<p>So, I'm doing the pre-med thing, no questions about any of that, however, I pretty much have a serious issue with showering/hand washing. It's probably humorous to most that I would even consider a field in medicine where germs run wild, but I figure by the time I enter my 3rd year of med school I'll be well over this unpleasant phase.</p>
<p>The point is, germ obsession and doctor. Can they mix?</p>
<p>Considering that roughly 50% of physicians don’t wash their hands each and every time between touching patients, you’ll be ahead of the game. And dirty hands are a leading cause of hospital associated infections.</p>
<p>Seems like it’s better to wash your hands too often than too little when you’re in the medical profession.</p>
<p>Erm, it depends on how serious this thing really is.</p>
<p>If you seriously cannot stop yourself from spending excessive amounts of time washing your hands and/or are constantly thinking about the germs on them to such a degree as it hinders your ability to function in daily life (i.e., cannot shake others’ hands, must wash hands several times before eating, wash hands so much your skin is peeling, etc.) it does sound like you might have a case of OCD. If you have other OCD symptoms, this could be an impediment to working in a healthcare setting (or really just about any other fast-paced profession requiring large amounts of flexibility and adaptability). It is important to note, however, that no dx can ever be made [responsibly or accurately] over the internet.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t suggest self-diagnosing (psych d/os and self-dx don’t mix as they are far more complex than a diagnostic manual could ever describe as well as the fact that you can’t really objectively assess yourself and are likely to see bits of yourself in every psych d/o if you look hard enough). That being said, you can find the dx criteria for OCD from the DSM-IV-TR online if you look around. (If you do check yourself against those criteria and feel there is a match, go get an assessment by a licensed clinical psychologist; OCD is actually a very treatable illness once it has been identified and the earlier it is identified the easier it is to treat.)</p>
<p>Basically, though, if you are obsessing over germs and/or have developed a hand-washing “ritual” that seems excessive/unnecessary and this behavior and/or thought pattern hinders your life in any way, I’d suggest seeing a clinical psychologist (preferably one with training in CBT and anxiety disorders – ask about their specialties) for further assessment and possible referral to a psychiatrist to get anything straightened out prior to medical school. Once the stress of med school hits, any mental d/o symptoms are pretty much guaranteed to intensify and if this is a case of OCD, often the hand-washing and other obvious rituals are really only the surface layer (less obvious symptoms may hinder one’s ability to maintain relationships, hold onto jobs, experience intimacy, adapt to new situations, take risks, etc.).</p>
<p>Dr. Kevin Casey had severe OCD, but he managed to become board certified in both medicine and surgery.</p>
<p>He’s also fictional, but that’s beside the point.</p>
<p>Do you have ocd?</p>
<p>GoldShadow, that was literally the most amazing post I have ever encountered on this website. Congratulations.
And, I suppose I do have ocd, but I wouldn’t say it impacts my life. I mean, I’d probably do just about anything to not use a gas station restroom, and I may turn off the sink faucet after washing my hands with my elbow. Does anyone else do this, by the way?</p>
<p>My bathroom has stubby faucet knobs, so I think I’d need a degree in contortionism to turn it with my elbow.</p>
<p>I don’t think there’s anything wrong with you. Anytime I come home, I wash my hands. I just don’t feel right touching things in my apartment after I’ve been out and about touching all sorts of other things that may or may not be any dirtier than the things in my apartment. Is a bit nutty? Yes. Does it adversely affect my life? No. In fact, it’s probably helped me reduce the number of colds I catch a year.</p>
<p>Personally, I use a paper towel to turn off the faucet and to subsequently open the restroom door. I cringe when a public bathroom has hand dryers instead of towels (although I do love those dyson airblades). When I’m in the hospital, even if I’m not seeing patients, I seem to have a little mental timer that goes off and I’ll use hand gel or wash my hands…</p>
<p>As long as it doesn’t affect your daily activities, you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>If it really feels like it’d be an issue dealing with patients, then maybe being in health profesisons will be difficult for you.</p>