Germophobia: the fear of bacteria is more and more frequent. Here's how to fight it.
Germophobia is the unconditional and obsessive fear of germs and bacteria, an obsessive compulsive disorder that pushes you to wash your hands continuously until you avoid any social contact. Like any phobia, even germophobia can often be cured with the help of a psychological and cognitive - behavioral therapy and also with a new awareness. Learn to conquer and cultivate it by following our advice, watch the video!
Misophobia: from the Greek mysos, dirty and phobos, fear
This phobia, also called Pilate's syndrome, from the famous and metaphorical "washing hands" of this biblical character, can be defined as well as germophobia also misophobia, bacillophobia and bacterophobia. The term was coined by A. Hammond in 18979, about a case of obsessive compulsive disorder involving washing hands with disproportionate care and all the time. In the difficult period we are experiencing due to the pandemic emergency of Covid-19 we often speak of germophobia. Given the situation, it is right and normal that everyone complies with the established hygiene rules, but in a rational and logical way. Misophobia is in fact, a true obsession with bacteria, which turns into panic in the moment in which it is realized that one has committed an unsanitary act, potentially dangerous for contamination. In these moments, those who suffer from this phobia see everything in an irrational and exaggerated light. This phobia greatly influences everyday life, to the point of becoming a real psychological block, which often makes the life of subjects afflicted by this disorder and also of those close to him invalidating and difficult. The most common symptoms are almost continuous and compulsive washing of hands and face, refusal of the company of others for fear of sharing environments and objects potentially infected with viruses or bacteria, with consequent isolation, minimal sociability and inner conflict.
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Germophobia: the causes and manifestations
The obsession with bacteria can become a real psychological disorder. Often this irrational fear is accompanied by rupophobia, that is the fear of dirt as a carrier of viruses and bacteria. Those suffering from germophobia try obsessively to stay away from any germs that can harm them more or less severely, in case they neglect any kind of precaution. The germophobic tends to assume clearly predetermined hygienic behaviors, washing their hands with an unacceptable and often harmful and counterproductive frequency. Those who suffer from this phobia try to protect themselves from the risk of infections or contamination by various viruses and bacteria with sometimes obsessive precautions. Very often people who already suffer from anxiety, depression, panic attacks, who obviously have a greater predisposition to this type of problem, are victims of this psychological disorder. Both this type of predisposition and childhood traumas or more recent traumatic events, can favor the onset of this phobia, in the sense that they are subjects most at risk. The difficult situation we are experiencing in our days, for more than a year now , with the Covid Pandemic it is very changeable and precarious, with economic problems of various kinds that create depression and insecurity, with the hammering and discordant recommendations of virologists through social networks and TV or with fake news, it cannot fail to be another trigger of this pathology, which must be taken into serious consideration since its initial stages.
Therapies for germophobia or misophobia
Germophobia is partly one of the obsessive-compulsive psychological disorders: the subject absolutely needs to sanitize his hands to be able to calm his anxiety, when the spring of fear snaps into him. Germophobia or misophobia can be life changing; for some it is a real torture, which changes mood and character, influences relationships with friends, relatives, acquaintances and with the world of work, conditions daily activities and above all creates an inner conflict within the subject who is affection, which is often aware of visualizing what is normal in an abnormal, exaggerated, over the top way. Cleaning and hygiene can become a nightmare and so can any contact with potentially infected and dangerous objects or people. The manifestations are varied. In addition to constantly and thoroughly washing your hands and cleaning the shelves, there is something else: do not frequent crowded environments, do not lean on surfaces that have not been disinfected, do not touch animals, do not allow others to use their personal items. , refuse to share them in public places, such as a hairdresser or a clothing store, walk with disinfectant wipes in your pocket or bag to continuously sanitize yourself. Fear can also take the form of real panic attacks, with excessive sweating, stomach discomfort, chest tightness, tachycardia, trembling of the legs, feeling of suffocation.
The treatment consists in "facing a therapy with the help of a psychologist, who will try to make the patient reach the awareness that there is nothing rational in his fear. And also that it is impossible to safeguard oneself in all respects from probable bacterial and viral infections. It will guide him to take only normal precautions, not exaggerated to calm his anxieties, so as to make him gradually regain his balance and his confidence, keeping his excessive emotions in check. Only in more serious cases does it psychological therapy must be supported by the help of a drug treatment prescribed by a neurologist based on anxiolytics and antidepressants. As a therapy for this disorder there is the cognitive-behavioral one which also includes contact with dirt to overcome the fear. Even if the psychologist's support is essential and irreplaceable, it is important that those who suffer from germophobia also share it with those close to them and do not keep their problem closed within themselves, risking to magnify it more and more, to the point of losing its real proportions. . He must also succeed with gradual self-treatment to normalize his anxiety about viruses and bacteria and all forms of contagion and contamination. The doctor will make the subject aware that not all bacteria are really bad, as the term misophobia says, and that often the excessive use of disinfectants also kills bacteria which in turn rid the human body of other more dangerous bacteria and in turn they no longer give him the opportunity to create sufficient antibodies.
Childhood or recent trauma
A point of relevant importance for this topic is the education given to children by their parents. One thing is to accustom them from an early age to careful and constant hygiene and another is to hammer them, terrify them, foreseeing the terrible consequences that they will have to suffer. not constantly washing their hands, touching something not perfectly clean or absentmindedly putting a finger in their mouth without first disinfecting it, even when there is no "epidemic" in progress. Children cannot fail to suffer trauma from the fact that often an "education is given that thinks it achieves the purpose of protecting them by frightening them with images of serious and devastating infections. From here can arise in the child either a total rebellion to the will of those who educate him or a phobia that he will carry on his shoulders with difficulty in the course of his life. Undoubtedly, having a fair fear of viruses and infections is normal, as the diseases caused by these microorganisms are not to be underestimated and prevention is always the best medicine. Certainly, however, one must not become a slave to fear and be dominated by an irrational panic, but limit oneself to the use of the necessary precautions. It must also be taken into account that the excessive protection of children from dirt, as well as from cold and activities sports, it does not strengthen their immune system and therefore actually makes them more fragile as adults and more predisposed to contracting allergies of various types, viral or bacterial infections. In fact, the habit of not touching the ground, the dust, not sweating, expelling toxins, always being well covered for fear of catching cold or getting infected at the first sneeze of another makes them not only psychologically insecure, but also actually more prone to get sick from poor immunity or lack of habit to contact with certain substances.
Many people, realistically finding that they easily contract infections or are often subject to inflammation of various kinds, become more anxious and fear makes them fear present events in an exaggerated way, looking at them through the perspective of negative experiences they had in the past in the same field. Psychological therapy must help the patient understand that coming into contact with germs and bacteria is no more dangerous than other pathologies or events. Indeed, it is fear that lowers the body's immune defenses, facilitates the onset of pathologies and above all affects the healing time. An optimistic and positive attitude stimulates serotonin, relieves pain, so a good way of dealing with diseases helps to heal faster.
