This short quiz measures the severity of contamination OCD using the SMSP, a clinically validated screening scale. Your answers stay private. At the end you'll see a severity score (0-5) and what it means.
About this quiz
Contamination OCD Severity Quiz
This 2-minute test uses a clinically validated severity scale to score how much contamination OCD affects your daily life. You'll see a 0-5 rating and what each band means. Bia uses this score to personalize your recovery program.
About the scoreWhat your contamination OCD score means
SMSP severity bands (0 to 5)
- 0 – 1Minimal: your phobia rarely affects daily decisions or quality of life.
- 2Mild: noticeable in specific situations but not yet shaping major decisions.
- 3Moderate: actively limiting choices around work, travel, eating, social life, or sleep. Most Bia users start here.
- 4Significant: meaningfully disabling. Structured daily exposure work is the evidence-based path forward.
- 5Severe: dominating daily decisions. Bia's structured program is effective at this severity; therapist-supported use is recommended.
Common questions about contamination OCD
Is contamination OCD the same as being a clean person?
No. Clean people clean; OCD makes you clean to relieve anxiety. If skipping a wash causes distress for hours, that's the diagnostic line.
What about real contamination concerns like COVID or norovirus?
Bia teaches you to follow public health guidance, not your fear. Wash when public health authorities recommend; don't wash to relieve anxiety. The line is functional, not perfect.
Can I do ERP at home alone?
Yes, Bia is built for it. ERP works as long as the exposures are real and the response is genuinely prevented. The app structures both.
What if my compulsions are mental, not physical?
Bia treats mental rituals too: counting, neutralizing thoughts, mental review. The response prevention is internal, but the structure is the same.
Contamination OCD is intrusive fears about germs, dirt, illness, or chemicals, followed by compulsive washing, cleaning, or avoidance to neutralize the fear. The fear is rarely about the contaminant itself, it's about the mental relief washing provides, which then trains the brain to need more washing. The clinical fix is ERP: Exposure and Response Prevention. You expose to the feared contaminant (a doorknob, a public surface, an object you've labeled gross) and then prevent the response: no washing, no checking, no mental review. Bia structures these as a ladder, paced by you, with built-in tracking of avoided compulsions.
Common signs of contamination OCD
- Intrusive thoughts about germs, dirt, or illness
- Washing or cleaning rituals: handwashing, showers, surface cleaning
- Avoidance of public spaces, surfaces, or contaminated people
- Mental rituals: silently neutralizing contamination thoughts
- Checking for signs of illness
- Asking for reassurance about whether something is contaminated
Our clinical approach: Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)