Do you think you smell?
Well, if we assume for a moment that you actually don’t smell or emit some sort of stinky odor, you’re like most people. In this modern world where many don’t think twice about showering each and every day, our bodies often have little chance to work up any kind of odor.
However, if you’re amongst a small group of people who think they smell even when they don’t, then you might be suffering from Olfactory Reference Syndrome. Olfactory Reference Syndrome is a “new” syndrome coined by researchers who’ve discovered that amongst people who think they smell bad — even when they don’t — suicidal thinking and behavior is rampant.
And it’s no wonder — if you think you smell bad and others are noticing the bad smell, and no amount of bathing helps (because the smell is all in the person’s head — it doesn’t actually exist), you might be driven to the edge of hopelessness. Olfactory reference syndrome is thought to be a specific sub-type or related to obsessive-compulsive disorders by some researchers.
The researchers presented their findings at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association this past week.
[The researchers] assessed 20 patients with olfactory reference syndrome seen at Butler Hospital, also in Providence, where Phillips worked at the time, in order to further describe some of its clinical characteristics.
They found that these patients spent three to eight hours a day preoccupied with their concerns that they smelled bad.
Most were convinced that their belief about the odor was real, even though no one else agreed with them or could detect it (85%).
More than three-quarters (77%) thought others took special notice of them.
Where do people think their bad smells are coming from? The researchers discovered that most of the 20 patients their assessed with this syndrome thought that bad smell was coming from their mouth, “followed by the armpits, genitalia, the anus, their feet and their skin. The groin, hands, head, and scalp were other commonly perceived sources of the smell.”
The article also notes, “The vast majority (75%) thought they had bad breath, while 65% incorrectly believed that their sweat smelled bad.”
What do these people do to try and cope with their belief that they smell bad? Not surprisingly, they try and make themselves smell better:
In order to mask their perceived odors, patients most often doused themselves in perfume (90%). Phillips said “some even drank perfume to improve their breath.”
About 70% showered several times a day to rid themselves of the imaginary stench. Others constantly chewed gum (60%) or ate mints (50%). About a quarter reported changing their clothes multiple times a day.
“Some of these patients would use an entire bar of soap in one shower,” Phillips said. “Some are constantly seeking reassurance” that they don’t smell — asking those around them if they’re catching a whiff of anything unusual.
These patients had a significant amount of co-occurring conditions, some of which are potentially serious comorbidities, Phillips said. For instance, 74% at some point had avoided social situations entirely.
Also concerning was the fact that 68% had thoughts about suicide, while 32% had attempted taking their lives at some point.
Just over half (53%) had had psychiatric hospitalizations, and 40% reported being housebound for at least a week at a time because of their perceived odor problems.
Because olfactory reference syndrome is so rare, research into effective treatments for this obsessive disorder are few and far between. EMDR, Abilify, Solian (amisulpride) and SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors — a commonly prescribed type of antidepressant) have all been researched and shown various effectiveness with olfactory reference syndrome.
Don’t worry — this syndrome won’t make it into the DSM-5 as a diagnosable mental disorder, but may be in the “conditions requiring more research” appendix.
Read the full article: Body Odor Delusion May Spark Suicide Thoughts
81 comments
Actually, this was first described in 1971 by Dr. W. Pryse-Phillips, so it’s not very new. He taught me neurology later and explained that people were calling it “Pryse-Phillips syndrome” but he didn’t want it named after him. I have seen a case of it and because of him I knew what I was encountering! It presented more as a delusional disorder to me.
That’s why I put “new” in quotes — I know it’s been around for awhile, but it’s receiving revived interest. Thanks for the interesting tidbit about where the term originated from! 🙂
I have seen a case of this as well, about 10-12 years ago. Like the other poster, I also saw it as a delusional disorder. Interesting, though – the pt originally came to my attention because he was presenting with suicidality and it quickly became clear that this was linked to his belief that his head smelled bad and that nothing he did could ever fix it.
Is there a name for those people who actually do smell but don’t notice they do?
But to the more serious side, there are actual smells that are not good and which are neither imagined nor can they be washed away. For women, this often happens for a period of time when they go through hormonal changes, like menopause. There are also cancers that have a distinct odor to them, and there is ‘old people’ small, just to mention a few that are real. Or when you are sick people often have bad breath.
To get closer to the author’s point, the smell is often caused by an ‘affective psychosis’, or major Depression and the bad smell is limited to intense feelings, usually when/where you very much want to be close to someone, and you start smelling to avoid rejection. The anxiety causes these imagined odors. There is something bad and rotting inside of you can sometimes be more of a metaphor, and may be sporadic rather than chronic.
Anyway, that’s all I know drom my own experience and those with others who have had similar issues.
Kat
PS: Sorry, I got off the ‘specific’ subject.
Before labelling them as having ORS, the most important part is finding out whether they really have an odor problem. Possibly the last ‘obvious’ health problem to be discovered will be ‘systemic’ body odor. This is where one of the many enzymes in the body will be deficient, allowing a build-up of substrate to accumulate in the bloodstream or lymph. The only current recognised form is trimethylaminuria. Most sufferers are ‘mild’ cases, meaning they will be transient and otherwise healthy looking. Usually they cannot smell themselves (this seems the standard rule for any form of body odor), and neither can relatives. A psychiatrist with a patient with a perceived smell problem would be wise to first test them for TMAU at least. You will be surprised how many ‘mild’ cases there will be. I’m sure there will be other enzyme odor disorders, such as mild isovaleric acidemia. MeBO Research hopes to raise awareness about systemic body odors. The ideal and cheapest solution would be an international body odor research center, but at the moment we can only read about funding for ORS instead.
When I started taking antidepressants six years ago, I felt like I was living life with the nose of a dog: I could smell EVERYTHING, including myself. People around me assured me I did not have any body odor at all, but I smelled it (and everything else) loud and clear.
When I was detoxing from Lexapro, Wellbutrin, and Ambien (at the same time), this bizarre sensation ramped up terribly and truly made me feel like I was going crazy. But I wasn’t. A month later, meds out of my system, I was fine, and I no longer had any heightened sense of smell.
And that’s the thing. I really, truly do believe it was heightened perception, not heightened mental malfunction.
When I was in college, I had a roommate who had severe endocrinological dysfunctions. She had had diabetes Type I and II since early childhood. She never went through puberty until it was chemically induced with hormone medication. There were other problems, as well. When one of these illnesses (I forget which) would start getting more out of whack, she always knew well before it showed up in the labs because her sense of smell would become super-human–and it depressed her terribly. She obssessed over it because it was frustrating, just as I was distressed by the seeming phantom nature of the odors I KNEW I was smelling.
Maybe the issue is not whether or not somone is mentally ill because they smell something that isn’t there, but instead they really *can* smell minute amounts of chemicals in the air that others can’t. How that heightened sense is triggered has likely never been researched. It’s easier just to assume that it’s neurosis.
