Is it just in the bathroom or do you need to have a window open to sleep and so on?

I don't like rooms without natural light in general and I'll always turn a fan off if I can, but the real anxiety is specific to steam from the shower + electric lights = completely irrational fear of short circuits, plus if there's a fan I'm already on edge from the noise.

1/93- Have you ever tried exposure therapy? I have been emetophobic for as long as I can remember. I've always wanted to be a nurse and exposure therapy is what allowed me to go to nursing school and deal with a profession that involves a lot of vomit. I still get slightly panicky when a patient vomits, but I am able to cope with it and take care of patients instead of running out of the room with my eyes shut and ears plugged. Even though we don't have anxiety about the same situation, maybe exposure therapy could help you.

What if OP offered to stand guard while they showered?

Does it have to be ice cold?

Hot would kill the germs...cold will just make her shudder...

Throwing hot water on someone can hurt them if you don't know there tolerance for the heat. If you throw ice water on them then they just need to get in the shower and warm them self up.

You'll also get great high beams!

She just has anxiety. I understand what she feels, since i had the same fear. She just needs counseling

It's called anxiety. I wouldnt go around saying you don't understand the big deal because it IS a big deal for them. Anxiety sucks, look at it from the room mates point of view.

Your lack of empathy implies either a mild case or a self/misdiagnosis. It seems a fair assumption that you were never written up for being late because you had to drive home three times to make sure your apartment was actually locked, despite getting up two hours early, or lost friends because they didn't understand why you would continually "choose" to take a three hour shower instead of going out with them as planned. Anyone with a bad case is painfully aware that the world will never accommodate them, unfortunately they are put in the situation on a daily basis where they get to choose between alienation and the worst fears their minds can concoct.

Yeah her life sucks but we are talking about OP here which is screwed now too. It may be a mental disorder but that doesn't make it any less gross.

No, I was diagnosed by two psychologists. Who are you to say I self diagnosed? **** you.

Also, no. You either don't make plans or get help. If I'm in a situation where I will be forced to touch something without my washcloth I don't make plans in the first place

I doubt her parents would perform a fire drill, especially when they know she's in the shower.

Have you lived in a dorm? Fire alarms in dorms and fire alarms in homes are not the same thing. Plus a dorm houses hundreds of people who have to exit the building with her. I can see where she's coming from.

In addition to worrying about fire drills like 12 pointed out, there are also assholes who will pull fire alarms because they think it's funny or they want to delay taking a test or turning in an assignment

She could talk to the RA staff and ask about the fire drill schedule. They should be accommodating, especially if she's getting counseling (which she should). Being worried about someone pulling the fire alarm to get out of a test shouldn't be an issue in a dorm.

89-It was definitely a problem at my college. The protocol was to evacuate the dorm and stay put while everyone was accounted for and firefighters checked the entire building. By the time we were given the all clear, some of us would have missed our class. It was frustrating to miss a class because some jackass didn't study or finish an assignment. Hopefully OP's college has a better protocol in place.

Her ass stank! Now she's making it everyone's problem.

As someone with general anxiety disorder and OCD I agree, that's disgusting.

"Only has to put up with someone who has 12 showers a year."

hi roommate. nice try.