Is there a medical name for a disorder that causes a person to be unduly concerned with germs and cleanliness? If there is, I have it.

I am obsessed with cleaning and talk about it all the time. I rinse by glasses and cups before I use them even though they have been washed with soap before I put them in the dishwasher. I always use the sanitize cycle.

I clean the homes of relatives and friends when I am a guest even though I've been told not do do it because it makes them uncomfortable. I just can't help myself, Ann. Everything around me must be in perfect order.

I imagine I have every symptom of every disease I hear about and worry constantly about being contaminated by unclean persons in public places. I could go on and on about my strange behavior, but I think you get the picture.

Please let me know what I can do to break this crazy pattern. It is as annoying to me as it is to others. I need help.

Don't despair. A problem identified is a problem half solved. You are suffering from a form of mental illness called mysophobia.

You need to get some counseling and find out why you feel so inadequate that you must compensate by knocking yourself out to prove that you are simply marvelous at something; in this case, chasing dirt.

There are no medals for women like you. I urge you to get into counseling and conquer this obsessive-compulsive behavior that is taking over your life.