May,
I do believe I suffer from ORS. My psychiatrist says it’s OCD, but that’s another story.
My entering into the ORS wonderworld somehow matches my finding out that I have type B hepatitis. I recently found out that people suffering from hepatitis tend to be more sensible to smell and they might start feel unwell because of them. I don’t feel bad, but sometimes I feel I can’t escape a particular smell, may it be pleasant or bad. It might come from away, but because my body is closer to my nose it’s mostly my own smell I must fight.
Sometimes when I take a shower I get short lasting intense headaches from the shower gel fragrance (off the shelf shower gel). After the shower is over, I feel like I’m inside the chemical plant that’s produced it. There’s one more step to ORS. Do they sense it too?
That might be a possibility, overperception I mean.
I am one of those persons who thinks they smell. I am currently taking medication for it (Abilify) which was prescribed by a psychiatrist. I just began taking it around three weeks ago, but i still think i smell horrible. I don’t know what it is. I just notice people around me pointing me out and assume it’s because i smell bad. I haven’t gotten myself to actually ask somebody whether or not i smell. I don’t know what to do next to cure myself from this. Any suggestions?
I’m having the same problem right now n was given ability but might be concern that Zoloft is the problem which I’ve been taking for two months now
I have the same problem it started while I was taking Zoloft I talked to my doctor about it and got off it its been months already n I still have that problem. But I’ve read other people have the same problem cuz of the Zoloft
My advice is what I do when I feel exactly how you feel. Well let me day first I know I dont smell probably 95 percent time I think I do…my friends god bless them reply when I ask bro you dont frickin smell.
.shake it iff it’s in your head so somehow you need to tell yourself that and itworks. I ask myawlf ok realistically why would I smell…I showered a hour ago wear cologne am healthy and yet I think I have a smell people can smell 10 feet away from me…and I just somehow push it out of my head…not easy but doable…so just do inventory…ask yourself what would be the reason I smell…if your like normal people and didnt ahit your pants or wear the same clothes for days….its so unlikely you truly smell…and remembwr… thoughts and the mind are what makes it real to us…but tell your mind tou refuse to accept that you smell bad and act like your confident pretend you just showered and smell so fresh n clean tell yourself that and I dunno might help. Shake it off catch yourself and make your brain know its retarted lol. I do
Jess: I feel exactly the same. My partner has told me that I don’t smell bad but other people have. I feel like I am going crazy as I cannot smell anything on myself and I wash twice a day, always have clean clothes etc. so really there is no reason I would smell. HOwever, I constantly think that people are talking about me because of my smell. I do my best to get on with my life but this has been going on for twelve years now and I am now desperate. I avoid contact with people and generally want to hide away. I have made an appt with my doctor but dont hold out much hope….
I feel the same way too. Around 3-2 years ago i started to smell like something was rotting or i was farting or something, i don’t know how to describe the dam sense. I’ve asked my partners if i do, but always got a no. Yet i can still smell it and i feel like people around me can smell it too. Like jess,i haven’t tried asking anyone else. This is driving me crazy every single day and i can’t even talk to anyone without smelling….
Hi, are you still suffering? What happened?
I’m so relieved to find there are others who have this. I’ve been living with ORS, or Pryse-Phillips syndrome for close to seven years, and thought I was the only one who ever suffered from this problem. With the awareness increasing, I’m hoping that finding treatment for this is going to be much easier now than when I was younger. Real or not real, it’s ruining my life, and I want to get it fixed.
If anyone wants to share their experiences or treatments with me, my email is [email protected]
I started experiencing ORS after I had a vaginal infection known as BV (Ba tcterial Vaginosis)…I started to get made fun of at school, and I got traumatized. Even after clearing up the infection, I still have pervasive and obssesive,thoughts that I have an odor problem.it comes and goes but really depresses me and idk what to do anymore its been over five years…i pray to God and go to church and ive been on anti depressants and therapy but im not cured….i want to be free from this and im not losing hope cause I know God made this part of my plan! I know I will be cured
I went through the same thing! I had vb for approx 2 years beforw going to the doctor and getting medication to fix it. Ever since, im convinced I stink. I shower twice a day and keep clean. But no matter what I do, I can still smell myself. I worry everyone can smell me and wont say out of politeness. I cant wear perfume as this causes mu smell to get worse. I have made my bfriend smell me and he says I dont smell. Then just when I start to believe him thongs happen. Like I left a job and the farewell gift they brought me was perfume! I love everything about my life except this. It bothers me so much and I wish I didnt have to work to earn money so that I could hide away 🙁
I also have this problem my boyfriend dont understand why I dont like going with him to events. I think other people smell me and talk about me, it Hinders me in so many ways, like church I think they smell me and be laughing at me I’m so tired of this people say they dont smell me when I ask but I think I do. When people come too close to me I get nervous and hurry up and move so they dont smell me. I”m so tired!
If the other commenters that suffer from ORS found this site like I did (searching the web for ORS), that’s because there’s actually no info point.
People, let’s get together and tell our stories.
Enzo already provided his email. Please write to him so that your email becomes available.
Let’s put an ORS group on wheels.
I never knew about ORS but I know now that I must have it. I thought something was wrong with me. It really depresses me how I think people are constantly pointing out that I have an odor.. I notice in a social situation that I am nervous about it can get more intense, whether that be the paranoia of smelling bad, or actually smelling something unpleasant. I have started to sweat from the anxiety in those situations only to confirm that I must indeed smell terrible! I feel like this causes me depression.
let’s talk about it
[email protected]
I have it too.
I have been struggling with the same issues. I cannot smell myself but worry that everyone else can, especially when I am in social situations where I’m very close to people. It’s getting to the point where I cannot handle it. I’m going crazy trying to figure out if it’s all in my head or if I do actually smell! I think I hear people talking about my odor, even my boyfriend and friends, but when I ask what they are talking about they never say it’s about me. I don’t know if people are lying to me because they are afraid to tell me, or if I’m delusional and not actually hearing them say these words I think they are.
I’m a teen and I feel I smell bad all the time I was made fun about 3G(not including the times people talked behind my back) I don’t understand I take good care of myself two times a day I shower,put clinical strength deo but I still feel everyone talking about me
I went for several years when I was a teenager thinking I smelled bad. I was convinced that everybody in the classroom could smell me and even than everybody in the large congregation room at church could smell me. I was totally miserable. This was in the 60’s. Finally my mother asked me what was wrong and I told her. She said that I didn’t smell. I chose to believe her because I knew if I did smell she would try to do something about it. I had to tell myself over & over again for months that I didn’t smell However, my mom not being good at communication told me when she said I didn’t smell that she didn’t want to hear anything more about it. So I had no one to talk to. I haven’t told people through out my life of this experience because I have always been embarrassed by it. But I know that it has always been a factor in my life because of bad decisions in relationships I have made due to my insecurities. I will say that I have worked out my life ok–and have a number of friends but am not in a close relationship.
