Cynophobia

Anxiety disorders are divided into different categories based on their features. One of the categories is a phobia. A phobia is defined as a persistent, excessive, and irrational fear of anything that may be an animal, a person, an object, a situation, etc. A specific phobia has a particular name that is related to or denotes the trigger of the anxious person. Cynophobia is one of them. It is defined as an irrational, excessive fear of dogs. It is an overwhelming feeling that makes a person anxious and intensely scared in the presence of a dog, or at a thought or sight of it.  People go out of the way to avoid encounters with a dog and tend to stay indoors to avoid meeting anyone.

People at Risk for Cynophobia

Specific phobias usually develop in childhood but can appear in adulthood as well. Some people are at higher risk of developing phobias than others. Potential risk factors may include:

1.Trauma: Some people might develop a fear of dogs after being attacked by one. The type of injury doesn’t affect the response; it might even develop in someone who watched a dog attack a third person.

2.Genetics: Family tendencies and environment are also crucial and affect the development of anxiety disorders. If a person in the family has a phobia, the members are more prone to develop it as well.

3.Brain physiology: Some changes in brain function can also trigger the development of a phobia. These can be neurological disorders or physical trauma to the brain.

4.Attitude: One with a sensitive temperament is more prone to develop phobias rather than one with a calm and relaxed attitude.

Cynophobia Symptoms

After exposure to a certain trigger, people might show some symptoms. These can be categorised into general and specific symptoms. General cynophobia symptoms include:

• Overwhelming fear 

• Anxiety and panic 

• Heart palpitations      

• Sweating

• Breathing difficulty

• Dizziness and nausea

• Gastric discomfort

Triggers of Cynophobia

People suffering from cynophobia might be triggered when exposed to the object of the fear itself, or sometimes even thinking about the phobia. In some specific situations when the passage of time is highlighted, anxiety and fear can intensify, such as:

• Sight of a dog, even if it is enclosed

• Sound of a dog bark or growl

• A picture or a video clip of a dog

• Thought about dogs

• Thought about going to a place where there might be a dog present

Diagnosis

In a suspected case of cynophobia, a healthcare professional records a complete and  comprehensive history. It involves dog related anxiety, whether it has an impact on daily normal life, and to what extent. It also includes the history of trauma of the patient and the methods they adopt to avoid feeling the overwhelming anxiety.

To diagnose a specific phobia, the diagnostic criteria DSM-5 have to be followed, which contain the following characteristics of fear:

• The duration of fear is more than or equal to 6 months and is persistent.

• Any thought or reminder of dogs, or anything related to dogs, acts as an immediate trigger and causes marked anxiety.       

• The feeling of fear is excessive and irrational. It interferes with daily life and social functioning.

The healthcare professional also confirms the history of post-traumatic stress disorder if present as it’s often an associated condition with this disorder.

PTSD is also a generalised anxiety disorder developed after a terrifying or traumatic event in life. The diagnosis is thus a complete evaluation of all the above factors. The treatment is suggested by the healthcare professional accordingly.

Treatment

Treatment for Cynophobia includes the following procedures:

1. Psychotherapy: Counselling or talk therapy is the treatment of choice for the anxiety and panic related to Cynophobia. A therapist conducts sessions where they help the patient get a grasp of the fears, work with them, and overcome them.  

2. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: This is more of a stimulation and act therapy that reroutes the thoughts of the patient in a different direction. The therapy also helps one gain control over the feelings one has in the presence of the trigger and one’s response to it.

3. Hypnotherapy: This therapy helps one reconstruct one’s concerns and manage the fear. As the mind remains calm, the healthcare professional trains it to relax and offers various strategies to help with the fear.

4. Mindfulness: Meditation and yoga have proved to be effective ways to control anxiety. They also include breathing exercises to have more control over the mind and help relax the mind.

5. Drug therapy: There is no specific drug therapy for Cynophobia, but one can get symptomatic treatment to control anxiety and help with panic attacks. Associated conditions such as depression and other mood disorders might also need drug therapy. Drugs such as benzodiazepines, antidepressants, etc are used by some healthcare professionals to provide relief to the patient.

6. Support groups: Many peer support groups are available, both offline and online where one can meet people facing similar situations. This helps make them feel less lonely and provide support to each other.  They also have a support system in place whenever required.

7. Exposure therapy: The healthcare provider exposes the patient to the trigger step by step at a slow pace, first using virtual simulations and then moving on to real-life exposure. This may include steps such as imagining a dog encounter after closing your eyes, holding a toy dog, watching dogs from far away, seeing their pictures, etc. 

Complications

Specific phobias such as Cynophobia may lead to other health conditions such as mood disorders, substance abuse, etc. Although treatment is not always required for phobias, sometimes treatment might help in controlling the symptoms and leading a normal regular life.

Without treatment, Cynophobia may cause serious interference in everyday life, such as relationship problems. People fail to function normally and be a part of their society. It can also worsen other health issues and eventually lead to depression, persistent anxiety, isolation, or agoraphobia.

Conclusion

Cynophobia is a type of generalised anxiety disorder in which the person suffering from it gets excessively scared by the thought of dogs. Any small thought of the animal or a situation involving it can trigger a panic attack or anxiety. The problem arises when the person is unable to lead a normal life and finds themselves obsessively thinking about dogs, and their actions depict their phobia. For example, they avoid going out of the house, stop seeing shows or movies with dog scenes in them, avoid talking about them, get anxious when they hear a dog barking, etc. Proper treatment is required to gain control over their emotions and responses to the trigger and to regain function both mentally and in society.