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    Mysophobia

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    Mysophobia is a specific phobia involving an extreme fear of germs, bacteria, and contamination. It is closely related to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and causes sufferers to excessively wash their hands and avoid situations where germs may be present. Symptoms include compulsive cleaning and avoiding physical contact or areas with many germs. Treatment options include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with exposure therapy to change responses to triggers, and antidepressant medication to reduce anxiety during exposure.

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    Mysophobia

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    171 views3 pages
    Mysophobia is a specific phobia involving an extreme fear of germs, bacteria, and contamination. It is closely related to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and causes sufferers to excessively wash their hands and avoid situations where germs may be present. Symptoms include compulsive cleaning and avoiding physical contact or areas with many germs. Treatment options include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with exposure therapy to change responses to triggers, and antidepressant medication to reduce anxiety during exposure.

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    Mysophobia is a specific phobia involving an extreme fear of germs, bacteria, and contamination. It is closely related to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and causes sufferers to excessively wash their hands and avoid situations where germs may be present. Symptoms include compulsive cleaning and avoiding physical contact or areas with many germs. Treatment options include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with exposure therapy to change responses to triggers, and antidepressant medication to reduce anxiety during exposure.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    171 views3 pages

    Mysophobia

    Uploaded by

    api-492228211
    Mysophobia is a specific phobia involving an extreme fear of germs, bacteria, and contamination. It is closely related to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and causes sufferers to excessively wash their hands and avoid situations where germs may be present. Symptoms include compulsive cleaning and avoiding physical contact or areas with many germs. Treatment options include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with exposure therapy to change responses to triggers, and antidepressant medication to reduce anxiety during exposure.

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    of 3

    Mysophobia

    One of the most common specific phobias is Mysophobia. Mysophobia, as described in

    the article “Getting to grips with germaphobia” by Michael Kyrois, is a term used to describe a

    pathological fear of microbes, germs, contamination, and bacteria. This condition has been

    described by many different terms, such as germaphobia, verminophobia, bacillophobia,

    bacteriophobia, molysmophobia or molysomophobia, rhypophobia, and rupophobia. This

    condition is believed to be closely related to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) (Kyrios,

    2017). OCD, as described by the American Psychiatric Association, “is an anxiety disorder in

    which people have recurring, unwanted thoughts, ideas or sensations (obsessions) that make

    them feel driven to do something repetitively (compulsions)” (Gorrindo & Parekh, 2017).

    Almost all mysophobs have OCD, causing them to constantly feel the need to clean

    something, themselves, or completely avoid certain areas. Some of the symptoms include;

    excessively washing hands, avoiding areas which may include high level of germs, and/ or

    avoiding physical contact ("Cleanliness Rules Germaphobes' Lives", 2019). If an individual does

    have mysophobia, there are many stimuli that can trigger a reaction. These include chemicals,

    moral impurities, and bodily fluids such as sweat, saliva, or mucus. There are many possible

    factors that can trigger the onset of this condition. The most plausible is a combination of

    genetic, psychological factors, and personal experience. Individual with family members with

    OCD or mysophobia are more likely to develop this condition later in life. Due to this condition

    being an ailment of the mind, one of the most common methods for treatment is cognitive

    behaviour therapy (CBT). One of the methods used in CBT is exposure, in order to alter an

    individual's response to the stimulus that normally induces mysophobic responses. Many
    individuals that undergo CBT tend to have a high success rate. However, another treatment

    option is the use of serotonin reuptake inhibiting medications. The purpose of these types of

    medications is to reduce the anxiety that is felt by an individual after being exposed by a

    stimulus (Kyrios, 2017).


    Works Cited

    Cleanliness Rules Germaphobes' Lives. (2019). Retrieved 19 December 2019, from

    https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/cleanliness-rules-germaphobes-lives#1

    Gorrindo, T., & Parekh, R. (2017). What Is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?. Retrieved 21

    December 2019, from

    https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/ocd/what-is-obsessive-compulsive-disorder

    Kyrios, M. (2017). Getting to grips with germaphobia. Retrieved 21 December 2019, from

    https://psychlopaedia.org/health/getting-grips-germaphobia/

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