Do You Have Germ Phobia?

From the time we are kids, getting filthy is something that is almost a pass time. Our parents try to keep us and our clothes clean in vain, because after washing our hands numerous times, we gather ourselves and go right away back to our dust piles. As we grow older, the fascination of playing with dirt is often left behind and we live our lives with a renewed common sense of cleanliness. For several people, however, a germ phobia prevents normal life from happening. This germ phobia is also called mysophobia and can be directly linked with a fear of filth.

Mysophobia is a lot more than only being scared of microbes. Germ phobia is the intense fear of dirt that might contain microbes or cause a contamination. The person has a germ phobia can often be seen washing their hands over and over again, in order to get rid of any microbes they have come into contact with.

When the germ phobia was first recognized, it was incorrectly associated with the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder need to wash the hands over and over again. OCD and mysophobia do demonstrate some of the same characteristics however they are separate in many senses, as well. The person who suffer from OCD feels a compulsion to wash their hands for the plain act of washing their hands. They can repeatedly be seen washing the hands for a a small period of time or a certain amount of times per day. A person who suffers from germ phobia, on the other hand, will be cleaning their hands to remove the germs, both visible and not visible.

A germ phobia can be more harboring to every day life than many other forms of phobia due to the invisible nature of germs. The perceived germ in germ phobia can be picked up from anywhere and everywhere and thus the feared microbe is all around the person who suffers from this anxiety. With the advent of germicidal gels, the person who suffers from this anxiety can often be sopted using one of the many sterilization gels on a regular basis. The mysophobia sufferers will often carry bottles in their purses, pockets, cars and all over their homes.

A person with a germ phobia may keep himself away from public bathrooms, public restaurants and even the homes of acquaintances for fear that they will come in contact with germs in the air. They will clean their homes from top to bottom every day and will sterilize every part of the home religiously due to this mysophobia.

The illogical nature of germ phobia will cause the mysophobia sufferer to change their normal cycle of life around the need to remove germs from their surroundings at all times. The treatment for mysophobia includes therapy sessions and medications. With the right treatment, the mysophobia can be eradicated and the person can go about living life free from the intense fear of germs.