Germaphobia

[sara26]

Hi

I have been struggling with germaphobia for years now and it has gotten very out of hand. I hate myself because I cannot help it and it drives me crazy. I am constantly sanitizing and washing my hands, even in my own house. I tried calling counsellors but there are year wait lists... And the other cost a lot of money per hour...
I was wondering if there is anything that could be suggested to help me because the world feels like it is closing in on me and I can't do anything about it

[Jacob]

Hi Sara,

I think sometimes with phobias we can put a lot of pressure on ourselves, and many of our rest-of-our life stresses can come to bear on the phobia. This might be different for you but for many when we are stressed, our mental health issues can peak. So while I would recommend continuing to seek mental health support, some advice in the interim would simply be to do nice things, to give some time to yourself... I know that can certainly help us manage our issues while we work towards more intensive support.

I'd recommend our article Self-Care a La Carte as a really good starting point.

[Heather]

Too, if you go ahead and get yourself on some of those waiting lists, then you won't still be in this same spot years from now. So, by all means, that doesn't help you now, but not getting on them kind of assures you won't ever get that help, you know?

[Heather]

Too, have you brought this up with your general doctor? If not, since you have national access to that care, I would suggest that. They can probably help get you started, and may also be able to refer you to mental healthcare you can get sooner.

[sara26]

Thank you. Yes I have told my doctor she didn't do much because all the waiting lists...

I will call around and get on some wait lists.

I am going to hopefully see her to her a doctors note for a leave of absence from work because I am just too stressed lately

[sara26]

Can my doctor give me a note for a leave of absence because of too much stress? Is it possible to get like 3 months? I need some time to get my stuff in order and I'm starting teachers college in September. I'm going to call for an appointment Monday.

[Ashleah]

Hi Sara26,

I'm not very familiar with leave policies, so I will ask another staff/volunteer to get back with you. However, 3 months is more in the realm of short term disability which would likely need to be documented.

As far as college, you can look at your institutions policies about taking a leave of absence and see if that is something that you would want to do. If you are attending a college that might be another place for you to access mental healthcare. Does the college you attend have a health center or counseling available?

[sara26]

I don't understand what you mean by needing to be documented.

And I have no idea it will be my first year going to that school.

[Karyn]

Taking a leave of absence and what kind of documentation you need for that (like a doctor's letter) is something you'll have to ask your boss about; every company/organization has their own policy.

It wouldn't hurt to look into options for counselling at your school, even though you don't start until September: most colleges and universities have something available for students. In the meantime, if you want to let us know where in Canada you are, we can have a look around for mental healthcare options for you if you like.

[sara26]

I live in sarnia, ontario

[Karyn]

Okay, it looks like the Canadian Mental Health Association would be the place to start. There's a branch in Sarnia, and it's not clear from their website whether or not they offer counselling services, but it would be worth calling them to find out. If nothing else, they'll likely be able to give you some information on where to try next. Their info is here: http://www.cmha.ca/branch_locations/lam ... nt-branch/

I have no idea if their services are covered by OHIP or how accessing their services affect any waiting lists you may be on, but they'll be able to let you know that as well.

[sara26]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate this.

[sara26]

Hello again,

I got a doctors note July 6th and it excuses me from work until September 20th. My doctor has also sent a referral to some people who can help me. Just waiting to hear back from them now.

That being said, the day after I handed the note in I started hearing things from work(through my boyfriend and his sister who both work at the same place). Things like:
1. they are not happy at all
2. they are all assuming I did it just to get the summer off(no one has tried to contact me to see if I'm okay)
3. as soon as I get back they are demoting me and giving me 3 hours a week
4. and, a rumour that my boyfriend is breaking up with me...

I find it pretty immature that these things are being said but I know 4 is false because he is the one who told me about it in case I heard it from someone else. But 3 makes me a little uneasy. I am almost positive that the doctors note makes it so they can not do that because of labour laws but do they protect me even if I work at McDonald's?

Thank you

[Heather]

I'm afraid discussions of labor law are very afield of sexuality education, which is the bulk of what we do here and need to keep our focus on. Same goes for anxiety disorders and issues, which we make clear in our direct service menu really aren't things we are qualified to help with.

What I'd suggest you do is take your labor concerns to your doctor: if they gave you a note to excuse you from work, they should know what that medical leave they gave you paperwork for does and doesn't provide you, and if they work in mental health, they will also likely know who to connect you with for any labor concerns around this if an outside source is needed.