I’ve been having sort of the same problem for almost a year.
I shower everyday like everybody, I put deodorants and perfume but I always end up thinking that I smell like shit. And I do smell this putrid shit smell around my person.
This odor follows me everywhere I go, driving me crazy and making me more insecure that I already
am.
It is still a problem today but it does not occur every day, just now and then (if I had to give a statistic I would say that it occurs every 2/7 days).
However, I think I am not as in a bad position as some folks described in the article (drinking perfume and taking multiple showers etc.). I just need to get this idea out of my head…. But, man, it’s really hard.
I don’t know if I have this disorder or not, but this is making my life miserable. People close to me don’t believe me and my therapist thinks I’m insane (I don’t think that he has heard of this disorder). He even wanted to give me drugs. I hate walking past people b/c I think they can smell me and I am afraid of people sitting next to me (especially if it is a hot guy). I have to hold my breath because I have halitosis and I avoid talking to people. I’m in college and I’m barely going to class and don’t leave my dorm room. This disorder is making my life hell! I still don’t know if I have this disorder or not, because I do believe the smell is there…..so in essence, I don’t think it is irrational…..but I don’t know. If I ask my dad or sister if I smell bad, they say that I don’t and I always think they are lying so they don’t hurt my feelings. I feel like I can’t trust anyone.
i’ve had it for about 6 years a friend of mine said i smelt of poo and ever since its in my mind.my girlfriend says she has never smelt anything but i think she just says it to be nice.its killing me and when i go out i think everyone is talking about me,im a very clean person i need help big time
my best friend jus killed himself because of this syndrome. there were no signs he was to ashamed to ask anyone this is all new to us because he didnt smell not once. it was all in his head. i say to you guys that i feel so bad for you this is a problem in your head and you guys need to reach out to friends and family and get some help. i wish my friend did or atleast showed a sign. after reading diagnostic i see signs but we didnt know about this and didnt thing that he smelled. you guys are going down a very dark path and it is not the right one. i will guarentee you dont smell you have to start believing you dont and make your mind beleive it. this is horrible and im so new to it. and its such a stupid disease that is not real. reach out to your friends and family they will help you trust me i wish he did for us it would have helped us out to atleast try but now we cant and you guys should really take this all in this is where it leads and this is not how your life should end for a belief that is false made up in ur head. you will destroy ur self and everyone else that loves you pleaase reach out and ask for help it is out there and please dont do what my friend did i promise you you will b looking down n shame once you realize that you didnt smell
You’re an idiot. This is obviously people venting about something that is real for them and doesn’t need it forced down their throats that it is all in their mind.
i to have this problem ive visited many doctors and pyschiatrist who tell me its in my head but my mom said sometimes i do smell but then got to embarassed and wont speak to me about it now ive also been tested for tmau and that came bk negative pls if neone knows how i can be tested for this or of any other conditions pls help
I have a shower every morning before I go to school and I also use deodrant&perfume, but when I get too school I feel like I smell, I feel like people around me are trying to hold there nose or something, I’m not sure if they do or not, I don’t really wanna look because it’ll make me feel even worse but it does look like they are sort of in the corner of my eyes. Sometimes people in school spray perfume and it makes me feel 100 times worse, but I can never smell anything bad. It’s weird though because I only feel like I smell when I’m at school, unlike when I’m out of school I never think about it, it really gets me down and makes me want to leave school…
I have the same thing! When I’m not in school I feel fine but when I go to school I think people can smell me. There is this guy and he’s not super close to me but he sits behind me. He keeps making jokes about gentitals and taking showers only when I’m around. People still hug me and tell me I don’t smell but other times there are people who say it smells bad when I’m around or won’t get close to me. I have a lot of friends and they never seem to have reactions when I’m around. I can’t smell anything on my clothes or anything. I have digestive problems but they are calming down. I’m constantly thinking about how I smell and it’s ruining my life. I have been told I smell good but only after I ask if I smell ok. I just want to smell good and know it.
I’m not sure if I have this problem or I really do smell. It all started 3 to 4 months ago after I overcame a cold (blocked nose) ever since then I feel like I smell, it started off not too bad like I felt like I did smell (just not as much) I shower alot because of it, but even after my shower I smell. I avoid all situations of being around people and stuff because I fear they too smell me and It’s like they do, I stopped going to school for months because of it, I have breakdowns because of it alot. But I have anxiety, which may trigger it, but me ‘smelling’ has really triggered my anxiety and caused my depression, I cut myself because of it, and I want to commit suicide, all because I smell, I just want it to go away. It’s ruined my life and I can’t take it anymore.
Kay, please dont kill yourself over something silly. I know what it feels like believe me, I got bullied in school for 5 years everyday because people said I smelt of B.O, I do sweat alot under my arms and I have done for several years now.
What is it you think you smell like?
I think I may have this syndrome but im unsure, I also think I have bad breath, b.o and smelly feet
x
Kay, I don’t know u but I liv u! Even if u really do smell id go anywhere with u because you r just like me human. The thought of u hurting ur self hurts me solo bad. Please don’t! REMEMBER WE LUV U!
As a person who had this problem when I was a teenager (look at older comments) I recommend talking to someone you really trust & see what they say. Also please get help through some kind of therapy. Therapy wasn’t really available to me because it was the early 60’s & people didn’t go to therapy then like they do now. But I talked to my mom & she told me I didn’t smell, & I knew she would do something if I did (I trusted her). But then I had to tell my self over & over again for months (whenever the idea that I smelled) that I didn’t smell. It’s hard work but getting over this is achievable. This is such a gut wrenching problem I implore everyone with this condition to get help.
but i dont know if i really smell, because i CAN smell something, mum said i didnt but i only asked once i think she said it to make me feel better. i went to the doctors they didnt detect anything. im off again today i really need some hope.
Show your mom this blog. This blog shows how serious this problem is. You can trust your mom to help you. If you really smelled she would help you do something about it. Whether you believe your mom or not on whether you smell you need to go into therapy. With help you can conquer this problem.
mums read it, still not sure if i really smell.
cant live like this anymore.
Kay–Your mom needs to take you to a doctor, who needs to get you into therapy. If you can’t afford a doctor go to an emergency room and tell them you are thinking about giving up because of this problem. People can help you. If you had a life threatening heart condition you would go to the doctor. This is the same. PLEASE GET HELP. This problem is solvable. Plus the sooner you start getting help the sooner you can stop suffering and start having a better life. I will pray for you.
this problem makes me think that my hair smells and my skin i go crazy why does this happen to me. i shower everyday i put a lot of perfum and i shower myself 2 to 3 times. At home i dont smell it except at school or when i am near strange people. well i asked my mother, but she smelled nothing. she told that my hair smells nice its realy weired it makes feel hopeless and in a loss but never mind i will look forward to solve this problem which have been following me for a month but will not make me surrender and u to people with this problem think right and never give up.
