Hello all. It feels great to become a member of this group. I will begin by saying what I believe my issue is (or may not be, the confusion is part of the problem). I think I suffer from ORS, or olfactory reference syndrome. Basically, you are 100% sure that you smell when in fact you don't. It is said to be rare and is considered to belong in the family of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and OCD. However, I of course believe that I do have an odor, but a small part of me must at least doubt it or I wouldn't be here. For months, I have been a member of a body odor support group, which was supposed to offer comfort. However, the posts just added fuel to the fire and turned me into a literal recluse. I never leave my house now, except for the occasional car ride. My family persists in saying that it's all in my head, while at the same time members of the body odor support forum tell me not to listen, that I'm not crazy, and that the evidence (that we smell) is obvious. I have to say that I may have become a little paranoid. If a person so much as coughs, sneezes, clears their throat, or rubs their nose, I automatically know that it is because of my odor. I cannot even go to school or work now (or any public place for that matter) because of this... because I simply cannot bear the shame and humiliation. On the other side of the coin, a tiny part of me wonders if much of this is psychological. I've had symptoms of depression since I was about ten or so, and for about a year I went through a period of being certain of my ugliness despite reassurance (people telling me that I was pretty and so on). I even could have sworn that I heard people talking about my ugliness. This belief has faded away over time, with OCD tendencies taking its place. Mainly I just tap on things every once in awhile and add up numbers. Obviously, this confusion has left me completely shattered. I just pray that I will one day figure out which battle I'm facing. I'd honestly rather have a mental condition instead of a chronic body odor condition. At least the people around me won't be miserable. If you got this far, I thank you for taking the time to read this.
I suppose I am alone in this. I could really use some support. Maybe I need counseling?
hi confuzzled90 hows it going mate
it sounds as if you have severe ocd....im not sure of its exact medical term,but its the checking type...it can manifest itself in many ways like say thinking that you havnt locked your car door and repeatedly coming in and out and checking to see if its locked and repeatedly pressing the lock button on the car key....obviously there are variants of this type of ocd and it varies in severity but as i see your case,you have it in your head that you smell so you are constantly looking for indicaters to prove that theory right,you probably wash a lot as well...
and the fact that you have now developed avoidance behaviour (becoming a recluse) means that it is fairly severe,
you need to get professional help and that starts by talking about your problem with a pyschiatrist,your a bit like myself in that youve suffered with mental illness for a very long time so the road to recovery will be tough as it is for all patients but just know there are people,like the people on this site, who can relate to what your going through....so dont be afraid to vent if youve any problems..
but you most definitly need to start talking to a professional about what your going through
take it easy mate,and keep me posted
laters
Thank you so much for your comment, I really appreciate it. I currently am going to a psychiatrist once a month, and it is my hope that I can go and see a psychologist. I understand that this problem will take time to start resolving (since I'm 99% that I have a strong odor that disgusts everyone), but I miss living life so much. I miss school. I miss going to the store. And knowing that I am repulsive to people makes it hurt so much. But I'm sure that I'll get better over time with help.
alright mate,good to hear from you
sorry what i meant was after youve gotten diagnosed and (given the severity of your problem) probably put on medication, then you should get yourself into routine weekly CBT sessions with a psycologist,
because although you seem adamant that you do smell,and maybe there is a bit of a smell i highly doubt that it is as bad as your mind is making it out to be...im no pyschiatrist myself but i know from researching it myself and talking with other ocd sufferers that you definitly have it..
how are your meetings with the pyschiatrist going? have you been diagnosed with anything?
I agree with you that I might have some form of OCD. I think it is just manifesting itself differently (the constant fear that I smell). The major problem is the obsessive thoughts. All I think about is the smell and how it's ruining my life. I may or may not be having hallucinations of some type, because sometimes I swear that I see, hear, or smell certain things. My psychiatrist doubts that I have bipolar, but he has diagnosed me as being delusional. I also have depression. Our relationship is a little strained since I feel that he is lying to me. Every doctor I have seen (as well as my family) swear that they do not smell anything. However, I still believe it completely because many other odor sufferers have said that doctors and family will often lie. But I do agree that I may be blowing things out of proportion. Have you ever heard of a person with this particular problem?
hi confuzzled90,
I´m not from the U.S, so my english is not 100%, anyway.
I do know now how you feel about the confusion about people´s thoughts “that you know they think you smell”. I´m exactly in the same situation as you are into right now (then you will be the first one to understand what I´m talking about). Im also 99% sure that I do have a strange (bad) body odor and know that other people can smell it, or think they do when they; sneezes, clears their throat, or rubs their nose or open a window. For 4 years I have faced this every single day and it had ruined my life completely! Once I was social, and loved my life, but today… I just started my CBT with a psyciatrist and she is sure that I do have social anxiety and that it´s all thoughts that I have created by myself. But she hasn´t convinced me yet. She want me to start with SSRI, because I want to give up my studies of all this. And the studies is the only thing that´s keeping me alive, but can´t stand out with my anxiety anymore! I can´t convince my mind that this is all “thoughts”. How can you be sure, when your family says it´s all in your mind (Getting the same response as you do from mine).And it´s freaking me out.
Please share your story and if anyone else have problems with this, please comment!
You are not alone. For me it´s hard to imagine that other people are suffering with same dificulties as I do.
Keep Fighting!