All About Bibliophobia

Bibliophobia is the fear of books. It is a rare disorder in which a person starts developing a fear of books. Bibliophobia could be of many types. A person who is suffering from bibliophobia may fear every book or some particular ones. The person could get anxious or start to panic with just the thought of reading books. The person could start to shake, sweat or cry when he is asked to read loudly in a room. Some people may be facing difficulties since childhood, whereas some develop them over time. The person having bibliophobia could develop anxiety as he is unable to have control over books.

Causes of Bibliophobia

A person may have had bibliophobia since his childhood, or he could develop it later in life due to some congenital abnormalities. Some causes are as follows:

• Genetics: Genetics could be a cause of bibliophobia as some families have a history of some specific fears.
• Behavioural disorder: Sometimes, people develop behavioural disorders, which may cause them to develop bibliophobia. They may be confused or hesitant when in public.
• Dyslexia: The condition of dyslexia could be present in children from birth, or they develop it over time. This is a disability in which a child is unable to read books, and as a result, a sense of fear for books is developed. The child may feel anxiety, especially in a classroom or with other children.
• Unpleasant childhood experiences: Often, children suffer from bad experiences, including rejection and not having the liberty to choose the book they want to read because of some inappropriate content that goes against society and culture. The child could feel embarrassed in front of his friends and teachers because he is unable to read. This may further cause a sense of fear in the child.
• Mental Abnormalities: Bibliophobia may be caused in some people due to some neurological disorders such as language disorder, hyperactivity, disability in learning, disability associated with intellect, difficulty in speaking, etc. Bipolar disorder, epilepsy, and Alzheimer’s disease are some other disorders related to the nervous system that may cause the development of bibliophobia in a person.

Symptoms of Bibliophobia

There are some specific symptoms that a person may experience when exposed to books, such as:

• The person may start to sweat excessively, and his heartbeat may increase along with palpitations.
• The person may also experience confusion.
• A person who has bibliophobia may also have difficulty in breathing (hyperventilation).
• He may upset his stomach and experience indigestion.

Treatments for Bibliophobia

People who have a severe case of bibliophobia need treatment. However, mild cases do not require treatment. Some treatments are as follows:

• Hypnotherapy: Hypnotherapy is given to a person to help them overcome their fears. The person is put in a dream-like state but will have focus, and the therapist may try to convince him to read books without fear.
• Exposure therapy: The purpose of this therapy is to help you confront your fear slowly but in a controlled environment. You can begin by seeing a book somewhere you feel safe. Then step by step, they may ask you to hold a book in your hand and read a small paragraph. Ultimately, they will ask you to visit a library or a book store. You can overcome your fear of books via increased exposure.
• Cognitive behavioural therapy: This therapy is well-organised psychotherapy that will be helpful in understanding and controlling thoughts. This therapy will help a person in unlearning the negative thoughts that occur when they think about a book or come across one. Dialectical behavioural therapy is another type of CBT in which the therapist may ask the person to think about a book and ask him to smile while thinking. This will help one to change their emotions related to books.
• Medications: People may take the help of some anti-anxiety pills that can reduce the symptoms. However, there are no specific medications for bibliophobia.

Conclusion

Bibliophobia is the fear of books. A lot of people develop this fear without even knowing that they suffer from it. A person who is suffering from bibliophobia may get chills, start to sweat excessively, or even hyperventilate in the worst case. There is no particular diagnosis to know what fears a person might have, but a practitioner may be able to diagnose what causes the fear. There are no medications related to bibliophobia, but there are many treatments a person can go through to overcome his fear. Therapies such as Hypnotherapy, exposure therapy, and cognitive behavioural therapies are helpful in such cases.