Generality
Misophobia is the pathological fear of coming into contact with dirt and germs, to avoid any kind of contamination or infection .
This psychological disorder leads those suffering from it to increase hygienic precautions beyond belief. Misophobia leads, therefore, to resort to measures to avoid situations, people or objects that can increase the risk of contracting diseases .
For this reason, the sufferer obsessively reiterates a series of cleaning behaviors on himself or on the environment that surrounds him. For example, misophobia typically translates into obsessive hand washing.
As with other phobias, misophobia manifests itself with the combination of psychological symptoms (general feeling of dissatisfaction, anxiety, tension and nervousness) and somatic symptoms, including profuse sweating, accelerated beats, nausea and shortness of breath. If it is not dealt with with an adequate therapeutic pathway, this disorder can have negative repercussions on the person's daily life, in terms of limitations in social and working life.
What's this
Misophobia: definition
Misophobia is the pathological and irrational fear of anything that represents a potential source of contamination, infection and disease .
Misophobia: differences with Rupophobia
Misophobia is a phobic disorder very similar to rupophobia. In fact, sometimes the terms are used interchangeably as synonyms.
In fact, MISOPHOBIA indicates more precisely a fear of contact with dirt and of the contamination that can derive from it, so it can be interpreted "indirectly" as the phobia of infections and diseases . As far as RUPOFOBIA is concerned, instead, the stimulus that triggers fear can be conceived, that is, even the thought of poor cleanliness of oneself and the environment that surrounds it can trigger the anxiety-provoking reaction.
Causes and Risk Factors
Misophobia is a phobic disorder related to contamination that could result from contact with dirt and exposure to germs .
The person who suffers manifests an exaggerated concern for questions such as:
- Cross-contamination of foods ;
- Exposure to the body fluids of others ;
- Maintaining good hygiene .
Misophobia seems to be related to obsessive-compulsive disorder : the idea or contact of being contaminated or exposed to dirt causes a strong sense of anxiety and is persistently translated into ritual behaviors, sometimes intrusive when you are trying to think or do others what's this.
What are the causes of Misophobia?
As with other phobias, the causes of misophobia are not always easily identifiable. Several factors can contribute to the disorder, including environmental and character traits.
Misophobia can be triggered by an unconscious moral conflict and, as such, can be related to painful memories, dramatic episodes of life, too high expectations of parents or other such negative events that they are impossible to accept and rationalize . The result is a sense of inadequacy and insecurity that make the misophobic subject feel deeply dissatisfied with one or more central aspects of his life.
Misophobia: phobic stimuli and typical behaviors
For those suffering from misophobia, " dirt " is interpreted as a source capable of infecting, contaminating and transmitting diseases .
Examples of signs and symptoms that can occur in misophobia sufferers include:
- Fear of being contaminated by manipulating objects that others have touched;
- Stress and frustration when objects are not ordered, arranged symmetrically or turned in a certain way;
- Terror of contracting diseases following contact with objects, people or animals considered "not clean".
The obsession of cleaning oneself and the environments in which one resides often derives from misophobia. In fact, one of the most common symptoms is frequent hand washing, a behavior that is reiterated with the specific intention of removing germs .
It should be noted that the phobic situation can vary from person to person: usually, those suffering from misophobia fear some situations more than others.
Symptoms and Complications
Misophobia: how does it manifest itself?
Misophobia is mainly expressed with a sense of unease, anxiety and repulsion towards the phobic stimulus, represented mainly by:
- Exposure to dirt ;
- Inter-human contact;
- Potential transmission of germs .
This condition puts those suffering from misophobia in a state of perennial alert: hygienic deficiencies and sources of contamination can be almost everywhere.
Symptoms of misophobia can manifest themselves:
- Only when the object of the phobic disorder is visible (for example: during gardening, if it is necessary to dig into the earth);
- When the person thinks that there may have been contact with poorly cleaned objects or germs (for example: when you shake hands with someone or open the door with the handle).
If exposed to dirt or bacteria (real or imaginary), the misophobic person may experience tremors, rapid heartbeats, cold sweats, shortness of breath or crying .
Furthermore, to avoid contact with dirt, the person suffering from misophobia can perform unusual behaviors, such as:
- Wash your hands continuously;
- Do more showers every day or spend a lot of time on personal hygiene;
- Use hand sanitizer frequently;
- Wear gloves, masks and other devices;
- Not wanting to share food with anyone;
- Do not take public transport;
- Do not use public toilets;
- Scrupulously clean objects, furniture, clothes and more, using detergents and disinfectants.
In the most severe cases, the anguish evoked by misophobia can develop into a full-blown anxiety and / or panic attack, with nausea, headache, confusion, increased heart rate (tachycardia) and a sense of suffocation. If left untreated, misophobia and the resulting contamination ideas can lead to hypochondria, social isolation and agoraphobia .
Diagnosis
If the symptoms of misophobia significantly limit normal daily life and persist for over six months, it is advisable to consult a doctor, psychiatrist or psychologist to identify and define the problem.
The initial evaluation of this phobic disorder is essential to understand the reasons behind the discomfort, identifying its meaning and quantifying its extent, then establishing the correct therapeutic procedure .
Treatment and Remedies
Misophobia: how can it be faced and overcome?
The treatment of misophobia provides a path aimed at the management of anxiety-inducing stimuli and the manifestations that derive from it. Clearly, the choice between the different types of intervention or the combination of these depends on the person and the severity of the clinical picture.
One of the most effective strategies to deal with and overcome misophobia is cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy .
To learn more: Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy - What is it? What is it for? »This intervention aims to induce the patient to rationalize his fear and helps the patient to focus on the possibility of reacting to phobic thoughts and modifying the vicious circle, addressing the negative beliefs associated with misophobia, resizing them.
In combination with psychological treatment, the psychiatrist can prescribe, for short periods, a drug therapy to control the anxiety symptoms associated with misophobia.
The medicines that are usually indicated are benzodiazepines, beta-blockers, tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). It should be emphasized that the use of drugs can temporarily calm the problem, but it does not resolve it definitively.
