AIBU to be this paranoid about Men B?

[workdilemma123abc]

posting on AIBU for traffic partly, but also need some reassurance please xxx i will ask to move to MH board if that’s better, just let me know xxx

hi all - in need of some head wobbling i think

i live in a very busy city centre and was trying to walk through the station, only for someone to cough right in my face. obviously googling has not been helpful, and news articles stating 10% of people carry the men b bacteria strain with no symptoms.

i suffer from contamination OCD quite badly, it was triggered from COVID times. i have been diagnosed with OCD for most of my life, but the contamination part is more recent.

the city i live in has lots of visitors when the suns out, and also has lots of university students (tens of thousands).

i have had a panic attack since coming home, had to scrub my face and everything and change and i’m still worried it’s too late and this person has gotten me sick.

i know rumination is obviously a big aspect of OCD, but i was hoping maybe someone could let me know or reassure me that this is not high risk and i will be OK.

i’m now freaking out that everything i touch has been contaminated!

thank you in advance xxxxx

Someone coughing in your face is horrible, in fairness.

But you'll be fine. You will.

Stop watching the news if it affects you that much. Would you normally jump straight to men b in this situation…? Probably not but you are because it’s all over the news

i do get this but i’ve been trying to avoid watching it. i just heard the stat that 1 in 10 people have it, and the area is really not that far from me.

also being in a train station made me feel like they were coming from kent.

like i said, i do have an irrational mental health condition - which is why i was hoping for some reassurance that i’m fine, as if i google anything i get horrible stats!

i do appreciate you taking the time to respond though x

Men B is mostly likely transmitted by prolonged contact with the bacteria via sharing cups, utensils, vapes or kissing.

It's unlikely you'd be infected by someone coughing near you once in an open space.

Stop googling stats, you will be fine. You know you have OCD and it’s making you think irrational so I know that makes it harder but you will be fine. Did you have vaccines as a child?

OP, while I have every sympathy, you must know that it’s not recommended to offer reassurance to someone in your position, as it only relieves the anxiety momentarily, and you’ll be back seeking further reassurance immediately. You recognise yourself that your fear isn’t rational. Have you got any coping strategies from your therapy you could employ to help you handle this?

Turn the stat on its head. If 10% of all people are harmlessly carrying the bacteria at any one time, and you probably know at most a couple of people in your home town who have ever been ill with men b, how unbelievably unlikely is it that the bacteria becomes a problem for someone?

I can't find the article now, but a public health official was quoted on the BBC today as saying the risk to the general public is no greater than normal. So far all cases can be linked to the nightclub.

Meningitis is spread through close prolonged contact....in sharing utensils/vapes/cups or kissing.

Yes, many people carry the bacteria at the back of their nose/throat, without ever becoming unwell. Equally, they can pass that bacteria onto someone else, via some of the ways above.

Sometimes the bacteria overrides the immune system, and it triggers meningitis, meaning a person can become seriously ill.

Someone coughing in your face isn't very nice, but it definitely doesn't mean you're going to contract Meningitis.

I'm speaking as someone who contracted Men B and septicemia at the age of 26.

hi, thanks for responding :)

for me, what i usually do (that i got from therapy) is break it down and tell myself it’s very unlikely and will find supporting evidence to show me that it’s not going to happen to me. it’s breaking down the thought and using evidence to prove that just because i’m worrying about it, doesn’t mean it’s going to happen.

i think just at the moment it’s a bit harder, as everything i googled seemed worse and worse! i also wanted to see if anyone else was feeling the same too at the moment x

just to add - i’m referencing the news/headlines when i tried to google for evidence that it was hard to contract etc! x

We are not all riddled with men b in Kent, even on the off chance you came across one of us at a station.

I had OCD in pregnancy and I learned that the worst thing you can do is seek reassurance in this way, it has the opposite effect.

thank you for sharing - my therapist had almost said the opposite x now i’m thinking i shouldn’t have posted!

i do feel a lot better now i’ve had time to think about it, it’s just in the moment it can be quite overwhelming (as i’m sure you’re aware!) xx

thanks x

It’s much harder to catch than you’d think. The outbreak in Kent stems from one friend group who were sharing drinks and vapes, and people who had very close and prolonged contact with those individuals.

Bin the therapist and get someone who knows what they're talking about OP. Even a quick Google says that:
No, therapists specializing in treating OCD typically do not advise clients to seek reassurance from other people. Instead, they usually instruct clients to limit or stop this behavior as part of treatment.
While asking for reassurance can reduce anxiety in the short term, it is considered a compulsion (safety behavior) that feeds the "OCD cycle," making symptoms worse in the long run.