Astraphobia

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Astraphobia
Other namesAstrapophobia, Brontophobia, Ceraunophobia, Tonitrophobia
Lightning 14.07.2009 20-42-33.JPG
Lightning strikes during a storm
Specialty Psychology

Astraphobia, also known as astrapophobia, brontophobia, ceraunophobia, or tonitrophobia, is an abnormal fear of thunder and lightning or an unwarranted fear of scattered and/or isolated thunderstorms, a type of specific phobia. It is a treatable phobia that both humans and animals can develop. The term astraphobia is composed of the Greek words ἀστραπή (astrape; lightning) and φόβος (phobos; fear).

Contents

Signs and symptoms

A person with astraphobia will often feel anxious during a thunderstorm even when they understand that the threat to them is minimal. Some symptoms are those accompanied with many phobias, such as trembling, crying, sweating, panicked reactions, sudden feeling of using the bathroom, nausea, feeling of dread, insertion of the fingers in the ears, and rapid heartbeat. However, there are some reactions that are unique to astraphobia. For instance, reassurance from other people is usually sought, and symptoms worsen when alone. Many people who have astraphobia will look for extra shelter from the storm. [1] They might hide underneath a bed, under the covers, in a closet, in a basement, or any other space where they feel safer. Efforts are usually made to smother the sound of the thunder; the person may cover their ears or curtain the windows.[ citation needed ]

A typical sign that someone has astraphobia is a very heightened interest in weather forecasts. A person with astraphobia may be alert for news of incoming storms. They may watch the weather on television constantly during rainy bouts and may even track thunderstorms online. This can become severe enough that the person may not go outside without checking the weather first. This can lead to anxiety and in very extreme cases, agoraphobia, the fear of leaving the home. [2]

Children

In 2007, scientists found astraphobia is the third most prevalent phobia in the US. [3] It can occur in people of any age. It occurs in many children, and should not be immediately identified as a phobia because children naturally go through many fears as they mature. Their fear of thunder and lightning cannot be considered a fully developed phobia unless it persists for more than six months. In this case, the child's phobia should be addressed, as it may become a serious problem in adulthood.[ citation needed ]

To lessen a child's fear during thunderstorms, the child can be distracted by games and activities. A bolder approach is to treat the storm as an entertainment.[ citation needed ]

Diagnosis

Treatment

The most widely used and possibly the most effective treatment for astraphobia is exposure to thunderstorms and eventually building an immunity. Some other treatment methods include cognitive behavioral therapy [4] (CBT) and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT). The patient will in many cases be instructed to repeat phrases to themselves in order to become calm during a storm. Heavy breathing exercises can reinforce this effort.[ citation needed ]

Dogs and cats

Dogs may exhibit severe anxiety during thunderstorms; between 15 and 30 percent may be affected. [5] Research confirms high levels of cortisol – a hormone associated with stress – affects dogs during and after thunderstorms. [5] Remedies include behavioral therapies such as counter conditioning and desensitization, anti-anxiety medications, and dog appeasing pheromone, a synthetic analogue of a hormone secreted by nursing canine mothers. [6]

Studies have also shown that cats can be afraid of thunderstorms. Whilst it is less common, cats have been known to hide under a table or behind a couch during a thunderstorm. [7]

Generally if any animal is anxious during a thunderstorm or any similar, practically harmless event (e.g. fireworks display), it is advised to simply continue behaving normally, instead of attempting to comfort animals.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fear</span> Basic emotion induced by a perceived threat

Fear is an intensely unpleasant primal emotion in response to perceiving or recognizing a danger or threat. Fear causes psychological changes that may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the threat. Fear in human beings may occur in response to a certain stimulus occurring in the present, or in anticipation or expectation of a future threat perceived as a risk to oneself. The fear response arises from the perception of danger leading to confrontation with or escape from/avoiding the threat, which in extreme cases of fear can be a freeze response. The fear response is also implicated in a number of mental disorders, particularly anxiety disorders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phobia</span> Anxiety disorder classified by a persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation

A phobia is an anxiety disorder, defined by an irrational, unrealistic, persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation. Phobias typically result in a rapid onset of fear and are usually present for more than six months. Those affected go to great lengths to avoid the situation or object, to a degree greater than the actual danger posed. If the object or situation cannot be avoided, they experience significant distress. Other symptoms can include fainting, which may occur in blood or injury phobia, and panic attacks, often found in agoraphobia and emetophobia. Around 75% of those with phobias have multiple phobias.

