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Do You Have Intense Fear of Germs?

By Jerry L. Fobik

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

This mysophobia is not just being fearful of microbes it's a lot more. The fear of microbes is the fear of any substance that may contain microbes or infect the person in some way with a contamination. The person with a mysophobia can often be noticed washing their hands over and over again, in order to remove any microbes they have come into contact with.

When the mysophobia was first noticed, it was falsely linked with the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder need to wash the hands repeatedly. OCD and germ phobia do display some of the same characteristics nevertheless they are different in many senses, as well. The person with OCD feels a compulsion to wash their hands for the simple action of washing their hands. They can repeatedly be seen washing the hands for a a small period of time or a few times per day. A person who suffers from mysophobia, on the other hand, will be cleaning their hands to remove the microbes, both noticeable and not noticeable.

A germ phobia can be more harboring to every day life than many other forms of phobia due to the fact that microbes are invisible. The perceived germ in germ phobia can be picked up from everywhere and anywhere and thus the feared germ is all around the person who suffers from this phobia. With the arrival of germicidal gels, the germ phobia sufferer can often be observed making use of one of the many sterilization gels on a regular basis. The germ phobia sufferers will often carry bottles in their purses, pockets, cars and all over their homes.

A person with mysophobia 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 wash their homes from top to bottom every day and will sterilize every part of the home religiously due to their germ phobia.

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

Jerry Fobik is the author of http://10-most-common-phobias.com
Come to learn more about phobias and anxieties in http://10-most-common-phobias.com/anxiety

Mental Health