Anatidaephobia: the joke phobia related to ducks staring at us.

This phobia is not real, but through its absurd character it helps us to understand the others.

There are many stimuli and situations in the world that can generate fear. The fact of having it is in most cases adaptive, since it is an emotion that induces active responses to face a possible threat or to flee from it, allowing our survival and adaptation to situations.

However, sometimes the panic reaction that can be experienced before a stimulus is excessive in comparison to the threat that the stimulus poses, or the stimulus in question does not represent any danger for the subject in question. This is what happens to subjects suffering from phobias. Among them there are some that are more understood than others, which can sometimes be socially valued as rare or extravagant. In fact, fictitious phobias have even been developed in order to generate a comic counterpoint to this type of pathology.

An example of the latter is anatidaephobia: the fear of being observed by a duck.. This concept gives us the opportunity to differentiate between probable and improbable phobias. And it is that some of these anxiety disorders are so specific that they seem pure fiction.

What is anatidaephobia?

The term anatidaephobia refers to a fictitious specific phobia that gathers on the one hand characteristics to that specific phobia to animals and on the other hand of situational type. Concretely, we are talking about the fear of being observed by a duck.

As a specific phobia, it involves the existence of panic and dread to a specific stimulus or type of stimulation, causing the exposure to the stimulus or the idea that it is going to appear a very high level of anxiety. This anxiety can generate different physiological symptoms such as headache, hypertension, accelerated Heart and respiratory rate, sweating, fainting or even anxiety crises. Likewise, in order to avoid these sensations the sufferer tends to flee or engage in avoidance behaviors, or to endure them with a very high level of anxiety.or endure them with a very high level of discomfort.

In the present case, anatidaephobia, the term that identifies it was invented by a cartoonist..

The supposed affectation generated by anatidaephobia can be variable. Most people have little contact with these birds, being unusual to find them, something that apparently will make it difficult for this fear to generate great difficulties, beyond the avoidance of parks, ponds and lakes. However, the fear in question would appear when being observed by these birds, something that would include the possibility of being observed without realizing it. Therefore, it is possible that avoidance behaviors it would be possible for avoidance behaviors to appear even in less obvious places, such as the street.This is a bird with the ability to fly, after all. In addition to this, it can generate relational problems, derived from the possible ridicule of his fear.

However... What is it, concretely, that makes this phobia a joke as opposed to others that are real but seem so specific as to be absurd? The key lies in its possible causes.

Causes

The causes of the existence of different phobias have been the subject of scientific discussion throughout history, with different theoretical perspectives and models being developed in this regard.

Among them would be, in the case of phobias to animals and situational, Seligman's priming theory. This author considered that a possible explanation of phobias would be linked to heredity, since our ancestors would have learned and transmitted the propensity to react with fear to stimuli that threaten their survival, as is the case with spiders and scorpions and even some species of birds.

In this sense, with a little imagination, the phobia in question could have an evolutionary meaning: ducks are flying animals that could be compared to birds of prey, which are capable of stalking us from above. However, the reality is that it makes little sense to develop such an innate psychological mechanism.. First, because birds of prey do not and have not hunted humans (with the possible exception of the extinct Haast's eagle). Second, because even if there were birds that pose a danger, this would have to be very important to make it worthwhile to be always alert in case a bird is watching us. And third, because it does not make sense to develop this fear only in the case of ducks, and not in other carnivorous birds.

Another of the great perspectives taken into account when acquiring a phobia is the learning and internalization of the fear of a specific stimulus. This is possible, for example, when living or visualizing an aversive experience, especially if it occurs during childhood. In anatidaephobia, it could happen that in childhood we were attacked by a duck at some point in our lives.The animal may have been observing us, and we may associate its observation to the pain or fear felt during the attack. Another option may occur in people who have been humiliated or have performed or suffered an embarrassing act in the presence of these animals. But this is unlikely enough to make it absurd to create such a diagnostic label.

What treatments are used for phobias?

As with all other phobias, the most indicated therapies in the case of anatidaephobia, if it exists, would be exposure therapy or systematic desensitization.. This therapy is based on the gradual exposure to the feared stimulus through the following of a hierarchy elaborated between professional and client, in such a way that little by little the subject is exposed to situations that generate anxiety (starting with those that generate a medium anxiety and progressing little by little).

In the case at hand, for example, items such as approaching a park, going to a farm, observing a duck at different distances and with supervision, then without supervision and later incorporating more birds could be included. However, this is an example, depending on the hierarchy in question, depending on the stimuli provided by the patient or elaborated together with the professional.

Cognitive restructuring is also helpful in modifying dysfunctional beliefs about these birds. to modify dysfunctional beliefs about these birds or what being observed by them might imply. Expressive techniques could also be useful to help those affected to release and express their discomfort. Finally, relaxation techniques are highly recommended to lower the level of activation, and in extreme cases pharmacological treatment may also be used.