Specific phobia is an anxiety disorder, characterized by an extreme, unreasonable, and irrational fear associated with a specific object, situation, or concept which poses little or no actual danger. Specific phobia can lead to avoidance of the object or situation, persistence of the fear, and significant distress or problems functioning associated with the fear. A phobia can be the fear of anything.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claustrophobia</span> Fear of small spaces

Claustrophobia is a fear of confined spaces. It is triggered by many situations or stimuli, including elevators, especially when crowded to capacity, windowless rooms, and hotel rooms with closed doors and sealed windows. Even bedrooms with a lock on the outside, small cars, and tight-necked clothing can induce a response in those with claustrophobia. It is typically classified as an anxiety disorder, which often results in panic attacks. The onset of claustrophobia has been attributed to many factors, including a reduction in the size of the amygdala, classical conditioning, or a genetic predisposition to fear small spaces.

Emetophobia is a phobia that causes overwhelming, intense anxiety pertaining to vomit. This specific phobia can also include subcategories of what causes the anxiety, including a fear of vomiting or seeing others vomit. Emetophobes might also avoid the mentions of "barfing", vomiting, "throwing up", or "puking."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fear of needles</span> Phobia of injections or needles

Fear of needles, known in medical literature as needle phobia, is the extreme fear of medical procedures involving injections or hypodermic needles.

Systematic desensitization, or graduated exposure therapy, is a behavior therapy developed by the psychiatrist Joseph Wolpe. It is used when a phobia or anxiety disorder is maintained by classical conditioning. It shares the same elements of both cognitive-behavioral therapy and applied behavior analysis. When used in applied behavior analysis, it is based on radical behaviorism as it incorporates counterconditioning principles. These include meditation and breathing. From the cognitive psychology perspective, cognitions and feelings precede behavior, so it initially uses cognitive restructuring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heliophobia</span> Fear of the sun

Heliophobia is the fear of the Sun, sunlight, or any bright light. It is a type of specific phobia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fear of the dark</span> Common fear or phobia among children and, to a varying degree, adults

Fear of the dark is a common fear or phobia among toddlers, children and, to a varying degree, adults. A fear of the dark does not always concern darkness itself; it can also be a fear of possible or imagined dangers concealed by darkness. Most toddlers and children outgrow it, but this fear persists for some with scotophobia and anxiety. When waking up or sleeping, these fears may intertwine with sighting sleep paralysis demons in some people. Some degree of fear of the dark is natural, especially as a phase of child development. Most observers report that fear of the dark rarely appears before the age of two years and roughly peaks around the development stage of four years of age. When fear of the dark reaches a degree that is severe enough to be considered pathological, it is sometimes called scotophobia, or lygophobia.

Cynophobia is the fear of dogs and canines in general. Cynophobia is classified as a specific phobia, under the subtype "animal phobias". According to Timothy O. Rentz of the Laboratory for the Study of Anxiety Disorders at the University of Texas, animal phobias are among the most common of the specific phobias and 36% of patients who seek treatment report being afraid of dogs or afraid of cats. Although ophidiophobia or arachnophobia are more common animal phobias, cynophobia is especially debilitating because of the high prevalence of dogs and the general ignorance of dog owners to the phobia. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) reports that only 12% to 30% of those with a specific phobia will seek treatment.

In psychology, desensitization is a treatment or process that diminishes emotional responsiveness to a negative, aversive, or positive stimulus after repeated exposure. Desensitization can also occur when an emotional response is repeatedly evoked when the action tendency associated with the emotion proves irrelevant or unnecessary. The process of desensitization was developed by psychologist Mary Cover Jones and is primarily used to assist individuals in unlearning phobias and anxieties. Desensitization is a psychological process where a response is repeatedly elicited in circumstances where the emotion's propensity for action is irrelevant. Joseph Wolpe (1958) developed a method of a hierarchal list of anxiety-evoking stimuli in order of intensity, which allows individuals to undergo adaptation. Although medication is available for individuals with anxiety, fear, or phobias, empirical evidence supports desensitization with high rates of cure, particularly in clients with depression or schizophrenia. Wolpe's "reciprocal inhibition" desensitization process is based on well-known psychology theories such as Hull's "drive-reduction" theory and Sherrington's concept of "reciprocal inhibition." Individuals are gradually exposed to anxiety triggers while using relaxation techniques to reduce anxiety. It is an effective treatment for anxiety disorders.

