Are germ freaks justified?!


Question: My fiance is definitely a little OCD about germs. He won't use blankets or pillows others have used, even if I wash them. He will throw away dishes if the cat licks them or they drop on the floor, as opposed to just washing them. (etc. etc. etc. etc.)

I always tell him to lighten up (as I am quite opposite and almost never get sick) but it seems like there are more and more reports on tv and elsewhere telling us to be more careful, wash our hands more often, take more vitamins, go to the doctor more, etc.

Am I right in telling him to take it easy or should I take up some of his habits?!

:)


Answers: My fiance is definitely a little OCD about germs. He won't use blankets or pillows others have used, even if I wash them. He will throw away dishes if the cat licks them or they drop on the floor, as opposed to just washing them. (etc. etc. etc. etc.)

I always tell him to lighten up (as I am quite opposite and almost never get sick) but it seems like there are more and more reports on tv and elsewhere telling us to be more careful, wash our hands more often, take more vitamins, go to the doctor more, etc.

Am I right in telling him to take it easy or should I take up some of his habits?!

:)

I had OCD for years, the problem with it is it's an IRRATIONAL set of fears, you can't reason your way out of it. It's a way to cope with other things completely unrelated to what the OCD is about.

I had a friend with the same problem, and I'd swear you could hear him thinking "I still can't deal with my dad's suicide, so I'd better wash the dishes a 4th time to avoid having to think about it."

For me... well let's just say once I got other things worked out I didn't need to wash my hands so often.

So at some point you might want to find out what's REALLY bugging him, but promise you won't follow him into germophobia. :-)

eww, don't sleep with that sickooo

Common sense rules. It sounds like his behaviors are rooted in good intentions (limiting exposure to harmful germs), but may be a bit extreme.

Maintaining proper hygiene (handwashing, sanitizing, cleaning, etc.) is good. Throwing away items because others have touched them is very unnecessary.

Wow that is definitely overboard! Throwing dishes away that a cat licks? The only thing know to be spread from cats is a disease pregnant women can get from cleaning litter boxes. He needs help! We do need to be careful, but not ridiculous!!

His OCD habits aren't hurting anyone, so why not just let him do what he does to be comfortable. I am OCD as well and I hate being told to "lighten up." I think that is one of his querks you are just gonna have to deal with. There are lots of germs and sicknesses out there and he is just taking extra precaution to avoid them.





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