Greetings,

I have some questions about a close family member. I cannot figure out what mental health issue this is?


Information/Story:

She is in mid fifties. I believe all this started to manifest around 15 years ago when there was a trigger moment.

She had a known acquaintance visiting once and afterwards she found out he had hepatitis C. People say she freaked out about it since she shook his hand and was nervous she might have caught the virus.

Afterwards, pretty much everything that person had touched became "dirty". Like you could wash it, disinfect it to the extreme but it would always remain dirty.

This accumulated gradually over the years like a chain reaction. If some health person touched a door knob that was "dirty" and then touched a plate or anything else, that other thing also became forever "dirty".

Now this has become more and more noticeable where she can no longer flip light switches without have something to protect the skin like a rubber glove. Or if somewhere else on the street or sidewalk she notices that it could be blood or vomit, she will no longer go over that spot even months later.

Additional information:

Multiple people have in the family have tried to talk and help her numerous times. Try to explain that there are people with many infection in the world and what she is doing is for a lack of a better word "insane". Tried to make her understand with logic and examples but nothing works.

Other than this, she seems completely normal and around unknown people she behaves "normal". For example, dishes at house are "dirty" but dishes in public places are fine even if many people have eaten from them.

Long term wise, people say she always have been very nervous and stressful. Freaking out and even crying before exams but then getting top grades, always checking multiple times if the door is locked, the stove is turned off, etc.

Questions:

Is this a delusion disorder?
How can we help her to get better?
How can we get her to doctor if she does not want to go and there is no danger to anyone from this issue and she is functional overall?
Could the be a hereditary illness?

Thank You for Your time!