Emotional Contamination OCD: Symptoms, Examples, & Treatment Options

What Is Emotional Contamination OCD?

Emotional contamination, also called mental contamination, is a subtype of contamination OCD. The obsessions are primarily related to the fear of being emotionally or mentally contaminated without physically coming into contact with a contaminant. For example, a person with emotional contamination OCD may spend time with someone with an addiction, and then believe that they have been contaminated and are now addicted themselves.

Emotional contamination OCD is characterized by:

• Obsessions: Obsessions refer to unwanted, disturbing, and intrusive thoughts that are out of a person’s control and lead to a great deal of anxiety and distress.
• Compulsions: Compulsions are rituals or repeated behaviors that aim to reduce the distress related to the obsessions. Compulsions include checking, counting, seeking reassurance, or frequent hand washing.

How Common Is Emotional Contamination OCD?

Overall, OCD is considered to be one of the more common mental disorders. The contamination type of OCD is incredibly common, affecting up to 46% of people with OCD. However, the specific cluster of symptoms related to emotional contamination OCD is rarer and not as well understood.

Emotional Contamination & Magical Thinking

Emotional contamination often includes OCD-induced magical thinking. Magical thinking is the belief that one’s thoughts or behaviors can influence the outcome of something unrelated. For instance, someone with emotional contamination OCD may believe that by acting out their compulsions, they can prevent something bad from happening that is the result of their emotional contamination.

When someone equates their thoughts to a behavioral outcome, this is known as thought-action fusion. This can manifest in two ways: either believing that thoughts can cause an outcome to occur, or believing that having a thought is morally equivalent to doing the thing that a person is thinking about. Both of these can occur with emotional contamination OCD.³

Emotional Contamination OCD Symptoms

Emotional contamination OCD shares many of the same OCD symptoms seen in other subtypes of OCD. People with OCD experience frequent, unwanted, and disturbing obsessions followed by compulsions. The compulsions are believed to relieve the anxiety related to the obsessions, although this doesn’t work long-term. Emotional contamination OCD symptoms cause a great deal of distress to someone’s life.⁴

Mental Contamination Obsessions

Common obsessions in emotional contamination OCD include:

• What if I take on the negative qualities of this person by being around them?
• If I am around someone with a mental illness, I may become contaminated and start to have symptoms myself.
•  I need to avoid people who are going through a hard time because I will start to experience their emotions
• I can’t be in this person because they are evil, and I will become evil
• Even thinking about certain people can cause me to become contaminated
• I can’t hug anyone because I will absorb their emotions
• I need to confess my thoughts and feelings to cleanse myself
• I need to avoid certain places or things because they are emotionally toxic

Mental Contamination Compulsions

Common compulsions in emotional contamination OCD include:

• Repeatedly washing one’s hands after coming in contact with a specific person, place, item, or word.
• Avoiding people, places, or things that are believed to be related to the source of emotional contamination.
• Performing mental rituals like repeating certain thoughts or phrases to eliminate mental contamination
• Mentally reviewing one’s actions to search for any potential sources of contamination
• Compulsively seeking reassurance from others
• Religious rituals such as prayer or going to confession
• Isolation or withdrawal from others to prevent the possibility of emotional contamination

What Triggers Emotional Contamination OCD Symptoms?

Certain situations may trigger emotional contamination symptoms. These may be things that remind a person of being emotionally contaminated previously or situations that cause emotional distress. These situations can strengthen the belief that a person will absorb the emotions related to the trigger. Being around a stressor can create feelings of anxiety and trigger intrusive thoughts, which intensify obsessions or compulsions.

Common triggers for emotional contamination OCD include:

• Overhearing a stranger talk about how a person in their life is weighing them down
• Being touched by certain people
• Being around people who are believed to be emotionally toxic or unhealthy
• Hearing someone talk about their emotional problems
• Being in a place that reminds someone of a person or other source of emotional contamination
• Reminders of past events that were emotionally difficult or distressing
• Exposure to news stories or media about suffering or emotional distress

What Causes Emotional Contamination OCD?

Like other forms of OCD, it is thought that emotional contamination OCD is caused by a combination of genetic, neurological, and environmental factors. Family history can be a strong predictor, as can environmental situations such as childhood trauma and abuse. It is also thought that certain types of brain anatomy and even infectious diseases can play a role.

Possible causes of emotional contamination OCD include:

• Genetics: OCD has a strong genetic link, with people who have a family history of the disorder being at significantly higher risk.⁵
• Environmental factors: Environmental factors, particularly adverse, distressing, or traumatic events, have been shown to influence the onset of OCD. This can include childhood trauma or sexual trauma.⁶
• Brain activity: Different types of brain anatomy have been shown to be more likely to develop OCD.⁷
• Immune-related/infectious causes: Recent research has shown that there may be immunological or infectious causes for certain cases of OCD.⁸

Impacts of Emotional Contamination OCD

Emotional contamination OCD can be an incredibly distressing experience to live with. A person experiencing these symptoms is likely to have an increase in anxiety and intrusive thoughts, feel dirty or damaged, and struggle with feelings of OCD-related guilt or shame. Compulsive behaviors aimed at reducing this anxiety can take a tremendous amount of time and energy.

This can have a negative impact on relationships, as people with these symptoms may avoid others or isolate themselves. Feelings of guilt and shame impact self-worth. The amount of time and energy spent on compulsions, as well as the avoidance of certain people or situations, can greatly reduce someone’s ability to function in daily life.

