Fear of Spreading Germs

[FreeMe]

Hey all,

I need a reality check. I have an immense fear of spreading germs to others. It takes me so long to get ready in the mornings because I have to get dressed in the proper order and wash my hands several times during the process in order to make sure that I minimize germ spread. This is prob gonna sound weird, but my latest fear is spreading germs after I use the restroom. I used to be like any normal guy and could goto the bathroom, zip up, buckle my belt, then wash my hands and not think twice about it. But, now after I goto the bathroom, I feel like I'm spreading germs onto my zipper and my belt before washing my hands. The next day, I feel like the germs are still on my belt when I go to put it on. So, after touching it, I feel like my hands are now contaminated and must be washed (or else I will spread the germs everywhere and to other people, and will feel like I did so on purpose). Anyway, should I truly be this concerned about spreading germs? If not, how can I get over this fear? Thanks for any help!

 

[tvang]

First of all I would like to say that I understand how you are feeling. It can be rather uncomfortable to suffer from what you have (OCD: germ related). I have something similar myself so believe me, I know how it feels. Secondly, there is a way of getting better. So don't loose hope.

The short term solution is to carry anti-bac gel but it will only make it worse for you in the long run as you will be avoiding the problem. So take the problem head on. This of course requires a lot of guts but at the end of the day it will be better for you. Contact your doctor and ask him to refer you to a psychologist with a lot of experience in this field. This psychologist will probably give you some anti anxiety pills (if you want them, sometimes they help) and combine it with flooding therapy. It's a therapy type where you are exposed to that which you are avoiding or something you are uncomfortable with but have to do in order to lead a "normal" life. It usually helps after a short period but the first few times you do it it will make you depressed. So, for the first few sessions you need to choose a time at which you feel on top of things in order to handle the situation.

I would also like to mention that as you haven't had this before and it came upon you suddenly then maybe you should assess your home/friendship situation. OCDs are usually triggered by problems in life. They can disappear by themselves when the family/personal problem is solved however it's not true for everyone.

And before I finish off...in the U.K they have this show where doctors travel around the U.K and help people with embarassing problems. On one of the episodes there was this old man whom had suffered from this problem a loooong time and after they helped him contact a psychologist he was cured of this problem. He regretted that he hadn't asked for help earlier as his OCD had limited they way he might have enjoyed his life.

I wish you good luck with recovery

 

[Feathers]

FreeMe, I can relate.

Tvang gave you some great advice. Stress can indeed trigger OCD or such.. Also bad nutrition, I wrote more about that in reply to Soniya's thread.

Also, you might ask yourself, do you have some specific diseases that might be problematic? (Like any possibilities for stds or such, sorry if this sounds a bit gross..) In that case you might want to get yourself checked with a doctor, it can really help.

Also, human urine was in 'the old days' used as 'antiseptic' - eg my Grandma said if kids fell and there was blood and there wasn't other means of sanitizing the wound, the instructions were to 'pee on the wound'. (I've seen this in a TV series too.) You may also double-check it online.

Can you just not wear a belt? The zipper can be washed if you wash your pants.

This can depend on how clean the toilets are too. If you're nervous you could ask the people cleaning what sort of detergents they use etc. And maybe double-check online..
Though I read even ordinary soaps can kill germs and are even better than 'anti-bacterial' stuff, because antibacterials just cause 'super germs' (they kill the mini germs that just build up the immune system and only the 'super-bad ones' survive..)
Some small amount of mini-germs are good because they help build our immune systems..

I am looking to learn more about the immune system too.. Maybe it could be helpful for you as well?