I think I'm Germophobic. Constantly worrying. Any Advice?

[bicyclejunk]

I'm just realizing that I may have a problem. I'm 28

 

I have a habit of washing my hands a lot. Whenever

I go to a restaurant, I always excuse myself to wash my hands

before I eat. Cuz in my weird brain, I think: Okay, I haven't washed my

hands since I left the house and since then I opened the gated doors of my

apartment, the garage door, opened the restaurant door, So therefore....

I have germs on my hands.

 

- I never eat with my hands, without washing them first.

- I feel weird after shaking someones hand, like I have to wash them.

- I always wash my hands are clean before sex, cuz i'm afraid of getting anything

dirty on my girl's private areas.

- I don't mind sharing drinks, forks, toothbrushes with my girl, I think nothing of it. But

I would never share with a friend or my own mom, sister unless it was life and death etc etc.

- When I was a kid and the AIDS epidemic came out, I remember being really scared

and would open doors with napkins and was afraid of germs at school and one time

my mom used a pen out of my back pack and I freaked(thinking that my mom should

wash her hands because she could have germs on her hands from my pen which

i used at school).

 

I was fine for many many years. Totally cool, didn't think nothing about germs. I overcame my fears.

It wasn't until i caught a mild case of MONO a 3 years back that I again Freaked Out and became

a germ freak in my adult life.

 

I'm okay. I operate normally in other areas of my life, I just want to find some peace with this dumb

problem I have.

 

Anyone else like this?????

[poister]

Sounds like low grade obsessive compulsive personality disorder (a milder form than plain old obsessive compulsive disorder). I don't personally experience this, but I had an ex who had to line up her Chapstick, rings, lighter, etc. just *so* on the bedside table every night or she couldn't sleep. Also, she would only pick up the phone on odd rings - so if she got to it when it had rang twice, she would wait until it rang again. She had some other little quirks too, but was overall not too affected - more annoyed by the inconvenience than anything else.

 

Do you think you have similar behaviours in other facets of your life?

[bicyclejunk]

Yeah I mean, I know I have other quirks... And I Know they can

be annoying because, They even annoy me. I'm super picky about food,

about how my shirts fit about my nails. I go crazy If my nails aren't

trimmed. I once rented a x rated movie once....I don't do it often, but

I did it a few times. Anyway, I rented one and later on I freaked out

because I thought about the last person who must of rented this movie

and if they were touching themselves and if they washed their hands or

did the video have gross germs on it and Now I'M touching it. Silly

stuff like that.

 

 

 

I just need to learn how to relax. But how do I do it? I used to be so

carefree and I see my girlfriend who eats and licks her fingers while she's

eating or will take a taste of her girlfriend's drink and think nothing of it.

 

Why am I such a freak? My girl notices this stuff about me and I hate that I;m like this.

[whichwayisup]

Well my rule of thumb is I wash my hands before I eat.

I wash my hands whenever I come home, if I've been outside doing whatever; shopping, corner store, just out and about.

 

These days with superbugs (In my case being in Toronto, SARS) we all are just very careful. Better safe than sorry I say.

- I always wash my hands are clean before sex, cuz i'm afraid of getting anything

dirty on my girl's private areas.

 

You are very VERY considerate!! Some guys don't bother but it is important to keep hands and finger nails clean if they're gonna be going in places if you know what I mean...

 

So you have some quirks...We all do. I wouldn't worry too much about it unless you find it is interferring in daily life.

 

Hope this helps.

[moimeme]

obsessive compulsive personality disorder (a milder form than plain old obsessive compulsive disorder).

 

Actually, the two are very different and OCPD is a much more difficult disorder that has nothing to do with germs, etc.

 

If you want treatment, you'll need to see a physician. You may need counselling and even meds. OCD can be treated successfully, but doesn't have a good track record of working just by you trying to fix it.

 

If you want to know more, check out websites devoted to OCD

 

http://www.ocfoundation.org

 

http://www.ocdonline.com/

[Beth]

Washing your hands before you eat is always a good idea, IMO. Same with sex. Maybe if you learn more about germs different germs and how they are transmitted it would help you alleviate some of your fears. Probably the most common 'germ' is for colds or flu and washing your hands before touching them to your face or eating utensils can help reduce the chance of you catching something.

 

Being obsessive about it can lead to a phobia or phobia-like behavior about hygiene. I think about Howard Hughes and how he wouldn't even touch anything in his own home without a mask or without wearing gloves. That is too much.

 

You survived Mono, obviously, what is the worst thing you think you could catch by sharing some germs? The odds of it being something life-threatening are slim. If your overall health is good and your immune system is functioning normally then you don't have anything to worry about.

 

If you study a little on this and still feel that you have a problem then get some counseling to help you work through this. Just recently I saw a commercial for some kind of anti-bacterial lotion that people can carry with them to use when they can't get to a sink and soap to wash their hands. Its not an uncommon 'fear' at all. I wonder if all the media hype about germs and cleanliness is adding to your fears.