Any diagnosed germophobes or hoarders on this forum?

[NatureLover]

Hi, I have just joined. I have a few mental illnesses, but am especially interested in hearing if there are any diagnosed germophobes or people with hoarding disorder on these forums?

I don't know any germophobes in real life, and would be interested to know how any of you pre-Corona germophobes are doing. Can you find enough sanitiser? If not, what are you using instead? Has your germophobia gone sky-high in this pandemic? Do you find it less or more lonely now that nearly everyone is a self-confessed germophobe?

My germophobia is quite bad - I can't have anyone in my house, and need lots of sanitiser when I go out. E.g. I use it after leaving my house and before I get in the car; again before I touch the steering wheel, again after touching my purse, again before putting my seat belt on, etc. I am struggling to find enough sanitiser. If I run out, I was thinking about diluting some disinfectant and putting it into an old water bottle to take out with me. I had one really bad panic lasting 3 days that was debilitating, due to COVID-19, but after that thankfully my germophobia came back down to normal levels. I guess normal levels are not that great but at least I am used to them! 

I am strangely finding it more lonely as a diagnosed germophobe now, and would really like to meet some other germophobes online and hear how you're going. At least I had a friend tell me that I was in a stronger position than him, during this health crisis, as he had trouble remembering to wash his hands, whereas I wash them a hundred times a day already!

[Shaz51]

hello and welcome @NatureLover 

how are you today , thank you for sharing your story 

is germophobia --- like  obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) or is it a bit different 

[NatureLover]

Hi @Shaz51, thank you for your welcome! Yes, germophobia is OCD. It's OCD I was diagnosed with, but it presents as germophobia. I only have a little bit of checking and counting, not worth mentioning.

I am doing OK today thanks, how about you?

[Shaz51]

hello @NatureLover 

we have some threads with OCD , If you put OCD in the search the forum , all the threads containing that word will appear for you to click on 

My husband has had lots of MI diagnosis over the years and even OCD 

[NatureLover]

Thanks, @Shaz51. I have gone 10 pages back following the threads with OCD in the title, but there's not much specifically on germophobia. I will keep looking.

What form(s) does your husband's OCD take?

[Shaz51]

@NatureLover 

i think my husband`s not too bad , but sometimes it will appear worse like having to check and recheck things , he have a routine to follow and sometimes if something stops his routine , he will be very anxious 

I think his other diagnosis such as bipolar 2 and inherited depression interacts 

love to hear more about your germophobes , if you are happy to share 

@plasmo, @Appleblossom , @Faith-and-Hope , @BlueBay , @eth , @greenpea 

[NatureLover]

@Shaz51, yes, I get panicky if I can't follow my washing / sanitising routines too. Yes, I'm happy to share (thank you), as that's one reason I joined. The cause of germophobia is still a bit of a mystery to me, but as far as I can work out it's to do with trying to control your environment to prevent threat. I had an emotionally abusive childhood, and that was the start of my germophobia, I think. Actually, it was the start of all my mental illnesses, including the hoarding disorder (possessions = security and protection and all that).

I would be interested to know from any other germophobes what they think are the causes of it.

I am a bookworm, and I usually dry wipe my library books 10 times with dry clean washcloths before reading them. I have upped that to dry wiping up to 32 times per book, or using an actual antibacterial wipe (rare and precious now!) on the cover of the book, then dry wiping afterwards too.

Thanks for listening :

[greenpea]

@NatureLover @Shaz51  Welcome Naturelover and hi Shaz51 :). My son2 is a hoarder and it drives me crazy. His room is full of stuff he has picked up off the street .... his pockets are full of odds and ends it is quite depressing tbh .... in the whole scheme of things it is not a biggie it is only a small part of his autism and mental illness but it does impact upon everything.:(

[NatureLover]

Hi @greenpea, thank you for your welcome, I appreciate it. Yes, hoarding impacts on everything, moving around the house, cooking (not possible as the stove is covered with stuff and so is the bench), and you can't really clean before you tidy up. Luckily for my germophobia it doesn't impact on the laundry washing! 

How is it for your son (and you) moving around in his room? Does he get distressed at the lack of space at all? And does he keep all the stuff in some sort of order, or is it all just piled up (like mine)?

[Shaz51]

@NatureLover, @greenpea 

with mr shaz, i can not tidy up because he can not find anything . iI have to leave everything where they are ,