Case Study 3: Bert is 40 years old and works on an assembly line in a brush factory. He is terribly afraid of being contaminated by germs. He avoids shaking hands with others. He won’t eat in the cafeteria. He has trouble leaving the bathroom because he isn’t sure he has washed his hands well enough.
Bert's fear of contamination is a clear cut example of a specific phobia. His case is very severe, causing isolation from others and a limited lifestyle. This phobia also causes a case of obsessive-compulsive disorder, evidenced by his repeated handwashing, directly stemming from his avoidance of germs.
I think that the most effective form of therapy for Bert would be Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) which can also be called systematic desensitization or exposure. In this method, Bert would systematically face his fears. He would first imagine facing his fear, and then he would build on that until he could face his fear in real life without any major symptoms.
