Autophobia: symptoms, causes and treatment

This specific type of phobia produces an extreme fear of the possibility of being alone.

Have you ever heard about the extreme fear of being alone? If we take into account the society in which we live, where so little work has been done on self-acceptance, it is not such a rare disorder.

In this article we will reflect on the concept of loneliness and its implications, and we will also see what autophobia is, we will see what autophobia consists ofwhat are some of its symptoms, its possible causes and treatments.

• Article related: "Types of phobias: exploring the disorders of the fear".

Autophobia: a specific phobia

The word autophobia comes from the Greek word "auto" (meaning "by oneself"), and from the word "phobia" (meaning "fear"). Thus, autophobia literally means "fear of oneself".

However, in psychology this term does not mean exactly this, but rather a fear of being alone with oneself (physically speaking). a fear of the possibility of being alone with oneself (physically speaking).. Specifically, autophobia is a rare phobia, which consists of an intense, irrational and disproportionate fear of the possibility of being physically alone. Other names for autophobia are: monophobia or isolophobia.

This irrational fear is mainly due to an intense fear of the possibility of being ignored, of feeling unwanted or of suffering some kind of threat from an intruder. In short, people with autophobia have a panic of being left alone.

Like any specific phobia, where the stimulus is the fact of being physically alone, it is an anxiety disorder. The symptoms produced by autophobia are of a diverse nature: psychological, physical and emotional.

Beyond feeling alone

We have all felt lonely at some time in our lives, either because we are really physically alone at a given moment, or because we feel unloved or with no one to turn to (i.e., a loneliness that is more emotional than physical).

However, autophobia goes beyond this simple fact, since the person comes to feel real anxiety at the possibility or the actual fact of being physically alone. That is to say, one feels panic at loneliness. Thus, the symptoms appear when the individual is physically alone or when he/she believes that this situation may soon occur..

In short, feeling lonely (which is a common symptom in many people, and does not imply a major pathology) is not the same as suffering from autophobia, a real, specific and disabling phobia. Its intensity is much greater.

Low tolerance to loneliness

It is curious how the society in which we live "sells" us the idea that we should be autonomous, empowered, fend for ourselves, etc., and yet the same culture shows increasing difficulties in dealing with loneliness.

We see this in couples who cannot live without each other, in highly toxic relationships of dependency, etc., etc., etc.etc. We have been led to believe, especially at the couple level, that we need someone to "complete" us, when in reality we do not need anyone, but simply have the option to enjoy life with someone who complements us.

All this ends up generating in the person a feeling of anguish in the face of loneliness, of constant need to look for the other, to "connect" with others through the networks, the telephone... It is as if we were afraid to support ourselves. This, taken to the extreme and added to other factors, can trigger a disorder such as autophobia.

Symptoms

Now that we have briefly known the concept of autophobia, let's get to know its most frequent symptoms. Thus, autophobia involves a series of physical, psychological and emotional symptoms, such as the following.

1. Insecurity

One of the typical symptoms of autophobia is a great personal insecurity. This insecurity translates into difficulties in (or impossibility of) being alone with oneself..

Often, in this type of patient there is also associated a low self-esteem and a constant need for the approval of others. There can also be (and in fact, it is frequent) a great emotional dependence. The person "cannot" do things alone, by him/herself and without the help or approval of others.

2. Irrational ideas

Associated with autophobia, irrational ideas or thoughts such as "I am going to die" or "I am going to get hurt" may also appear when the person is alone. Thus, this may even fear for his or her life in extreme cases..

3. High anxiety or fear

Anxiety, in fact, is the main symptom of autophobia, which is triggered by the possibility or the fact of being physically alone and leads to a situation of loss of control over the body.

4. Physical symptoms

Physical symptoms, as in any specific phobia, also appear. These can vary greatly from one person to another, but generally include: palpitations, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, excessive sweating, hypertension, tachycardia.... In a certain way, the person somatizes this intense fear, and this is translated through the body.

Causes

The causes of autophobia, as in any specific phobia, can be very varied, and in a certain way, are unknown. However, we can hypothesize some of them; mainly, in their origin we find a traumatic event related to loneliness; for example, the fact of having suffered an abusive situation, of not having been able to get help, of having been robbed or mugged, etc. In other words, the fact of having experienced a negative and traumatic situation while alone. In addition, if these negative experiences have been lived in childhood, the psychological repercussions can be even greater..

On the other hand, and in a certain way, autophobia can also have been "learned", through observing other people with autophobia, or having heard in the news people who have suffered a traumatic or violent situation while alone, etc. In addition, there may also be there may also be a certain Biological predisposition (vulnerability) to suffer from an anxiety disorder, which, together with other factors, can lead to the development of an anxiety disorder.which, together with other factors, ends up causing this specific phobia.

In addition, it is a somewhat particular phobia, since in a certain way, the feared stimulus "is oneself" (although one does not fear oneself, but the absence of others). That is to say, one fears what can happen when one is alone, and one fears one's own solitude. It is paradoxical.

Treatment

The treatment par excellence of specific phobias is the treatment by exposure. In the case of autophobia, the patient would be exposed to remain alone in certain spaces (for example, his home), and this time of solitude would be increased, through a hierarchy of items.

On the other hand, self-esteem and the patient's self-esteem and emotional dependence should also be worked on through exercises through exercises that empower him/her and highlight his/her strengths and capabilities. Irrational and negative thoughts should also be addressed, so that they can be replaced by more optimistic, realistic and adaptive thoughts.

The objective of all these techniques is that the patient "understands" and sees for himself that there is nothing wrong with being alone (through exposure and cognitive therapy), and that he can even have very positive experiences being alone. (through exposure and cognitive therapy), and that he/she can even have very positive experiences being alone. Moreover, loneliness is also a source of richness and learning, and opens the door to new ways of tolerating, knowing oneself and loving oneself.

Getting to the root of the problem

It is also important to emphasize that it will be of vital importance to analyze each specific case. to analyze each concrete case, and this implies to study in depth the causes (or causes) that have originated the autophobiain order to be able to work on them.

That is to say, to treat the experience and trauma of the traumatic event (with the pertinent psychological techniques) if this has been the cause of the phobia, dysfunctional thoughts, dependent personality, poor self-esteem, etc.

Bibliographic references:

• American Psychiatric Association -APA- (2014). DSM-5. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. Madrid: Panamericana.
• Caballo (2002). Manual for cognitive-behavioral treatment of psychological disorders. Vol. 1 and 2. Siglo XXI.
• López, A. (2005). Fobias específicas. Facultat de Psicologia. Departament de Personalitat, Avaluació i Tractament Psicològics.