Is anybody else with this disorder convinced that they hear comments about their odour from other people?
I went into the canteen the other day and someone was talking and said “smelly”. I just picked up that word and was convinced they were discussing me. Then I walked in on another guy’s conversation who was talking about how he worked in a shop and a lady came in with BO and again, I thought he’d got onto talking about it because they’d started discussing me.
Strangely though, there have been times where I know it was in my head. I once went to a job interview and glanced around to see the interviewer opening a window. I became convinced it was because I’d stank out the room but I got the job. Again on a first date I was convinced I stank yet ended up having a relationship with her, so I just don’t know.
I’m thinking of going to the doctor but it seems like such an absurd thing to describe. Nobody has flat come up to me and said that I stink but I’m convinced that I do. I know it seems irrational sometimes. I’ve only ever had 2 relationships (thanks to massive anxiety) and neither girl raised BO as an issue so again, I dunno… maybe they would have if I did after being so close.
I have social anxiety and body image issues so I’m guessing it’s all tied in but there’s this massive doubt that says I do actually smell really bad.
When I had this when I was a teenager I was pretty convinced that people around me were talking about it. I also watched people and attributed things that they said or did to be in reaction to how I smelled. I know this is an embarrassing condition but if you go to a doctor or a therapist to work on it you will save yourself a lot of suffering and the sooner you go and work on this the sooner you will stop suffering.
i have been to the doctors heaps and then detected viatamen d defficent, but i think im going into therapy.
ladt two days ive felt more like myself, maybe because i couldnt smell anything, mum said i looked happier. i am, i just know this problem isnt going away. im telling myself the same thing over and over ‘you dont smell bad, you smell good’ not too sure if its working,
I have this same problem also. I dont lioe taking classes in college ecause of me smelling bad. I know that I smell bad because i hear comme ts from other people and also i notice a persons reaction about me smelling bad. But i do feel really bad abput this. I dont know what to do. I wish there could be some kind of cure for this. I have social anxiety too. Im thinking its related to all this. Idk. How will i ever make freinds, go to college, and even get married in the future? It is ruining my life. I had it for like 9 years. This is sooo sad for me. I will just have to
Pray and see if god will cure me :(.
You most definatly arent the only one. befrore i was put on medicine i was extremely anxious and people rubbing thier noses, or even looking at me might make me think they thought i smelled.
i am so much better now i can go to school, and do normal things with the help of medicine and doctors.
I feel like I have this condition or something similar. I feel like the inside of my nose stinks, my breath smells of mildew, urine, feet & poo. I feel like my armpits smell like cat urine & then it sticks to my clothes. After having clothes for a certain amount of time, they get this sharp, acidic odor not unlike rotting wood or leaves.
My husband says he’s never smelled me, though I have seen physical reactions of people when I speak or walk by. I even heard someone ask what smelled like cat pee? I have figured that part out atleast. I cannot use an antiperspirant, only a natural deoderant. But those wear off within hours, leaving a regular BO smell– so I still stink!! I have cut out coffee, onions & garlic. I am thinking of cutting out dairy & red meat.
My father has (what I believe) is a similar smell to him in the morning time. His old clothes smell like mine do. I am convinced that this is a real thing that I am suffering, and not a mental condition.
I have seen a Doctor, who tells me I do not smell, but did (in a roundabout way) confirm my bad breath. My dentist said she can’t smell anything & whatever it is is not dental related. I am going to see an ENT next week, I hope my breath can be resolved!! Then maybe I can find a natural supplement to take. I have heard of charcoal tablets & chlorophyll tablets to help. I wish there were doctors that specialized in body odor!!!!
I have never thought of killing myself over this, but it is having a huge effect on my life. I am becoming depressed over this, and shy away from getting into any situation where I have to speak in close confines. I’m tired of holding things over my mouth when I talk and scooting as far away as I can from people when I sit down!! I’m even thinking about finding a stay at home job just so I don’t have to stress out about it!! Pray for me!
Same issue here. I have had this issue since I was 18 now I’m 23. 5long years fighting to be normal as everyone else. Fighting for happiness. Fighting to be cured from this sickness… . When I was 18 I dropped out of school (12th grade year last samaster) I couldn’t take it no more.( I knew in my head that everyone in school was talking about me) I was one of the most popular girls in school & then one day all of my friends distance their selfs from me. I knew I stink. So i quit school! Went home layed in the bed sick for days… I couldn’t think about anything but this smell & why this was happening to me (by the way I thought I smelled like shit.)Anyways I went crazy began to take LOTS of showers. (when i took the shower like in 15mins i would take another one cause i could still smell shit) couldnt eat or drink anything… I layed in my bed for about 23days.., My family members were the worst they called my crazy. Made fun of me… Still to this day they say Im the crazy one in the family & that im not normal..My aunt wanted to amit me to a crazy home.( some ppls family is supportive & others aren’t ) so anyways after I layed in my bed for 23 days I lost about 40 pounds. I went from a 14 to a 2. Then one day This guy called my cell & ask if I wanted to go away with him on vacation( he didn’t even know what was happening to me) & I decided to go. I got up went to the mall and bought new clothes ( cause all my other clothes smelt like shit & were to big so I throw them away) Anyways I ended up at New York for a week. I would have relations with this guy just to see if I smelt bad & I guess I didn’t cause he went down on me everynight….. So then I realize that the shit was in my head.. I don’t smell! When I came back home from my trip I moved out of my familys house from them negative ppl in my family that liked making I smell like shit jokes.. I was starting over I moved to my own place. Went to summer school & graduated. Got a job and now I’m working & attending community college. . Yes everything is working out great now. BUT REMEMBER THIS- since I was traumatized by this it does come back to fuck with your brain once in a while.. This happens to me me about every three months. I call it the devil the devil try’s to attack my mind but I know that The devil is a liar.& his job description is to kill, steal & destroy. So when I’m attack I began to fight with the Amor of God! & I am victorious… So the next time your mind is being attack… Get ready to fight… Call on The Name of Jesus & begin to pray Don’t let this sickness take our life!!! Fight with your mind tell your self that it’s all in your head & believe it… Remember trust in the lord & may god bless all of us with the illness… Amen
