Hi, I have just joined. I have a few mental illnesses, but am especially interested in hearing if there are any diagnosed germophobes or people with hoarding disorder on these forums?
I don't know any germophobes in real life, and would be interested to know how any of you pre-Corona germophobes are doing. Can you find enough sanitiser? If not, what are you using instead? Has your germophobia gone sky-high in this pandemic? Do you find it less or more lonely now that nearly everyone is a self-confessed germophobe?
My germophobia is quite bad - I can't have anyone in my house, and need lots of sanitiser when I go out. E.g. I use it after leaving my house and before I get in the car; again before I touch the steering wheel, again after touching my purse, again before putting my seat belt on, etc. I am struggling to find enough sanitiser. If I run out, I was thinking about diluting some disinfectant and putting it into an old water bottle to take out with me. I had one really bad panic lasting 3 days that was debilitating, due to COVID-19, but after that thankfully my germophobia came back down to normal levels. I guess normal levels are not that great but at least I am used to them! 
I am strangely finding it more lonely as a diagnosed germophobe now, and would really like to meet some other germophobes online and hear how you're going. At least I had a friend tell me that I was in a stronger position than him, during this health crisis, as he had trouble remembering to wash his hands, whereas I wash them a hundred times a day already!
hello and welcome @NatureLover 
how are you today , thank you for sharing your story
is germophobia --- like obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) or is it a bit different
i think my husband`s not too bad , but sometimes it will appear worse like having to check and recheck things , he have a routine to follow and sometimes if something stops his routine , he will be very anxious
I think his other diagnosis such as bipolar 2 and inherited depression interacts
love to hear more about your germophobes , if you are happy to share
@plasmo, @Appleblossom , @Faith-and-Hope , @BlueBay , @eth , @greenpea
@Shaz51, yes, I get panicky if I can't follow my washing / sanitising routines too. Yes, I'm happy to share (thank you), as that's one reason I joined. The cause of germophobia is still a bit of a mystery to me, but as far as I can work out it's to do with trying to control your environment to prevent threat. I had an emotionally abusive childhood, and that was the start of my germophobia, I think. Actually, it was the start of all my mental illnesses, including the hoarding disorder (possessions = security and protection and all that).
I would be interested to know from any other germophobes what they think are the causes of it.
I am a bookworm, and I usually dry wipe my library books 10 times with dry clean washcloths before reading them. I have upped that to dry wiping up to 32 times per book, or using an actual antibacterial wipe (rare and precious now!) on the cover of the book, then dry wiping afterwards too.
Thanks for listening :
Hi @greenpea, thank you for your welcome, I appreciate it. Yes, hoarding impacts on everything, moving around the house, cooking (not possible as the stove is covered with stuff and so is the bench), and you can't really clean before you tidy up. Luckily for my germophobia it doesn't impact on the laundry washing!
How is it for your son (and you) moving around in his room? Does he get distressed at the lack of space at all? And does he keep all the stuff in some sort of order, or is it all just piled up (like mine)?