

thought " by taking again another sip of coke. Or, if I switch off the

light while thinking something bad will happen, I will turn on the

light again and try to turn it off but this time I'll try to empty my

mind and not to think about anything.

Well this sounds like real OCD, and I am getting really worried. I am

pretty sure it would all go away IF I could be sure that mold

contamination would never happen again, but that's not likely.

I know it is totally absurd to connect two totally unrelated things,

e.g. the mere thought about some horrible mold exposure and the action

/ thoughts you're doing or having at the moment, but I guess my brain

has become so terrified and afraid of mold that it says " Well, even if

there's only 0,00001% chance that your little negative thought will

cause mold exposure, you must undo that thought somehow! Do not jinx

me, I am overworking and don't need any more bad luck! "

The bad thing is, this OCD-type thoughts and the resulting compulsive

actions are further deteriorating my life, adding to the damage caused

by mold.

Does anyone else have the same problem, and if so, how do you treat

it? Just ignore the thoughts and have a firm conviction that they are

powerless, or something else?