Autophobia

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Autophobia
Specialty Psychology

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. [1] [2] This specific phobia is associated with the idea of being alone, often causing severe anxiety. [3]

Contents

While autophobia isn't recognized as its own individual phobic disorder in major mental health diagnostic publications, it is still a disorder that may be treated like any other anxiety-based disorder through the use of medications and therapies. [4] This disorder may, however, be classified and diagnosed as code 6B03 "specific phobia" in the ICD-11 [5] and a situational type specific phobia [300.29 (F40.248)] in the DSM-5. [6]

Those with this condition suffer in a range of situations, both in solitude and in company of others. Isolated, people with autophobia struggle with a fear of inability to handle challenges by themselves. On the other hand, those with this condition may still struggle in fear of abandonment and maintaining relationships even when those they are in relationships with are physically present. [7]

Contrary to what would be inferred by a literal reading of the term, autophobia does not describe a "fear of oneself" [8] nor is it the fear of automobiles (despite various cultures abbreviating automobile to "auto"). It typically develops from and is associated with personal trauma, anxiety, depression or other disorders. [9]

Autophobia can be associated with or accompanied by other phobias, such as agoraphobia, and is generally considered part of the agoraphobic cluster, meaning that it has many of the same characteristics as certain anxiety disorders and hyperventilation disorders and may be present in a comorbid state with these disorders, although it can stand alone. [10] The main concern of people with phobias in the agoraphobic cluster is their ability to get help in case of emergency. This often makes them afraid of going out in public, being caught in crowds, being alone, or being stranded. [11]

Autophobia is not to be confused with agoraphobia (fear of being in public or being caught in crowds), self-hatred, or social anxiety, although it can be closely related to them. [12] It is a distinct phobia that tends to be accompanied or linked with other anxiety disorders, trauma syndromes, mental health issues or phobias.

Signs and symptoms

Autophobia signs and symptoms differ from one case to another. However, many individuals suffering from this condition exhibit a variety of common symptoms. One of the most known indications of autophobia is experiencing an intense amount of apprehension and anxiety when alone or contemplating situations where isolation from trusted others is imminent. [13] People with this disorder also commonly believe that there is an impending disaster waiting to occur whenever they are left alone. [14] For this reason, autophobes go to extreme lengths to avoid being in isolation. However, people with this disease often do not need to be in physical isolation to feel abandoned. Autophobes will often be in a crowded area or group of people and feel as though they are completely secluded. [15]

There has also been some connection to autophobia being diagnosed in people who also have borderline personality disorders. [16]

Below is a list of other symptoms that are sometimes associated with autophobia:

Background

Autophobia can be derived from social anxiety. When people with this phobia are left alone, they will often experience panic attacks, which is a common reaction in those with social anxiety. This disease can also stem from depression because when people become seriously autophobic, they start to find certain tasks and activities almost impossible to complete. This usually occurs when autophobes are faced with a possibility of going into a public place where there are many people or simply a place that is uncomfortable or unfamiliar to them. This phobia can also be closely related to agoraphobia, which leads to lowered self-confidence and uncertainty of their ability to finish certain activities that need to be done alone. People with this phobia tend to imagine the worst possible scenario. For example, they might have a panic attack and then think that they are going to die from this event. [19]

Another experience that doctors believe leads individuals to develop this phobia is children being abandoned, usually by their parents, when they are very young. This first causes childhood trauma that then persists to affect them as they grow up. This turns into autophobia because they are now afraid that all of the important people in their lives are going to leave or abandon them. Therefore, this particular phobia can come from behavior and experiences that these people have had when they were growing up. However, abandonment does not necessarily mean being left alone physically, this also includes being isolated financially or emotionally. Having drastic, life-altering experiences, particularly causes more trauma which makes this phobia worse. People that have very high anxiety and in this case are more "high strung," are more susceptible to this phobia. [20]

Although this phobia is often developed at a young age, it can develop later in life as well. Individuals sometimes develop this fear with the death of a loved one or the ending of an important relationship. Autophobia can also be described as the fear of being without a specific person. Tragic events in a person's life may create this fear of being without one specific person, but this often will eventually progress into a fear of being secluded in general. [14]

Diagnosis

Definitions

Autophobia is closely related to monophobia, isolophobia, and eremophobia, however, it varies slightly in definition. According to the Merriam-Webster Medical Dictionary, eremophobia is a morbid fear of being isolated. [21] In contrast, The Practitioner's Medical Dictionary defines autophobia as a morbid fear of solitude or one's self. [1]