After telling my sister about my problem she did some research and found this page. I have had this problem for about two years now. The problem I have is the same as everyone else here. I am convinced that I smell bad. VERY CONVINCED. This all began on my second semester attending university. The first semester was great, I was very social, and had a good amount of friends. My grades were good. Life was going well for me. At some point, at the beginning of my second semester everything went downhill. I started noticing people covering their nose when I was around. This did not happen only once. It happened every single day. On the bus no one would sit next to me. Someone would always talk about how something smelled really bad. I had to go through this for few months. It brought my self-esteem down so much that I ended up walking to my uni. from home(the walk was about 2-3hours long). Eventually I could not take it anymore. It was too embarrassing. I no longer had any friends at school. I felt so lonely. And I was too embarrassed to tell my family. I thought they would think I was crazy, which they did, because all they ever said was that it was all in my head. It was all too much for me. So much that I stopped going to school. I hate my life. I wanted to become a computer engineer and get a phd in AI but now that won’t be possible unless I find a fix. So many times I have thought about killing myself. I am scared as to what future awaits me. I have no job and I am not going to school. I tried going back but I could not handle it. I feel miserable. All the goals I had when I graduated from high school are now shattered. I wanted to be someone in life. Now I am a nobody. I never go out. When I do it is out of necessity. I asked all of those around me if I smell and they said they could not smell anything. But everyone else seems to be able to smell it. All my friends from high school think I am a jerk for never hanging out with them anymore (I have not told and probably won’t ever because it’s too embarrassing). I need help. We all do. Everyone of us here. I wish there was an easy fix. But I have not found a single solution. I live my everyday in fear. Like I said, sometimes I want to kill myself. Other days I want to fight it. I do not know what to do. My parents and my girlfriend were not much help. I do not think they took it too seriously. My girlfriend believes me even though she says she does not smell anything. She understands that I am going through a tough time but she says she doesn’t know how much more she can take. We never go out. When we hang out, it is always at my home. I feel like a bad boyfriend. Before I would take here everywhere and did so many fun and amazing things with her. Now I am close to losing her. 🙁 Not only her but myself and everyone else too. I do not know what to do. I shower at least 3 times a day but it does not help. I try to be as clean as possible but it does not help either. I am giving it till the end of this year to find a solution. I can’t live my life like this anymore. If can’t find a solution I would rather not live at all. Sometimes I wish I would just die in some accident. But I don’t want to be selfish to my loved ones. That is the only reason I am still alive. I do not want to hurt any of them. 🙁 Someone help me please. I really need help. I NEED IT BADLY AND SOON. I hope all of you can find a solution to this problem. It sucks a lot. Only WE understand it. No one else seems to. Share whatever you find because there that really need a solution or even some hope . . .
I have had this problem ever since High School. It comes and goes, but never truly leaves. I think it is partially an OCD disorder, but lately I believe it is something else entirely and am interested in your thoughts. In essence, I think that when your body has too much bad bacteria or yeast, that you your mind (subconsciously) knows this and is trying to tell you. This bad bacteria or yeast make you feel dirty. Sometimes you can smell it yourself…it’s like dirty feet or cheese or something. Even if you shower every day you smell it, even if no one else does. I think that if you take antibiotics for any reason that the good bacteria in your body will be destroyed and the bad bacteria or yeast will grow. Also…if you brush your teeth with Colgate Total, which has Tricolsan (a substance that acts like an antibiotic) bad bacteria will grow in your body. This bad bacteria and yeast is recognized as wrong by your body and sends signals to your brain. When I stopped using Colgate Total and other antibiotcs, starting taking probiotics every day and also used antifungals like Difucan, I started feeling less like I smelled. It’s still there, but definitely a lot better.
Hi,
I have ORS and i have been prescribed medicine that has helped me go to school, see my family, talk to people without worrying, i dont smell things anymore, and i am so grateful.
i am 15 and i know how dicapitating this disorder can be and I am willing to talk to anyone who has this becaus i know how depressed ANXIOUS and worried this syndrome/disorder makes people. Thanks for reading.
Michaela
I have ORS, I used to get teased at my old school, before i was diagnosed with something that actually emitted an odor, I took care of that. But now I constantly fear everyone at my school, and supposedly think I hear people talking about me. I’m not teased anymore, but I can’t get over it. I get put on 3 types of perfume every school day, I know it’s extreme but I can’t get over it! Its ruining my middle school life. I was told I should try anti depressants, not sure if that’s the best treatment though.
Hi I’m Ashley. Im here because i am an 18 year old who
sufered throughout hs because i believed i had an odor and still do… ive asked family members and of course they said i dont have one and im too affraid to ask anyone around. i also smoke cigarettes. but even before i starry smoking i emitted an odor.. im about to start college buti get uncomfortable around people. I’ve been to the doctor but people still don’t want to sit near me or they give me dirty looks. i want to be over this. it causes me high anxiety and makes me sweat and every Odyssey knows stress sweat is the worst. i shower everyday and brush my teeth.. i need help from anyone.
thank you
But i have a question, what if you know for a fact that you smell bad because other people have been extremely passive agressive at times or refer to you as “that girlwho stinks all the time” and. when you’re in gym class, everyone tries to avoid you and when people walk past you they give comments l ” UHHH, SHE SMELLS SO BAAD!!!” And it ruins your whole day knowing that no matter what you do, your social life is ruined and you can’t make fr iends with certain people because they’d ridicule you and drive you to the point of depression again? And you just can’t help your hyperhidrosis and your stinky smell that you carry? Andyou barely want to go out anymore because you’ll have to deal with people snickering and holding their noses in discust when you walk by, may i just ask what this is then? Because it sure as hell isn’t just in my head
I agree with ip, this problem is misunderstood by this definition that it’s all in your head. Modern social sciences assess the symptoms, the effects, without the causes and how to fix these problems in the world, and it’s disgusting, they don’t actually care about you. It’s very easy to just observe what’s going on in someone’s head on a base level and just leave it at that without asking ‘why’ or finding the true psychology of it. You won’t find the true psychology and get to the bottom of the issue by just giving a shallow observation of the symptoms and writing it down on a little pad.
I wouldn’t be surprised if I have this general condition the worst out of anyone who’s posted here, I’m even embarrassed to write it here. I’m not someone married to a spouse or dating, someone who has all the components of a normal life but an affliction starting to get in the way. No, I started off with low self-esteem, introverted and an inferiority complex and plummeted from there in high school. I could never change because I could never find the confidence, belief or ability to; I couldn’t just be myself and move on in the present moment, because I was always in line with the past and how the world already saw me, in the state I already was, and the mental mistakes I made became who I was, and tore me down further instead of me learning from them (which was a main mistake).