Ailurophobia is the persistent and excessive fear of cats. Like other specific phobias, the exact cause of ailurophobia is unknown, and potential treatment generally involves therapy. The name comes from the Greek words αἴλουρος, 'cat', and φόβος, 'fear'. Other names for ailurophobia include: felinophobia, elurophobia, gatophobia, and cat phobia. A person with this phobia is known as an ailurophobe.

Social anxiety is the anxiety and fear specifically linked to being in social settings. Some categories of disorders associated with social anxiety include anxiety disorders, mood disorders, autism spectrum disorders, eating disorders, and substance use disorders. Individuals with higher levels of social anxiety often avert their gazes, show fewer facial expressions, and show difficulty with initiating and maintaining a conversation. Social anxiety commonly manifests itself in the teenage years and can be persistent throughout life; however, people who experience problems in their daily functioning for an extended period of time can develop social anxiety disorder. Trait social anxiety, the stable tendency to experience this anxiety, can be distinguished from state anxiety, the momentary response to a particular social stimulus. Half of the individuals with any social fears meet the criteria for social anxiety disorder. Age, culture, and gender impact the severity of this disorder. The function of social anxiety is to increase arousal and attention to social interactions, inhibit unwanted social behavior, and motivate preparation for future social situations.

Dog noise phobia, along with dog noise anxiety, are terms sometimes used by dog owners and veterinarians to describe canine fear of, and the corresponding stress responses to, loud noises.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telephone phobia</span> Fear of making or taking phone calls

Telephone phobia is reluctance or fear of making or taking phone calls, literally, "fear of telephones". It is considered to be a type of social phobia or social anxiety. It may be compared to glossophobia, in that both arise from having to engage with an audience, and the associated fear of being criticized, judged or made a fool of.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Separation anxiety in dogs</span>

Separation anxiety in dogs describes a condition in which a dog exhibits distress and behavior problems when separated from its handler. Separation anxiety typically manifests within minutes of departure of the handler. It is not fully understood why some dogs suffer from separation anxiety and others do not. The diagnosis process often leads to a misdiagnosis as it is difficult to differentiate from other medical and behavioral problems. The behavior may be secondary to an underlying medical condition. With chronic stress, impairments to physiological health can manifest. Increased stress in the dog alters hormone levels, thus decreasing natural immunity to various health problems. Separation anxiety can be treated with systematic desensitization and, if necessary, medication. Ignoring or punishing the dog, leaving them to "cry it out" does not solve separation anxiety and can damage the mental health of dogs.

Autophobia, also called monophobia, isolophobia, or eremophobia, is the specific phobia or a morbid fear or dread of oneself or of being alone, isolated, abandoned, and ignored. This specific phobia is associated with the idea of being alone, often causing severe anxiety.

Chronophobia, also known as prison neurosis, is considered an anxiety disorder describing the fear of time and time moving forward, which is commonly seen in prison inmates. Next to prison inmates, chronophobia is also identified in individuals experiencing quarantine due to COVID-19. As time is understood as a specific concept, chronophobia is categorized as a specific phobia.

Ancraophobia, also known as anemophobia, is an extreme fear of wind or drafts. It is rather uncommon, and can be treated. It has many different effects on the human brain. It can cause panic attacks for those who have the fear, and can make people miss out on regular everyday activities such as going outside.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lilapsophobia</span> Fear of tornadoes or hurricanes

Lilapsophobia is an abnormal fear of tornadoes or hurricanes. Lilapsophobia is considered the more severe type of astraphobia, which is a fear of thunder and lightning.

References

  1. Johnson, Trevor "Fear of Thunder - Dealing With Astraphobia." Fear of Thunder- Dealing with Astraphobia. 30 Jan. 2009. EzineArticles.com. 14 Oct 2009
  2. Lalramengmawii (May 2020). "A Case of Astraphobia Induce Severe Anxiety in Human". Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research. 12: 656–657.
  3. Dennis Coon, John O. Mitterer (2008). Introduction to Psychology: Gateways to Mind and Behavior. Cengage Publishing. p. 482. ISBN   978-0-495-59911-1.
  4. Fritscher, Lisa Astraphobia - Fear of Thunder and Lightning Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine . 30 Apr. 2011. About.com. Retrieved on 30 June 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Research aimed at finding way to soothe thunderstorm-stressed doggos". Pennsylvania State University. Archived from the original on 2012-12-14. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
  6. "There's Hope for Thunder-Phobic Dogs". University of Illinois . Retrieved 2010-05-23.
  7. Cato (2010-08-03). "Thunderstorms Phobia in Cats – Cats and Thunderstorms". Our-cats.com. Retrieved 2011-10-26.