Bovine phobia: definition, symptoms, causes and treatment.

A specific type of phobia directed towards animals typical in rural environments.

We know that there are a great many phobias, since practically any stimulus can be overdone. Animal phobias, for example, are very typical (especially in childhood); today we will talk about one of them: bovine phobia.

As its name may suggest, bovine phobia is a phobia of cows or cattle (i.e. cows, bulls and oxen). Why does this phobia appear? How can it be treated? We will answer these questions throughout this article.

Bovinophobia: what is it?

The bovinophobia, also denominated taurophobia, it is the phobia to the cows or to the cattle or bovine cattle (that includes cows, bulls and oxen).. Specifically, it is a specific phobia, where the feared stimulus or situation can be specified (in this case, cows or cattle).

Recall that specific phobias are in reality anxiety disordersThey are classified as such in the DSM-5 (Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders). The main characteristic of phobias is an intense, irrational and disproportionate fear of a specific stimulus. In addition to this main symptom, other associated symptoms appear, as we will see below.

Specific phobias, according to the DSM-5, can be of 5 different types: phobia of natural events, phobia of animals, phobia of blood/injection/wounding, situational phobias and other types of phobia. Thus, bovine phobia corresponds to a phobia of the animal type.

Origin

Where does this term come from? Bovinophobia" comes from the Latin "bovi", meaning "ox or cattle", and from the Greek "phobos", meaning "fear". In the case of its equivalent term, "taurophobia", "tauro" comes from Latin, meaning "bull".

Types of cattle

Before we go into the symptoms, causes and treatments of bovine phobia, let's specify well which types of animals include cattle (the phobic object of bovine phobia).

First of all, we should know that there are five types of cattle, depending on the species domesticated or bred. Livestock is the group of animals raised by humans; they are mainly mammals that are bred to obtain and market their meat and derivatives (milk, cheese, wool, etc.).

The five types of livestock mentioned are:

• Cattle or bovine (phobic object of bovinophobia): cows, bulls and oxen.
• Sheep: sheep.
• Goats: goats.
• Swine: pigs.
• Equine or equine: horses and mares.

Cattle

Cattle include these three animals; cows (females), bulls (males) and oxen. They are herbivorous (meat-eating) and domesticated mammals, belonging to the genus Bos, of the Bovidae family..

As for their physical characteristics, they are large animals with two horns (or hollow antlers) that they keep all their lives.

Symptoms

The symptoms of bovine phobia correspond to the typical symptoms of a specific phobia, applied, in this case, to an intense fear of cows. Intense fear of cows, oxen and bulls..

Anxiety or fear

The main symptom of bovine phobia is anxiety or intense fear at the possibility of being near cows or cattle. Logically, people living in urban environments are unlikely to encounter such a situation.

Thus, they will be people living in rural environments are more likely to suffer from this anxiety symptom..

On the other hand, it is also true that this anxiety can appear when watching cows or cattle on television, without the need to see it in person.

2. Avoidance

The person suffering from bovinophobia also manifests this other symptom, which is avoidance; thus, he avoids being in places where he can see cows or cattle (such as farms, rural environments...).

Thus, he may avoid going on certain field trips for this reason. If the avoidance does not appear, the situation is endured with high anxiety (e.g. being near cows).

3. Physical symptoms

In bovinophobia, associated with anxiety, other psychophysiological symptoms appear, which may or may not provoke a panic attack (anxiety attack) in the individual. (anxiety attack) in the individual. These symptoms can be choking sensations, sweating, tachycardia, dry mouth, dizziness, vomiting, nausea... and are related to the sympathetic nervous system.

4. Deterioration of the quality of life

Although it is true that in order to diagnose a phobia there must be an interference or a deterioration in the life of the individual, what happens if in this case the person lives in an urban environment (for example a city) where it will not be very common to have to see cows, oxen and/or bulls? They will not suffer from this symptom.

The debate is, are we then talking about a case of bovinophobia? Probably yes, although, due to environmental circumstances, this disorder does not cause this interference in the patient, fortunately.fortunately.

Causes

What are the causes of bovinophobia? As in any specific phobia, one of the most probable causes is to have lived a traumatic situation with cows, bulls or oxen (or even similar animals). (or even similar animals). This situation may have been a bite, a blow, an attack, etc., by these animals.

More related traumatic situations can be the fact of having seen bullfights or other types of events where bullfighters are killed. This includes having seen it in person or in the news. Specifically, in Spain, since 1700, an estimated 325 bullfighters have lost their lives during a bullfight. Listening to stressful or violent stories related to cattle can also cause bovine can also cause bovinophobia.

On the other hand, as these animals are of large proportions, and even have horns, all this makes it easier to fear this type of mammals (especially the bull), since in itself they can cause certain respect; however, in the case of bovinophobia, this fear is excessively intense and incapacitating.

Treatment

As far as the treatment of bovine phobia is concerned, as long as this disorder interferes with the patient's life and he/she wants to be treated, there are different options. The main ones are two: exposure therapy and cognitive therapy. (they are the most effective therapies to treat specific phobias).

Through the first one, the patient would be exposed to the phobic stimulus (in this case, the cow, the bull or the ox). One option is to do it first through static images (for example on paper), then through videos, to finish with a real experience, in which one is close to these animals (in between there would be more steps and items).

Ideally, the person could end up getting close to them and touching them (in a safe and controlled environment). All these steps, logically, would be gradual (a prior hierarchy would be made).

Regarding cognitive therapy for bovinophobia, the patient will be sought to acquire coping strategies for anxiety (e.g. through breathing), and to eliminate negative, dysfunctional and irrational thoughts in relation to this type of animal. (e.g. through breathing), and to eliminate negative, dysfunctional and irrational thoughts in relation to this type of animal.

Bibliographic references:

• American Psychiatric Association -APA- (2014). DSM-5. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. Madrid: Panamericana.
• Jarrige, R. (1992). Robert Jarrige, C. Béranger, ed. Beef cattle production. Elsevier Health Sciences.
• Pérez, M., Fernández, J.R., Fernández, C. and Amigo, I. (2010). Guide to effective psychological treatments I and II:. Madrid: Pirámide.