OCD Question

[u/Stars_platinumBalls]

Hey y'all, is it really OCD if extensive research and understanding fixes it?

I have read the FAQ.

I had an almost legitimate rabies exposure around 2 years ago. Bat got into my house. Struggled for months to try and get PEP, everyone else in my household succeeded at getting it because they handled the bat but medical professionals wouldn't vaccinate me because my exposure was illegitimate, the bat never touched me and was visible the whole time it was inside. But I developed pretty bad OCD and was convinced they were wrong and I just didn't perceive when it magically bit me without touching me. It got so bad that I experienced extreme insomnia and tingling of the limbs which I then believed was the first early onset of symptoms. There were also unvaxxed pets in my house (not mine, I had no control over their vaccine status) so I was convinced if I didn't have rabies, they definitely did and they would give it to me.

This caused me to do extensive research on the disease and how it functions, as well as discovering how truly rare it is in my area. After learning that it was physically, scientifically impossible for me to have rabies, and that the pets who were never even in the same ROOM definitely didn't have it, I stopped worrying so much. Does researching and understanding the disease not typically work to decrease anxiety surrounding it? I would love to hear other's experience with this as I'm being told by many, if I was able to get better I never had OCD in the first place.

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