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Fear of Needles
Hello,
I get extreme anxiety of coming into contact with an HIV infected syringe while conducting daily life business, e.g., grocery shopping, work, etc. I have the fear I will somehow step on an abandoned needle somewhere and get infected with the virus. My fear has now transitioned down to my girlfriend and new born baby as well. I get anxiety when my girlfriend wears open toed sandals, etc. I now find myself taking photos of the ground, which is normal debris, i.e., cups, paper, sticks, trash, etc, but I have fear of it being a needle. The funny thing is, most of the time, I never review the photos; I guess just knowing I have them brings me relief. Before, I was even using a picker to pick things up off the ground, which I would store in the trunk of my car; however, I've pretty much gotten past that. It has come to the point that my condition is impacting my relationship. I'm in the process of scheduling an appointment to talk with someone - just waiting on my insurance to be verified. I really hope I can move past this - I need to. Is there any hope for me? Also, I do not want to take medication. I appreciate any sort of input, I'm desperate for any/all help.
Thank You and Happy Holidays.
I get extreme anxiety of coming into contact with an HIV infected syringe while conducting daily life business, e.g., grocery shopping, work, etc. I have the fear I will somehow step on an abandoned needle somewhere and get infected with the virus. My fear has now transitioned down to my girlfriend and new born baby as well. I get anxiety when my girlfriend wears open toed sandals, etc. I now find myself taking photos of the ground, which is normal debris, i.e., cups, paper, sticks, trash, etc, but I have fear of it being a needle. The funny thing is, most of the time, I never review the photos; I guess just knowing I have them brings me relief. Before, I was even using a picker to pick things up off the ground, which I would store in the trunk of my car; however, I've pretty much gotten past that. It has come to the point that my condition is impacting my relationship. I'm in the process of scheduling an appointment to talk with someone - just waiting on my insurance to be verified. I really hope I can move past this - I need to. Is there any hope for me? Also, I do not want to take medication. I appreciate any sort of input, I'm desperate for any/all help.
Thank You and Happy Holidays.
There are a lot more contagious diseases out there than just HIV, and you don't spend time thinking about them. I don't spend a second thinking about any of them or HIV and you shouldn't either.
Your fixation is not normal and is like checking the ground before you get out of your car to make sure an earthquake didn't split the ground while you were parking.
A therapist may be able to work things out with you. Until that happens, you can try reading a book about OCD to see if you can figure any of the reasons you fixate on one disease.
Your fixation is not normal and is like checking the ground before you get out of your car to make sure an earthquake didn't split the ground while you were parking.
A therapist may be able to work things out with you. Until that happens, you can try reading a book about OCD to see if you can figure any of the reasons you fixate on one disease.
2 Comments
I would check out the OCD forum for help too.
Thank you, I appreciate it. What you say makes sense. When I think rational, I know i'm over analyzing everything.
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