I would already sweat at school when I was nervous and one day when my brother and I were in a fight, he used it as ammo, the prick, and told me I smelled like shit on the bus every day. I think I might have started thinking about it more and fearing it at that point, but like I said, I would already sweat out of nervousness and there were deep-set preexisting problems and mindset, and my condition also worsened as everyone around me was maturing and changing for the better and I wasn’t. 2nd semester 10th grade year started getting bad, feeling more and more insecure socially. I started sweating and smelling in class, one class in particular, the memory of which is seared into my brain. Then the next school year I had all this worry and apprehension built up around myself, about how I was going to handle this year (I remember thinking ‘this year is going to destroy you’), I started freaking out going into new classes, just being in class and went downhill in an endless cycle of self-destruction – hating and punishing myself mentally for smelling around people, sinking myself even lower, while dreading smelling again and not being able to let go of the past (and how people then saw me), a fear and unease that actualized more sweat and smell, which then caused more self-destruction and re-enforcing the pattern until it was burned into my mind, something I dread/expect and actualize. I’ve had this problem for about 2 years, since my 11th grade year in 2012 (not counting the triggering class 2nd semester 10th grade) and the following summer when I couldn’t get away from what had happened that year and the problems pushed their way into virtually every part of my life. I surely have one of the worst cases out of everyone who has had this; I’m now at a point where the fear and dread of smelling around people is so great that I’ve injured myself absent-mindedly by basically using my muscles as stress balls. I ruptured my right bicep a few months ago, and strained my right hamstring recently. It’s ridiculous, I have to change. If I smell around people then fine, they can shove it, I won’t let any part of my body ever be injured again.
I am the mother of a son in his 20s who is socially isolated because he feels that he smells bad and that other people avoid him because of his smell. He does NOT smell.
He took recreational drugs and alcohol to excess in his late teenage years and had a paranoid episode from which he appeared to recover. He then developed obsessions about cleanliness, showering, his teeth and breath and exercising. His behaviors had a detrimental effect on all of our family’s health.
His belief that he smells came to my attention a few months ago. He refuses to meet me or his family because of the smell. He is living alone on benefits now. I have tried our General Practitioner (doctor in the UK)for help but because my son is an adult and not a danger to himself or others I have been told he cannot be forced to get help. He has refused psychological help because he believes that the smell is real.
Is there anything that I can do to help him?
Thank you for this Blog, now i know that this kind of thinking really exist and i am not the only one who feels this way, i’ve asked even my dentist if my breath smell bad and she laughed at me and say no, I am so relieved, here is a trick that i did when i’m really psyched with this condition, i go to a bar with my closest friends and try to hang out with people, at first it was hard but 2 to 3 weeks you will get back some of your self confidence, then now i have found this now i know it’s only in the mind.. I Love You Blogger:D
My sister suffers from this. It breaks my heart she is beautiful and she always smells lovely. I dont know what to do,I have to constantly tell her that she does not stink. When we go to the mall or shop I can see the how it affects her. We are in South Africa and she have been to the dentist and her medical doctor. All they did was just confirm that she does not smell but she does not believe them. She does not have any friends anymore. Just her family. She mentioned that she wanted to commit suicide but I told her she must not think like that. I am so afraid that her condition worsens. Someone out there please help. Even a refferal to a Dr. in South Africa would be heaven sent.Thank you so much
My daughter had this for almost 2 years, she could not go to school and ended up doing home school. Which she was in the gifted program and is extremely intelligent. She even graduated a year early, but has had anxiety and social issues which are still getting better everyday as she gets older. But my main comment here is that this occurred after she overdosed on a Rx of an anti-depressant. Which in my own health and issues found out that Serotonin Syndrome can occur in an overdose of serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which symptoms can include olfactory disillusions. I think that certain drugs out there are being over prescribed and causing more harm than help. I understand there are tons of people with issues that need help with. We were one of them but I am not in belief that the outcome was overall the best outcome. I had never been told about ANY conditions caused from overdosing or any other syndromes or real conditions with the Olfactory, was just told numerous times she was OCD or had mental issues. Well I don’t believe so. Not enough Dr.s are concerned about the side effects of theses drugs.
I have had this disorder for about 5 years now and it has destroyed my life. I have examined a number of medical diseases it could be with similar symptoms, but they have came back negative. I am resigned to the fact that it is mental but cannot believe I could produce such odors. I also smell them quite often, daily. When I am around other people, it intensifies. I have been bullied at work, and most all others say they cannot smell it which has left me confused for years. I hope more doctors investigate this because I do not have a good quality of life. Thanks for letting me share.
I have had ocd or ors for about 40 years. I went to Butler to have experimental surgery for ocd but they said they thought it might be ors. I had a problem in grade school. Although I tried every deodorant on the market, I smelled bad. That problem seems to go away. However, my grandmother told me I stunk. I don’t know if that was before or after. Two years after high school I developed ocd. I spray alcohol on myself and things if I think they smell. I am VERY afraid of homeless people, garbage men and mechanics because I think they smell. I go through 1-4 bottles of rubbing alcohol a week. Sometimes more. I carry it with me wherever I go.
i have had passed experiences from the very age i started reaching puberty and having a bad body odor, due to this i am constantly paranoid that i stink. im scared washing my clothes in the washing machine as i think it would smell, so i just wash it with drinking water i buy from the shop, (sry ppl in Africa) i feel like theres this weird BO smell following me everywhere. i smell it so it cant be in my head. ppl would sit next to me and then would move away from me in the bus. but when i get off they would sit back to where they moved from. ive had suicidal thoughts for many years. suffered moderate depression becuz of this. i wish i could die, i sometimes smoke so i can get cancer.
My family think im crazy when i tell them that i smell bad everyday. Whenever im at school or in a public place, I always get the feeling that people are talking about me on how i smell bad, or they’ll start laughing because i stink. I feel like I’m going crazy, because the way that “IM thinking” my social life has been ruined. But ive noticed that whenever people are around me they will rub their nose like non-stop, and that makes me very uncomfortable/nervous, and I start to sweat like crazy and i get very nervous. But i ask my family, cousins, and friends if I smell bad and they will give me the same response “No”. But i feel like I still do and I get many suicidal thoughts and it scares me. I dont want to kill myself just because i think this way. there are people that can be very cruel in this society. Is there any place that I should go to stop this way of thinking?
Go to your doctor, i wish i did years ago, and keep telling yourself everyday and everytime you think some1 is talking or acting as if you smell, that you don’t smell! It is really hard and took along time for me to believe myself but just keep doing it. I urge you to go to doctors and wish i had aswell.