How Is Emotional Contamination OCD Diagnosed?

Emotional contamination OCD is diagnosed by a licensed and trained mental health professional. This is preferably someone with experience treating OCD, and may be a psychiatrist, psychologist, or mental health therapist. A primary care physician may be able to provide a diagnosis as well.

The process usually includes getting a thorough biopsychosocial history and assessing for current and previous symptoms. This may include the use of screening tools for OCD like the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). The provider should explain the diagnosis and go over possible treatment options.

Questions to ask your doctor about emotional contamination OCD include:

• Where can I find specialized emotional contamination treatment?
• What does a typical treatment plan look like?
• How is emotional contamination OCD assessed for and diagnosed?
• What types of medications are prescribed for this condition?
• Where can I find a psychiatrist who specializes in OCD medication?
• How long does a typical course of treatment last?
• What are the expected outcomes for someone with my symptoms?

Treatment for Emotional Contamination OCD

A combination of medication and psychotherapy is usually found to be the most effective treatment for all types of OCD. The most commonly prescribed medication is a type of antidepressant called an SSRI. These medications have been found to be effective in reducing the intrusive thoughts and distress related to OCD.⁹

Treatment options for emotional contamination OCD include:

• Exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP): ERP for OCD has been proven to be the most effective type of therapy. With the help of a therapist, a person can gradually be exposed to their fears without engaging in compulsive behavior. This has been shown to be a highly effective type of therapy because it can break the tie between obsessions and compulsions.¹⁰
• Medications: Medications for OCD can be another effective way to reduce symptoms, especially when combined with therapy. Most commonly, SSRI antidepressant medications are prescribed. These work by reducing the frequency and intensity of intrusive thoughts and lowering the distress level related to obsessions.
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT for OCD works by examining the relationships between thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. By helping someone reduce the power of their intrusive thoughts, CBT can help a person manage their emotions and change their compulsive behaviors.
• Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR): EMDR for OCD can be an effective therapy when the onset of symptoms is related to a past traumatic event. For example, if someone develops OCD symptoms after a trauma, EMDR can help by reprocessing that trauma.

7 Tips for Dealing With Emotional Contamination OCD

When a person is dealing with the effects of emotional contamination OCD, it is important to develop healthy OCD coping skills. OCD symptoms, including those with this subtype, often worsen in times of higher stress and anxiety. Managing stress with healthy coping skills can put a person in a better position to reduce the impact of OCD symptoms.

Here are seven tips for coping with emotional contamination OCD:

1. Try Grounding Techniques

Grounding techniques can help when someone’s emotional contamination OCD is triggered. These tools can help a person be present in the current moment, aware of their body and surroundings, and can be calming. The 54321 method is an excellent grounding tool. To practice: Notice 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste.

2. Avoid Using Avoidance to Cope

While avoiding people, places, and things that can trigger symptoms may feel better at the moment, this isn’t actually the best strategy long term. Avoidance coping can strengthen the relationship between obsessions and compulsions and make OCD worse. Begin by noticing people, places, or events you avoid, and practice contact for just five minutes. Once your anxiety decreases, slowly increase the amount of time. Over time, your instinct to avoid will dissipate.

3. Reduce Your Everyday Stressors

Being in a state of chronic stress can heighten anxiety, which can worsen OCD symptoms. Maintaining a healthy stress level through consistent routines and healthy coping skills can help. If you don’t know where to begin, focus on simple things like your water intake, increasing your sleep by an hour, or getting some movement in (even if it’s a 20-minute walk).

4. Celebrate Small Successes

It’s not realistic to expect OCD symptoms to go away overnight. Set yourself small goals and celebrate these micro-successes by rewarding yourself with a nice dinner out or a massage. Remember that things are improving, even when they aren’t completely resolved yet.

5. Practice Mindfulness

In addition to treatment and other coping skills, practicing mindfulness can be a helpful addition. A daily mindfulness practice can reduce stress and is focused on noticing one’s experience without judgment. Mindfulness apps, such as Headspace, are a great way to begin your practice.

6. Ask for Support

It’s important to have people who support you and are there for you as you go through this process. This could be loved ones or family members who are knowledgeable and supportive regarding your condition. If you feel ashamed or overwhelmed about reaching out, begin with a simple text such as, “Hey! I’ve been feeling a bit worn out lately, and I would love to spend some time with people to improve my mood. Can we grab a coffee?”

7. Attend Group Therapy

Sometimes, being with others who face the same struggles and have found ways to cope and get better can be a powerful tool. Consider attending a support group for people with OCD. Ask your doctor/therapist/psychiatrist for a recommendation for either in-person or online group therapy options.

When to Seek Professional Support for OCD

OCD is a serious disorder and can often have a profound impact on a person’s ability to function and their daily life. When symptoms are present most days, are significant enough to impact relationships, get in the way of work or school, or otherwise make it difficult to function in one’s daily life, it could be time to consider seeking professional support.

An online therapist directory or online OCD resources can both help with finding a therapist who specializes in OCD treatment, as they allow a person to search by specialty type as well as location and insurance. A primary care physician can be another good source. For many people with OCD, an assessment with a psychiatrist to discuss medication is a good idea. Online psychiatrist options can be a good choice for finding OCD medication management.