Individuals who are suspected to have this fear-based condition undergo psychological assessment from a mental health specialist. To rule out any physiological causes of the disorder, medical history is gathered. A situational phobia, autophobia must interfere with the individual's daily tasks or routines due to symptoms caused by the condition such as anxiety to be diagnosed as such. [22] [23]

Treatments

Autophobia is a form of anxiety that can cause a minor to extreme feeling of danger or fear when alone. There is not a specific treatment to cure autophobia as it affects each person differently. Most people with the condition are treated with psychotherapy, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and exposure therapy in which the amount of time that they are alone is slowly increased. [24] Medications may be utilized for the stabilization of a patient's anxiety. These medications include (but are not limited to) beta blockers, anti-anxiety and depression medications called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and benzodiazepine sedatives. [25] [26]

It is not uncommon for affected people to be unaware that they have this disorder and to dismiss the idea of seeking help. In many cases, patients will instead self medicate with alcohol and/or drugs and other medications. Often, the effects of these coping mechanisms end up worsening a person's anxiety, and the situation can get increasingly worse with time. [27] Patients who do seek treatment from medical professionals have reported alleviation from the anxious effects of this disorder.

In mild cases of autophobia, treatment can sometimes be very simple. Therapists recommend many different remedies to make patients feel as though they are not alone even when that is the case, such as listening to music when running errands alone or turning on the television when at home for background noise. [28] Using noise to interrupt the silence of isolated situations can often be a great help for people with autophobia.

It is important to recognize that just because a person may experience nervousness while being alone at times does not mean that they have autophobia. Most people feel alone and secluded at times; this is not an unusual phenomenon. [29] Only when the fear of being alone begins to interrupt how a person lives their daily life does the idea of being autophobic become a possibility. [15]

Research

In 1969, autophobia or monophobia was referred to as being very closely related to death anxiety, or a feeling of impending doom . [30] A patient with autophobia may experience hyperventilation related to this death anxiety or anxiety related to fear of solitude to an intense degree, such that the patient may feel they are in danger of suffocating or dying due to this hyperventilation episode.

It is also noted that patients with death anxiety might also increase their inclination to a comorbid diagnosis of autophobia because these patients are so anxious about becoming seriously injured, finding themselves in dire or compromising situations and death that they become afraid of solitude. Autophobia-induced anxiety may occur along with other anxieties or phobias included in the agoraphobic cluster, often due to this fear of isolation during a time when they may be in need of assistance. [11]

Cultural references

A comic was written on Tapastic called Autophobia in which a boy with a rocky family life navigates high school. [31]

In July 2018, Canadian musician deadmau5 released a song named Monophobia, featuring vocals from Rob Swire, with lyrics vaguely referring to the condition. [32]

A Telugu movie named Atithidevo Bhavah is released on this concept. [33]

See also

Related Research Articles

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anxiety disorder</span> Cognitive disorder with an excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations

Anxiety disorders are a group of mental disorders characterized by significant and uncontrollable feelings of anxiety and fear such that a person's social, occupational, and personal functions are significantly impaired. Anxiety may cause physical and cognitive symptoms, such as restlessness, irritability, easy fatigue, difficulty concentrating, increased heart rate, chest pain, abdominal pain, and a variety of other symptoms that may vary based on the individual.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agoraphobia</span> Anxiety disorder

Agoraphobia is a mental and behavioral disorder, specifically an anxiety disorder characterized by symptoms of anxiety in situations where the person perceives their environment to be unsafe with no easy way to escape. These situations can include public transit, shopping centers, crowds and queues, or simply being outside their home on their own. Being in these situations may result in a panic attack. Those affected will go to great lengths to avoid these situations. In severe cases, people may become completely unable to leave their homes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panic attack</span> Periods of intense fear

Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear and discomfort that may include palpitations, otherwise defined as a fluttering, rapid, irregular heartbeat, sweating, chest pain or chest discomfort, shortness of breath, trembling, dizziness, numbness, confusion, or a sense of impending doom or loss of control. Typically, these symptoms peak within ten minutes of onset and can last for roughly 30 minutes, though their duration can vary anywhere from seconds to even hours. While they can be extremely frightening and distressing, panic attacks themselves are not physically dangerous.

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.

