Living with someone who has a fear of germs, what to do?

Hi, at the moment my sister has someone staying with us for 5 weeks whilst she is waiting for her to get accepted into a clinic and she has this really paranoid fear of germs to the point where she thinks she is having severe symptoms of certain illnesses at the sight of a tiny bit of mould or a dirty looking dish. She also thinks things like she doesn't have certain genes in her body that allow her to be exposed to germs which is why she apparently gets sick.

She has had a history of anorexia and hard drug use which I think is where the paranoia stems from even though she is off the drugs currently. But I'm not sure what advice to give my sister because I've never dealt with anything like this before. Whilst I can empathise with what she must be going through I kind of wish my sister didn't take on this responsibility because it seems like too much.

Could you guys give any advice on how to help turn her mind about germs and her paranoia, I really want to help her learn because I don't want our house to just be a place that enables her to convince herself further of these things before she goes to a clinic.

Hello Matt0419: I'm sorry you're experiencing this difficulty. The Skeezyks' perspective would be that there really isn't much you can do beyond just being generally reassuring. This person needs professional help, which is presumably why she's been accepted into this clinic. You mentioned helping her learn. I suppose you & / or your sister could spend some time with her watching some mental health videos, on YouTube, related to her areas of concern. PsychCentral has a YouTube channel where you might find some applicable videos. Another source would be California therapist Kati Morton who has her own YouTube channel where she uploads videos on a wide variety of mental health topics. This might be instructive. Just a thought...

Recovery from OCD is a long and arduous battle. If I were you I'd say "I talked to a person who has crushed his OCD and he told me to tell you to read the book Freedom From OCD by Grayson."

If she doesn't do proper treatment aka ERP + a pharmaceutical if necessary, she'll stay a train-wreck. I know, I used to be one.