Do You Have Germ Phobia?

From the time we are kids, getting dirty is something that is almost a pass time. Our parents try to keep us and our clothes clean to no avail and after washing our hands numerous times, we gather ourselves and go right back to our dirt 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, however, a germ phobia prevents normal life from happening. This germ phobia is also referred to as mysophobia and can be directly connected with a fear of dirt.

A germ phobia is more than just being afraid of germs. Germ phobia is the fear of dirt that may contain germs or infect the person in some way with a contamination. The person with a germ phobia can often be seen washing their hands over and over again, in order to remove any germs they have come into contact with.

When the germ phobia was first recognized, it was falsely associated with the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder need to wash the hands repetitively. OCD and germ phobia do exhibit some of the same characteristics but are different in many senses, as well. The person with OCD feel a compulsion to wash their hands for the simple act of washing their hands. They can often be seen washing the hands for a certain amount of seconds or a certain amount of times per day. The germ phobia sufferer, on the other hand, will be washing their hands to remove the dirt, 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 germ is all around the mysophobe. With the advent of germicidal gels, the germ phobia sufferer can often be seen utilizing one of the many anti-bacterial gels on a regular basis. Germ phobia sufferers will often carry bottles in their purses, pockets, cars and all over their homes.

A person with a germ phobia may avoid public bathrooms, public restaurants and even the homes of people they know for fear that they will come in contact with germs in the space. They will clean their homes from top to bottom every day and will disinfect every part of the home religiously due to this germ phobia.

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

By: .JohnSmith.

Article Source: http://www.directorys.uniquearticles.info

More interesting Facts about The 10 Most Common Phobias in 10-most-common-phobias.com

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