Abnormal psychology is the branch of psychology that studies unusual patterns of behavior, emotion, and thought, which could possibly be understood as a mental disorder. Although many behaviors could be considered as abnormal, this branch of psychology typically deals with behavior in a clinical context. There is a long history of attempts to understand and control behavior deemed to be aberrant or deviant, and there is often cultural variation in the approach taken. The field of abnormal psychology identifies multiple causes for different conditions, employing diverse theories from the general field of psychology and elsewhere, and much still hinges on what exactly is meant by "abnormal". There has traditionally been a divide between psychological and biological explanations, reflecting a philosophical dualism in regard to the mind–body problem. There have also been different approaches in trying to classify mental disorders. Abnormal includes three different categories; they are subnormal, supernormal and paranormal.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avoidant personality disorder</span> Personality disorder

Avoidant personality disorder (AvPD) or anxious personality disorder is a Cluster C personality disorder characterized by excessive social anxiety and inhibition, fear of intimacy, severe feelings of inadequacy and inferiority, and an overreliance on avoidance of feared stimuli as a maladaptive coping method. Those affected typically display a pattern of extreme sensitivity to negative evaluation and rejection, a belief that one is socially inept or personally unappealing to others, and avoidance of social interaction despite a strong desire for it. It appears to affect an approximately equal number of men and women.

A major depressive episode (MDE) is a period characterized by symptoms of major depressive disorder. Those affected primarily exhibit a depressive mood for at least two weeks or more, and a loss of interest or pleasure in everyday activities. Other symptoms can include feelings of emptiness, hopelessness, anxiety, worthlessness, guilt, irritability, changes in appetite, difficulties in concentration, difficulties remembering details, making decisions, and thoughts of suicide. Insomnia or hypersomnia and aches, pains, or digestive problems that are resistant to treatment may also be present.

Phobophobia is a phobia defined as the fear of phobias, or the fear of fear, including intense anxiety and unrealistic and persistent fear of the somatic sensations and the feared phobia ensuing. Phobophobia can also be defined as the fear of phobias or fear of developing a phobia. Phobophobia is related to anxiety disorders and panic attacks directly linked to other types of phobias, such as agoraphobia. When a patient has developed phobophobia, their condition must be diagnosed and treated as part of anxiety disorders.

Blood phobia is an extreme irrational fear of blood, a type of specific phobia. Severe cases of this fear can cause physical reactions that are uncommon in most other fears, specifically vasovagal syncope (fainting). Similar reactions can also occur with trypanophobia and traumatophobia. For this reason, these phobias are categorized as blood-injection-injury phobia by the DSM-IV. Some early texts refer to this category as "blood-injury-illness phobia."

Mental health professionals often distinguish between generalized social phobia and specific social phobia. People with generalized social phobia have great distress in a wide range of social situations. Those with specific social phobia may experience anxiety only in a few situations. The term "specific social phobia" may also refer to specific forms of non-clinical social anxiety.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nomophobia</span> Fear or dislike of not having mobile phone

Nomophobia is a word for the fear of, or anxiety caused by, not having a working mobile phone. It has been considered a symptom or syndrome of problematic digital media use in mental health, the definitions of which are not standardized for technical and genetical reasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thalassophobia</span> Fear of the sea or large open water

Thalassophobia is the persistent and intense fear of deep bodies of water, such as the ocean, seas, or lakes. Though related, thalassophobia should not be confused with aquaphobia, which is classified as the fear of water itself. Thalassophobia can include fears of being in deep bodies of water, the vastness of the sea, sea waves, aquatic animals, and great distance from land.

Spotligectophobia, scopophobia, scoptophobia or ophthalmophobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by an excessive fear of being stared at in public or stared at by others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Social anxiety disorder</span> Anxiety disorder associated with social situations

Social anxiety disorder (SAD), also known as social phobia, is an anxiety disorder characterized by sentiments of fear and anxiety in social situations, causing considerable distress and impairing ability to function in at least some aspects of daily life. These fears can be triggered by perceived or actual scrutiny from others. Individuals with social anxiety disorder fear negative evaluations from other people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panic disorder</span> Anxiety disorder characterized by reoccurring unexpected panic attacks

Panic disorder is a mental and behavioral disorder, specifically an anxiety disorder characterized by reoccurring unexpected panic attacks. Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear that may include palpitations, sweating, shaking, shortness of breath, numbness, or a feeling that something terrible is going to happen. The maximum degree of symptoms occurs within minutes. There may be ongoing worries about having further attacks and avoidance of places where attacks have occurred in the past.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fear of flying</span> Fear of being in a flying vehicle whilst in flight

Fear of flying is the fear of being on a flying vehicle, such as an airplane or helicopter, while it is in flight. It is also referred to as flying anxiety, flying phobia, flight phobia, aviophobia, aerophobia, or pteromerhanophobia.

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.

