You were stockpiling Purell before it was trendy. Your kitchen has seen more cleaning than cooking. The thought of using a public bathroom makes you nauseated. Someone’s sick at work? Best not to even look in their direction. Sat on a public bench? Those same pants cannot sit on your bed.
Sound a little familiar?
Maybe your friends call you a “neat freak” or tease you for being too careful. Most of the time you play along, but lately you’ve noticed that it’s harder to laugh it off. Harder to fight the urge to stay indoors, harder not to scrub your hands to oblivion, and harder to keep the anxiety at bay.
Lately, you’ve been wondering if your germaphobia is getting the better of you.
What is Germaphobia?
Also called mysophobia, germaphobia is the excessive fear and/or obsession with germs, bacteria, and cleanliness. A germaphobe is someone who has a pathological fear of contamination–someone who will go to great lengths to avoid any potential contact with germs. Think of someone who has to change their outfit after coming home, otherwise their “outside” clothes may contaminate their house. Or someone who washes their hands obsessively after touching a doorknob.
These kinds of obsessive habits can significantly impact the quality of your daily life. While, yes, it’s normal to have some concern about germs (hello good hygiene!) the intense fear that people experience with germaphobia is irrational and can lead to spiraling anxiety.
While not everyone with germophobia requires professional intervention, it is important to recognize the signs and symptoms and seek help from a mental health professional if you feel your fear is getting the better of you. The following are five signs you may be a germaphobe.
What is Germaphobia?
Also called mysophobia, germaphobia is the excessive fear and/or obsession with germs, bacteria, and cleanliness. A germaphobe is someone who has a pathological fear of contamination–someone who will go to great lengths to avoid any potential contact with germs. Think of someone who has to change their outfit after coming home, otherwise their “outside” clothes may contaminate their house. Or someone who washes their hands obsessively after touching a doorknob.
These kinds of obsessive habits can significantly impact the quality of your daily life. While, yes, it’s normal to have some concern about germs (hello good hygiene!) the intense fear that people experience with germaphobia is irrational and can lead to spiraling anxiety.
While not everyone with germophobia requires professional intervention, it is important to recognize the signs and symptoms and seek help from a mental health professional if you feel your fear is getting the better of you. The following are five signs you may be a germaphobe.
Symptoms of Germaphobia
1. Excessive Thoughts
One of the most telling symptoms of a germaphobe is the constant preoccupation with germs and contamination. A germaphobe often has intrusive thoughts about germs and fears of getting sick–thoughts that question whether an environment, food, or person is safe to be around, whether something is clean enough, or if doing something will put you at risk for sickness.
2. Extreme Anxiety
A germaphobe’s excessive thoughts can be so overwhelming and constant, that more often than not your anxiety is through the roof. When confronted with situations involving potential germ exposure, germaphobes experience debilitating anxiety.
Say for example you’re at a meeting and someone offers their hand to shake. If you’re a germaphobe, this seemingly minor encounter can trigger a fear response, sending your heart racing, and your body to break out in a cold sweat. Even if you don’t shake hands, a germaphobe might still have the overwhelming urge to engage in a cleanliness ritual, like washing your hands, using hand sanitizer, or changing clothing.
Speaking of cleanliness rituals…
3. Repetitive Behaviors
If you find yourself engaging in compulsive behaviors to self-soothe or otherwise alleviate your anxiety and control your fear of germs, you might have germaphobia. This could manifest as excessive handwashing, using hand sanitizers frequently, avoiding physical contact with others, or excessively cleaning your surroundings.
4. Impairment in Daily Life
While hand washing and cleaning are all part of good hygiene, it may be a tell-tale sign you have germaphobia if your cleanliness rituals are inhibiting you from living a balanced life.
Germaphobes often have trouble maintaining healthy relationships or performing everyday tasks. They may avoid social events, public spaces, or even family gatherings due to fear of germs.
Now that you can recognize some of the symptoms of germaphobia, you may be wondering what the next steps are. Don’t worry, there is hope!
CBT for Germaphobia in Fort Lauderdale, FL
If you feel like you’re exhibiting signs of being a germaphobe, you may benefit from help from a mental health professional (yup, that’s me!) One of the best treatment options available for germaphobia is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT.)
CBT helps those struggling with germaphobia by changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors associated with germs. During CBT, I encourage clients to become more aware of their unrealistic worries about germs and identify and challenge these thoughts. Once identified, we replace those thoughts with more rational and realistic ones. By doing this, you can gradually reduce your anxiety and fear of germs. During CBT we also focus on learning relaxation skills. Deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, and mindfulness techniques are just some of the ways we manage anxiety.
CBT for germaphobia has shown great effectiveness and offers individuals the opportunity to improve their quality of life. No more worrying about germs to the point of making yourself sick with anxiety! Reach out today for a free 20-minute consultation. If you’re a Florida resident, I would love to help you in your journey towards a safer and more joyous life!
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With therapy for anxiety, self esteem, or migraines, I can help you build an arsenal of tools you can use to achieve the life you deserve. Believe me. You got this!
Therapy & Coaching at Essence of Healing Counseling Services
Roberta Alves is a Therapist and Development Coach at Essence of Healing Counseling, in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. She is also a Certified Anxiety Specialist who uses solution-focused and evidence-based therapy called cognitive behavioral therapy. Research has shown that cognitive behavioral therapy is proven to be extremely effective in treating anxiety, improving self-esteem, and managing chronic illnesses. Roberta provides counseling services to her clients who live in Ft. Lauderdale and the surrounding South Florida areas via online therapy. If you want to learn proven techniques to overcome stress, improve your self-esteem, manage your chronic illness symptoms, and achieve your goals, call # to schedule an appointment today.
