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.
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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?
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….
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 aevanhorn@live.com
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
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
cuggery@gmail.com
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
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’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
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
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