For people with OCD and fear of germs, Covid-19 upended therapy
By Gabrielle Glaser Jan. 6, 2021Reprints Maria Fabrizio for STAT Long before the pandemic arrived, Renée battled intense fears of getting sick from daily life. She worried she could get HIV from doorknobs or suffer brain damage from odorless carbon monoxide leaking from a faulty furnace. Danger lurked everywhere. How could she be sure her plates and mugs were safe to use, even if they’d just come out of the dishwasher? What if, through casual contact, she somehow picked up the herpes virus? Who knew what potential germs might linger on cupboard knobs? As an adolescent, she soothed her anxi...