Do I have Offaclotory Reference Syndrome or somthing else?

StephenUK · Newbie User Joined: Sep 22, 2007 Posts: 1

Hey people;

I have had a problem for the past year relating to a intense "paranoia" (if you like) over weather I smell bad or not - Ive even had SEVERE panic attacks relating to this (And I have never had a panic attack over anything else in my life). It all started Around August Last year and people started to tell me I stunk and I heared comments on the bus too. Now I have always been a hyginic person and even before all of this started happening I took 2 baths a day (Properly - with soap etc), brush my teeth 3 times a day and wear deodorant etc. and I still continue to do so. Its calmed down a fair bit now but I am still suffering from intesnse anxiety.

Despite all of this, I still belive that I smell; but how can this be true if I am so hygenic? How on earth could I smell bad? However, I still get a "sense" occasionaly that people think I smell (Sniffing when I enter thier personal space - rubbing thier nose - somtimes but rarely moving away - people saying "It smells in here" when I cant smell a thing - Opening thier car windows when im in there)

As you can imagine, this constant checking in my head if I smell or not is making me SO upset. Its realy hard because I cant seem to be normal with all of this... Ive even been the doctor once and she said theres nothing to worry about and I should just carry on with my high level of hygine.

My overall sense of smell is average however It takes little or no time atall for me to become habituated to a smell (Meaning I "Get used to it" realy fast and cant smell it) - This is particulary the case with musty smells. Ive been told by many people that a bus always stinks but to me it usualy smells pretty normal. I can smell stuff like cooking though.

Im must smell my clothes over 30 times a day in total; I repeatedly wash them because whenever I put my nose RIGHT up to them I can somthing (Not a bad smell but not a good one either; its probably just the natural smell of the fabric that I smell though)

Mabye it is just all in my head - I mean sure I have heared comments that I smell in the past but mabye they were just bad days where It was realy hot? Perhaps all of the things I metioned before (Sniffing when I enter thier personal space - rubbing thier nose - somtimes but rarely moving away - people saying "It smells in here" when I cant smell a thing - Opening thier car windows when im in there) are all just normal things and are completely unrelated?

If I DO auctualy smell; then its a musty smell from what I have subtley gathered from friends and other people. Mabye you can help with that too (remember, my hygine is outstanding so its not that though).

Can anyone mabye offer some suggestions as to what this could be? Do you think mabye I smell bad or do I have Offacolatory Reference Syndrome? Mabye my hormones are messed up (Im only 16 afterall) - I just need awnsers because this whole thing is starting to ruin my social life and even my life in general. How can I prove to myself weather I smell bad or not through people's behavior?

PS:- For those who dont know what ORS is visit http://www.ocdla.com/olfactoryreferencesyndrome.html

Thanks so much!
Stephen.

Dr_OCD · Newbie User Joined: Sep 27, 2007 Posts: 7

This sounds like OCD to me.
You mentioned you constantly "check", it is the urge to check, rather to smell that is irritating you. You are also aware that this is wrong. Typical OCD signs.

It is best that you see a Doctor to confirm this.

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