I am in my thirtees and it only happened to me in late 20s. Its worst feeling in the world thinking that every1 including your close friends and family think you smell bad, it drove me nuts and i felt suicidle through it sometimes because no matter what i did like shower or change clothes i still thought people thought i smelled bad. I was paranoid about every little action that some1 did and got it in my head that it was because i smell. me and my friends are extremely close and can tell each other anything and i used to ask them all the time if i smelled and they always say no but i wouldnt believe them and would say you only saying no because you are my mate. If 1 mate was talking to me and turned away i would think it was because of me and ask if my breath stunk to which there reply would be no. I must have done their heads in because everytime i would go out with them i would constantly ask and smell myself. They used to tell me to go to dr about it but i never would because i was too embarressed and thought i did actually stink. I stopped going out as much and would make up excuses to not go out because of it and being alone atleast no1 could smell me. Except at work that is. I used to go to work and i consider my work mates friends but every day i couldnt stand them coming to close to me incase they could smell me and again any slight reaction i would presume was because of my smell. At 1 point i was going that crazy about it (how crazy is this) i thought it might be an evil spirit following me and making bad smells around me so that i couldnt smell it. Although i was that paranoid sometimes i did think i got a wiff of something. I thought i was the only person in world this had happened to and only found this thread by chance! For the last year or so i have managed to control my thoughts by just telling myself everyday that i don’t smell and eventually i started to believe myself, although now I know Im not the only ever person I wish I went to dr. A long time ago and could have saved me years of torturing myself. I still do get the odd lapse normally if I have had a drink and in a pub full of people and I have asked my mates once or twice since but they just look at me now and i know I dont and I just say sorry for asking (although they aren’t bothered about me asking they just know i already know the answer) and tell myself that I don’t although it is hard sometimes. 1 time when i was really paranoid about it I asked my mate when we were out and he ended up taking me to different parts of the pub to random people and just putting me in front of them and saying excuse me does he smell and the random people all said no, infact 1 said I smelled nice (excessive deoderant and aftershave). this tactic might seem harsh but it worked he aslo said you have to start telling yourself that you dont smell and i cant thank him enough because i did start telling myself that
my name is jamie i have suffered with this since i was 21 im 38 now its not always a problem its reoccurring. I feel like i smell of poo or urine and i shower put on massive deodorant perfumes and lotin. But heres the thing thats diffrent with me then most unless there are others out there tgat our like me. If there is please reply. I feel that after I shower the bad smell is intensifie. I can actually smell good smells like soap shampoo and bleach so powerful that it physically hurts and my head feels like it will explode my brain tells me the good smells are actually causing the bad smells i currently had to quit my job because i was constantly feeling like people were talking about me smelling bad and i didnt want them hating me or them firing me but they swore to me it was not real it just feels so real i take effexor its not working i go back to the doctor which says i dont smell this tuesday but i think she lies i have a hard time believing anyone when they tell me its not real even my close family and best of friends i could really use some advice and a friend right now please help me
Hi Everyone,
I see all of your stories and they seem all to familiar because I to battle this very sad obsession. I’ve lost jobs over it, stayed out of public, no longer communicate with family, and finally the big one, fight with my spouse. I am glad there is others who have this issue. Although, I am still uncertain if its an illusion or real. Girls were bullying at my old job about my odor and instead of quitting i stayed and it was mental torture. Anxiety, panic attacks, Prior to this I had never had such an issue. Now 3 years later, I cant hold a job, meet new people, and I am getting desperate to resolve this. I’ve bought books, programs, and went to therapy sessions for the last 3 years at least monthly, if not more. Ive had no luck. I cant believe how negatively this has impacted my bright and chipper spirits. Can someone please, please tell me if anything has worked for them. CBT, medications, acupuncture. Anything helps
Hello all,
I posted last about two years ago and I’m back with an update. First, I still believe I stink sometimes, but my theories have changed. My biggest reaction from people had always been nose rubbing. Almost like I induce an allergic reaction in people. It flares up after eating dairy, meats, sugars and alcohol. (all the fun stuff, right?) Along with this disorder, there is another called PATM. Look it up as these things are similar. I still can’t get a doctor, dentist, naturopath, family member, friend or stranger to admit that I smell. I feel like it’s just too embarrassing/rude to tell someone that to their face. (I still believe they are lying) My husband, PTL he is still with me, is so frustrated by this. I don’t want to go anywhere. If I do I have to do my whole routine first. There are no “leave the house in the morning and have a full day” without changing my shirt, washing my armpits and cleaning my mouth out at least three to five times a day.
I keep thinking: “I’m smart. I’m not crazy. How can I be having such insane thoughts?!” I’ve researched body language, psychic projection, demonic attacks, candida yeast infections, leaky gut syndrome, blood borne body odor, TMAU, PATM, diverticulitis of the esophagus, cancer odors… The list goes on! Anything that I can take to a professional somewhere… I still can’t seem to get a confirmation, to my face, that I stink. So I will have these days where I’m confident, happy…then someone (usually a teenage boy, small child, or mentally challenged person) will comment loudly in my general vicinity. Yesterday, a lady loudly asked “someone died over here! Phew!l” while I was shopping in a large, mostly empty store. I had been in the aisle for a while when they approached. It’s not unusual for people to react to me from several feet away. Even people in their cars, with their windows rolled up!! Nose running, coughing, sneezing… I’m so hypersensitive to it that I can’t help but look for reactions!!
I look enviously at commercials of friends snuggled up in a couch, or people going on road trips together. Going out dancing used to be fun for me… Now I can’t even consider it. It’s just so embarrassing! The hardest thing is that I used to be so good with people. I can’t workoutside the home anymore as an office job was so mentally stressful for me I was in tears everynight. Plus, who’s excited about being “the crazy one” in the family? Or the friend that “needs reassurance” and never goes anywhere.Or the woman who practically has an anxiety attack if she has to stand in line.. I miss church, reading to my neices with them on my lap, hugging people, talking with my head held up, sitting on the beach without thinking the couple that’s just downwind didn’t just move all their chairs and stuff 20 feet back to get out of the direct line of my smell… Writing it all down I feel even more insane!!
I don’t have an answer for you. I’m sorry I’m just not there yet. Natural products seem to help the most with control, however. The best deodorant for me is washing my armpits in rae apple cider vinegar BEFORE showering.. Then using dr. Brohmers Castille soap as my soap. Always shave the armpit hair. Apply a natural,essential oil deo that I make myself. This is the longest lasting thing routine I’ve found. Brushing your teeth, tounge, mouth out with baking soda and using a diliuted tea tree oil as mouthwash and chewing parsely have been the most effective with bad breath.
As I said earlier– dairy, alchohol, red meat and sugar are to be avoided… But be careful because not eating 90% of the things in the grocery store can be depressing too!!! I have to Excersice regularly, take good probiotics, copper chlorophyllin concentrate, drink lots and lots of water, and take a bentonite clay/activated charcoal pill at night to keep me regular. Look up emotional release therapy too as the stress of this can be just as bad as reactions from people. Finally, and this is a strange way to witness, this had brought me much, much closer to God. I mean, I’m by myself most of the time, you know? So I started talking to Him about it. I have to pray everyday that I won’t smell, or think I smrll, and if someone reacts to me, then I won’t assume it’s me. It has helped. I have people from anonymous prayer lines pray over me and that helps me too. It is a fight, I tell you. If this is indeed in my head, and I don’t smell (even though my father smells a little and people react to him too), then I think it’s a spiritual attack of some kind. People sense, without knowing it, that you are in a negative place and their bodies physically react to it. Maybe it is a demon following you around… If you are in Christ, you have the power to command it away. And it works. Anyway, after reading all that and if you still want to talk: my email is: [email protected]
I would love to hear from someone who also suffers with this. Thanks all. I’m praying for every one of you! Don’t give up! Don’t end it! You are a strong person! Believe on the Lord and He will save you!!