References

  1. 1 2 Gould, Dr. George Milbry (1910). The Practitioner's Medical Dictionary (2nd ed.). Philadelphia: P. Blackiston's Son & Co. p.  101.
  2. ↑ "Medical Definition of Fear of oneself". RxList. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  3. ↑ "Autophobia (fear of being alone): Definition, symptoms, and treatment". www.medicalnewstoday.com. 2020-08-13. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  4. ↑ "Autophobia (Fear of Being Alone): Causes & Treatment". Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved 2023-06-16.
  5. ↑ Fordham, Beth; Sugavanam, Thavapriya; Edwards, Katherine; Hemming, Karla; Howick, Jeremy; Copsey, Bethan; Lee, Hopin; Kaidesoja, Milla; Kirtley, Shona (February 2021), "Summary tables of included systematic reviews grouped according to the conditions they targeted as per the ICD-11", Cognitive–behavioural therapy for a variety of conditions: an overview of systematic reviews and panoramic meta-analysis, NIHR Journals Library, retrieved 2023-06-16
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  7. ↑ "Autophobia (Fear of Being Alone): Causes & Treatment". Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  8. ↑ McCray, Alexa; Browne, Allen; Moore, Dorothy (November 9, 1988). "The Semantic Structure of Neo-Classical Compounds". Proc Annu Symp Comput Appl Med Care.: 165–168. PMC   2245192 .
  9. ↑ Holt, Emily (December 1, 2007). "Me, Myself and I". W Magazine. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  10. ↑ Lindsay (2022-05-31). "Fear of Being Alone | What Is Monophobia?". HVRC. Retrieved 2023-07-07.
  11. 1 2 "Fear of Being Alone". anxietycare.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2006-08-18. Retrieved 2015-12-02.
  12. ↑ Barber, Chris (2018-11-02). "Loneliness and mental health". British Journal of Mental Health Nursing. 7 (5): 209–214. doi: 10.12968/bjmh.2018.7.5.209 . ISSN   2049-5919. S2CID   149894333.
  13. ↑ "Autophobia (Fear of Being Alone): Causes & Treatment". Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  14. 1 2 3 4 "Autophobia: Fear of Being Alone, Causes, Symptoms & Treatment". www.remediespoint.com. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
  15. 1 2 "Autophobia or Fear of Being Alone". nobullying.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-27. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
  16. ↑ "Fear of Abandonment Phobia – Autophobia". www.fearof.net. 2014-01-26. Retrieved 2015-12-04.
  17. 1 2 "CTRN: Change That's Right Now | Symptoms". www.changethatsrightnow.com. 12 January 2011. Retrieved 2015-12-04.
  18. ↑ "Autophobia | Dual Diagnosis". Dual Diagnosis. Retrieved 2015-12-04.
  19. ↑ "Monophobia - Psychologist Anywhere Anytime". www.psychologistanywhereanytime.com. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  20. ↑ "Fear of Abandonment Phobia – Autophobia". www.fearof.net. 2014-01-26. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  21. ↑ "Medical Definition of EREMOPHOBIA". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
  22. ↑ Administration, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (June 2016). Table 3.11, DSM-IV to DSM-5 Specific Phobia Comparison . Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  23. ↑ "Autophobia (fear of being alone): Definition, symptoms, and treatment". www.medicalnewstoday.com. 13 August 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  24. ↑ "Monophobia Chat room, Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Panic, Forum". www.phobiasupport.com. Archived from the original on 2015-12-08. Retrieved 2015-12-02.
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  26. ↑ Chu, Andrew; Wadhwa, Roopma (2024). Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. StatPearls Publishing. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  27. ↑ Lesser, Ben. "Autophobia | Dual Diagnosis" . Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  28. ↑ Care, United We (2022-02-25). "A Complete Guide to Overcome Autophobia or Fear of Being Alone". United We Care | A Super App for Mental Wellness. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  29. ↑ Barber, Chris (2018-11-02). "Loneliness and mental health". British Journal of Mental Health Nursing. 7 (5): 209–214. doi: 10.12968/bjmh.2018.7.5.209 . ISSN   2049-5919.
  30. ↑ Lazarus, Herbery (1969). "Psychogenic Hyperventilation and Death Anxiety". Psychosomatics. 10 (1): 14–22. doi: 10.1016/S0033-3182(69)71786-8 . PMID   5780677.
  31. ↑ "Autophobia :: Chapter 11 - 45 to 51 | Tapastic Comics". tapastic.com. Retrieved 2015-12-02.
  32. ↑ "deadmau5 feat. Rob Swire - Monophobia (Extended Mix)". YouTube. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  33. ↑ "Atithi Devobhava". IMDb .
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