Misophobia (fear of dirt): what is it and why does it appear?

We all have something to fear, be it some animal, object or element of nature that has the power to generate anxiety even just thinking about exposing ourselves to it.

Fears can vary in their levels of intensity, for example, being mild and that when faced with it, it is possible to overcome or be serious, being able to paralyze a person to the degree of becoming a phobia. Have you had any fear like that or have you managed to eliminate it?

There are fears that are very common, such as wild animals, the dark or heights, but, Did you know that dirt is also a common phobia? This is a type of fear that turns into compulsive behavior, as people focus on obsessive way to eliminate any trace of contamination that they may perceive in their home or environment.

A very interesting topic which we will be touching in depth in this article, where you will learn what this fear of dirt is and why people suffer from it.

• We recommend you read: "The 20 rarest phobias of the human being"

What is misophobia?

This is the term by which the

fear or phobia of dirt. Misophobia, also known as rupophobia, has a direct relationship with the rejection of germs and the contamination to which a person can be exposed. So, having the feeling of 'being dirty' can enter a series of attacks of anxiety, paranoia, worry, stress, and paralyzing fear, until they manage to remove all that dirt in the way they consider best to do it.

It is for this reason that those who suffer from this phobia tend to develop obsessive compulsive behaviors with cleaning to prevent some kind of impurity from proliferating in their homes. Reaching a high extremity point where they use aggressive chemicals, avoid contact with other people, do not maintain physical approach of any kind, reduce their exits to certain places and demand constant cleaning measures from those who enter their home.

Misophobia is a specific phobia, that is, an irrational fear caused by a particular element, which in this case is dirt. Where the person finds the fact of being contaminated and remaining with bacteria in his body frightening, regardless of whether it is for long or short periods of time and if they do not pose a real risk to your health. In addition, they may feel fear just thinking about it, anticipating to believe that they will be prone to getting dirty, or witnessing a site that is not clean by their own standards.

Symptoms

Being a specific phobia and, therefore, belonging to anxiety disorders, it is common to see a constant stress pattern in the person since they are focused on generating actions that protect them from coming into contact with any type of dirt. For example, they can wear gloves or masks all the time, wash their hands repeatedly during the day, or clean the home at least 3 times a day.

As we mentioned before, fears can appear in lower or high levels, but when cases of panic attacks occur, then we must be aware of the following symptoms:

• Social isolation
• Tension and tightness in the chest
• Palpitations and increased heart rate
• Excessive sweating
• Respiratory problems
• Lack of balance
• Nausea and dizziness
• Feeling of loss of control
• Shaking chills
• Tingling of the skin or paralysis of the limbs
• Feeling of being in danger of death
• Derealization and depersonalization

As we see, misophobia can greatly compromise quality of life of the person, as it suffers from clinical signs that, at times, can be disabling, in addition to the obsession with cleanliness greatly conditions the day-to-day.

Common behaviors in misophobic people

It is common for many to want to disinfect their homes on a regular basis, as well as their work areas, travel study or a place to rest. At the end of the day, it is true that we are constantly predisposed to being contaminated with germs that affect our health. So it is important to maintain daily personal hygiene habits and bring towels and sanitizer gel with you to keep your hands clean.

However, people with this phobia take things to the extreme, preventing you from interacting in a normal way with the people around you and even preventing them from concentrating on some common tasks. Here we leave you some of the most common behaviors of people who suffer from misophobia.

1. Compulsive cleaners

You may be familiar with the Discovery TV series "H&H," which shows how a group of people clean up obsessively-compulsive way their homes, in such a way that they can even drink from their toilet water without any risk. This people they can take hours to clean your home as they do it thoroughly and perfectly, using every product on the market that can contribute to completely disinfect the place from bacteria and accumulated dirt.

Not satisfied with this, people can wrap their most precious belongings with protectors so that no one touch or use them (including themselves), for example, armchairs, beds, a specific space, furniture, etc.

This not only happens in homes, this behavior can also be observed in any area where the person will need to be for a considerable period of time, such as work, school, transportation, hotel room, etc.

2. Excessive hygiene

Of course, people with a fear of dirt don't just focus on ridding their space of dirt. germs, but they also do it with themselves, so they acquire a strict and repetitive routine where should clean yourself to perfection to be free of any kind of impurity.

In this case, the person may wash their hands a specific number of times (usually more than 40 times a day) with disinfectant products, who take several showers a day, who do not leave their homes without masks and gloves, avoid touching surfaces, objects and people, etc.

3. Nervousness

When the person sits in comfort, refer to being in a neat space, they can look like someone calm and happy, but this changes quickly when something gets out of their control or out of the strict order self-imposed. So it is not strange to see them constantly worrying and stress due to lack of knowledge of cleaning quality of a site that they have not tried or when a guest does not do what they have indicated to preserve the cleanliness of their place. Thus manifesting some of the symptoms that we have described previously.

Is anxiety does not subside until the person is fully assured of disinfection complete of the place as she thinks it should be.

4. Upset with dirt

When an individual with misophobia approaches or witnesses an establishment that is contaminated or not is properly conditioned, may show psychosomatic distress due to the accumulation of stress. Being common that they are sick, with dizziness, nausea, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, vomiting, and even fainting.

Why do people develop this phobia?

There can be various causes for the development of this phobia, depending on the experiences or genetic nature of the person.

1. Past events

Like the rest of the phobias or irrational fears, its origin may be due to some trauma from the pastas well as a bad experience that you want to avoid completely. It may be the case that there were extreme cleaning routines in childhood or, on the contrary, having lived in a messy and neglected home.

It can also be due to a strict regimen imposed due to a health condition or problem related to exposure to dirt, so pollution is associated with weak health.

2. Genetic heritage

Another common component is the hereditary burden that can be received from family members, which may explain why some people are more sensitive than others to the issue of cleanliness or a predisposition to show anxiety when in the presence of a place untidy. Anyway, genes are not everything.

3. Vicarious learning

Many of our behaviors, hobbies, and tastes stem from what we learned at home with our parents through modeling. That is, by having parents who have been obsessive about cleanliness, it is very likely that the person also develops this tendency.

Relationship with obsessive compulsive disorder

There is a lot of discussion about whether this phobia belongs exclusively to anxiety disorders or is also a manifestation of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

We can say that it's a bit of both, since, because there is a general malaise and an unreal fear about a specific element (dirt and germs), not only by being exposed but by anticipating them, is classified as a phobia specific. But it is the behavior of having an inflexible, daily cleansing ritual that is generated that can also be classified as OCD.

Remember that obsessive compulsive disorder is about repetitive thoughts that cause emotional discomfort and behaviors that are established in order to reduce said accumulated tension. Therefore, in a way, this serves as a catharsis and therapy for misophobic people, although it is not completely effective as the calming effect is not long-lasting.

To treat this disorder it is necessary to attend a therapeutic consultation and enter a series of interventions to eliminate the chain of repetitive thoughts and the constant need to clean.