This article really sucks because I’m left feeling like I always do about my life. On one hand, I had enough wherewithal to type into google “I think I smell bad” and when it auto filled I felt some relief but have yet to read about a solution. I’ve been on lamictal abilify Wellbutrin countless anxiety meds and currently: lexapro zyprexa and lorazepam. I’ve constant suicidal thoughts due in part to this affliction and avoid social gatherings in close quarters. Especially in a movie theater. It seems like people that live around me can’t smell anything odd, but in public I see with my eyes people making an effort to cough or hold their hand over their noses and whispering to each other. This makes me think my family must just be “used to it”. Which makes sense why I can’t smell myself. It feels like it just emits from me. Then I think all this paranoia might even be the cause. Because I sometimes begin to sweat or start breathing more rapidly. Then other times I think I’ve tried too hard to mask the smell. There’s no way out it seems. It’s making me a bad friend and socially inept and reclusive. Something that pains me deeply because I love people and when I’m feeling confident (rarely) people seem to love me. But my ability to be comfortable is decreasing more and more and more. It’s the worst feeling because as a rule, you know you can’t really smell yourself but why would I smell if I shower constantly with ample body scrub and wash my clothes so often but I know body language and people will tend to drift away from me when getting too close but I could have a piece of gum and a mint in my life with a bushel of strawberries up my perfectly shaved bum with just the right amount of the best smelling cologne there is and it wouldn’t matter. Now who in the world could live like that? No one wants a smelly partner and if you’re not “accustomed” to me and my smell/affliction already, you will probably never GET to know me because I lock myself away as much as possible. My girl of six years left me for another guy (unrelated… I think) so how am I supposed to get out there and meet someone new? And just like everyone else in here, I got no solutions. Nor have I read any sense of hope or resolution.
This started about a week ago. I was sitting on a table with people that i just met at the time. Then the conversation turned into one where we were talking about people who smell in the mornings while on trains. I didn’t pay much mind to it but then a guy who was sitting right next to me stated “the worst is when the person doesn’t even know that they smell” At first i agreed because I am aware of the fact that people can get use to their own smell, but then I started overthinking. From right after when that convo ended I started to closely watch this guys movements when around me. At one point he actually stood up to “strech” but it lasted for way too long. After that day I started to think about making sure i put on extra perfume even though I put them on regularly in the first place. However, it was since a day ago that I started to get really paranoid about my smell. My clothes and armpits smell great when I smell them but when I was helping a customer in a fitting room (I work in customer service)they didn’t notice this, but there are mirrors everywhere in the fitting rooms and as I passed her, I saw her look at her daughter with a big frown on her face and when I turned to her after seeing this, her face went back to normal as if nothing happened and thanked me for helping her out. Luckily, I’m kind of a confident person. I am new at the workplace, but if I’m paronoid, I don’t hesitate to ask a coworker if I smell. I’ve probably asked about 5 different practically strangers (Again I’m new so I don’t even know their names) if I smell and they have all said no. But what throws me off at times is when they offer me spray right after saying no. Its weired, but as you can tell from previous commenters, we do tend to overthink actions and not trust peoples words. After this, I went to the toilets, cried my poor heart away and used my red eyes as an excuse of being sick and left work early because I basically had a anxiety attack and every time i’d leave the toilet to go back on the shop floor, I’d well up all over again and go back to the toilets to cry some more :/
The reason why I first started feeling this way initially was because I use to be bullied for my smell back in college (in the UK which is from 16 years old to 18) But back then I actually knew I smelled because I wasn’t the most hygenic person and I admit to that. Even then I knew i smelled so at least I was compleatly aware of what was going on so I was aware of how to sovle the problem. Now? Not so much. Again, I think I smell good but in my mind, peoples actions around me make me think other wise. I’m sure I am not the only one who hears the “shh” sound and thinks that someone said the word “smell” and in turn trips themselves out even more. At the same time due to this I douse myself in perfume and the fact that I over apply can be where the smell comes from because too much of perfumes do tend to become overpowering in a bad way. Anyways, I do feel a lot better after typing here and reading other peoples experiences. Its life and shit happens I guess. Just be aware that life could be a lot worse and you’re not the only one suffering from this. I hope you all find a cure to this, whether it be mentally or physically.
So quick update. Not better. A lot worse. Now I believe that I may have TMAU as well as ORS. I am on a very restrictive diet. I probably eat less than 500 calories a day at this point because there is only so much you can eat on a TMAU diet. I am trying to get tested but my GP isn’t really doing anything to get me the test mostly because I don’t think he believes me.
2 weeks ago, I finally told my family and close friend about my situation. They all say that they don’t smell anything and that it is “all in my head” but I must admit, they are supportive. My sister researched and went ahead and bought me some activated charcoal and chlorella. I have started taking digestive enzymes, probiotics, liquid chlorophyll, the lot. But what’s the use in all this if I still don’t know whether I’ve got TMAU or ORS.
When I read diagnosed TMAU sufferers stories, they tend to get extreme responses from the public. I have only had one situation that was quite extreme but that was only one time. Around that time, I ate a large pepperoni pizza with garlic butter and buffalo hot wings with chocolate brownies. later on that night I went out and had a lot of alcohol. the next day I was stationary after being hungover but the day after was when I went out and stood in line at a hospital and that’s where I got the extreme reactions of people moving away from me, fanning their noses and standing far away in line from me. I was sweating a lot at the time and it was probably the first time I sweated since the binge I had 2 days before. I couldn’t smell myself even after all this. I smelled like my perfume. That’s when I really started thinking that I had TMAU.
Other than that incident I haven’t really experience a lot of things but my paranoia has gone through the roof. I haven’t left my house all month and I deliver all of my food so that I do have to be around people. I have started to go out more again bit by bit but even if someone is talking with a friend and starts laughing, I literally shut down and go deep into my negative thoughts.
I really want to meet up with people who have this because we really do need the moral support for each other. I am from London btw and I’m 20 years old.
In olfactory reference syndrome, people are preoccupied with the belief that they give … it believe that they have an offensive body odor even though they do not.
I have recently found myself looking for information on this subject again. In the years past, I couldn’t find any. My brother committed suicide in 1995. He believed he had a indescribable odor with him at all times. He went to doctors and recieved prescriptions for creams and did everything under the sun to get rid of it. He showered constantly, bought new underclothes every other week and threw the old ones out, and would use almost a whole roll of toilet paper every time he had a bowel movement. It became so bad, that if you had your back to him, and he couldn’t see your face, he believed he would hear you saying out loud that he stank, even though it wasn’t true. He would suddenly become extremely agitated after he thought he had heard one these comments. It began to effect his job, and all his relationships. I convinced him he needed to see a doctor. He told me he couldn’t make the appointment and he wanted me to make it for him. I agreed, but didn’t get the appointment made fast enough. It helps to know now, that this is a condition now being recognized.
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