Autophobia

Autophobia is the fear of being alone. A person suffering from this gets anxious even at the thought of being alone. They do not really have to be alone to experience the symptoms. It is a kind of an anxiety disorder that can be caused by various reasons. The person could have severe anxiety when he fears getting separated from a particular person, fear of being alone, scared to be alone in public, etc. It is believed by the experts that autophobia falls under the set of mental health conditions named the agoraphobic cluster.

Autophobia symptoms

Autophobia symptoms are very similar to other phobias. Some autophobia symptoms are:

·       The person may feel extreme fear which is caused by certain situations such as being alone

·       The person may get anxiety instantly more than the actual danger

·       The person would try to avoid being alone when possible

·       The person may feel extremely stressful when being alone

·       The person may start to sweat too much along with trembling

·        The heart rate of the person may increase

·       Nausea or an upset stomach

·       The person feels difficulty in breathing

·       The person may feel stiffness in the chest

Causes of Autophobia

It is seen that phobias cause a person to be afraid and have high anxiety. As a result, their daily lives are affected. However, there could be many reasons why a person suffers from such a disorder. The causes of autophobia are:

·    Childhood experiences- A person may have a traumatic childhood due to which he may have developed autophobia. It may be the origin of phobia due to reasons such as a loved one who died, one of the parents left, or having stressful relationships. For e.g. a child who was left by his mother on the streets and developed the fear of being alone.

·    Traumatic experience- In most cases, a traumatic experience may be a reason for developing such types of phobias. For e.g. a burglar broke into a person’s home when he was alone or he may have seen a loved one go through a medical issue when he was alone. Such experiences if not addressed properly then, in the long run, may affect the person. These issues can cause autophobia and could also be a reason for other anxiety disorders.

·    Other mental disorders- A person may be going through other mental health issues and could develop autophobia. Anxiety attacks and depressions are very common in people going through mental disorders and because of this, they may have a fear of being alone.

Treatments of autophobia

Most of the time people who suffer from phobias like autophobia do not take proper treatments. A lot of people simply don’t like to confess the fact that they have such a phobia. The treatments for autophobia are:

1. Exposure therapy- exposure therapy helps a person in dealing with his fears by exposing him to the fear in varying intensity. The therapies are performed in a controlled environment so that it does not pose any danger to the person. The assumption is made that by making them face their fears in varying intensity they may learn to deal with their fears. Exposure therapy also helps the person to overcome his feeling of depression and fear.

2. Self-help support groups- In these types of groups, people who suffer from phobias, anxiety disorders, or who depend on drugs come together and express their problems and feelings to the group. There is a medical professional also present in the group. The purpose of this therapy is that people may express their fears and feelings.

3. Individual therapy- Sometimes one-to-one therapy is required which helps a person deal with his fears. A psychiatrist may talk about the phobia and will assist the person in dealing with it.

4. Medication- The main purpose of therapies is that the person recovers from his condition. However, it is very important to take appropriate medications that will help the person in managing his condition.

Conclusion

Autophobia is the fear of being alone. A person suffering from autophobia could be scared of being alone or even the thought of being alone scares him/her. A person could get scared even in his home. Even when physically healthy, a person suffering from autophobia may be worried about mysterious noises, strangers, or even developing another medical condition. It could be caused due to numerous reasons. Sometimes, a traumatic childhood or another traumatic incident is the reason why a person has a fear of being alone. It is important to seek medical attention or these anxiety disorders can get worse over time.