Anthropophobia (fear of humans): symptoms, causes and treatment

Some people feel fear simply in the presence of other people, even if they do not feel judged.

Phobias are, along with depression and anxiety, among the most common mental disorders.

Although as a general rule they tend to be less disabling than other disorders because the stimuli that generate them are not usually encountered continuously, in some cases the stimulus or situation feared is much more generalized and can constitute a real nightmare, greatly restricting the person's performance in various vital domains. This is what happens with phobias such as agoraphobia, social phobia or the phobia we are about to describe. the phobia of which we are going to speak in this article: the anthropophobia..

What is a phobia?

Although it may be something more or less known by most of the population, before getting into anthropophobia, it may be useful to specify what it means to have a phobia.

When we speak of phobias we are talking about irrational fears towards stimuli and situations that can be more that can be more specific or general, and that provoke a deep level of anxiety and physiological activation that the subject himself recognizes as exaggerated for the level of threat posed by the stimulus in question. This panic and anxiety makes the subject tend to avoid, as far as possible, approaching the stimulus or situation in question, which can have repercussions on his or her usual functioning.

This is not a simple fear, but rather a real panic that can cause physiological or behavioral alterations. such as continuous flight and avoidance from places where the stimulus might appear or escape from situations where the stimulus in question appears. In some cases the subject can remain close to the stimulus but at the cost of great suffering and anxiety.

There is a great multitude of phobias, some more limiting than others depending on the stimuli and the circumstances in which they appear or that the subject is living (it is not the same to be afraid of flying in an airplane being a bricklayer than being a pilot, the fear being more relevant for the latter). One of the most limiting, especially considering that we live in society and that human contact is fundamental for us, is anthropophobia.

Anthropophobia or fear of people

Anthropophobia is known as the fear of people.. It is understood as that phobia or fear of contact with other people and their company, sometimes also appearing the fear of being judged by them. The fear appears not only in front of strangers, but they can also feel their family and friends as threatening, in spite of trusting them.

The subject usually recognizes this fear as strange and irrational, but does not feel able to control it. Panic can cause difficulties in concentration and in following a coherent and continuous mental discourse. It can also cause problems in speech, with speech becoming slurred due to anxiety.

They generally avoid contact and company, not because they do not want it (in many cases they do, which in view of their difficulty generates a deep suffering and sensation of loneliness) but because of the anxiety that generates them. It is not uncommon for some of these people to become completely isolated, with no contact with other people unless they have to live with them. They avoid eye contact and even physical contact, and often blush quickly at any attempt at interaction.

At the physiological level, when exposed to contact with other people, those who suffer from anthropophobia often manifest tachycardia, hyperventilation, sweating, muscular tension, nausea, derealization, drowning, choking and other symptoms of anthropophobia.These reactions can occur not only to the exposure to other people, but also to the exposure to the presence of other people. These reactions may occur not only upon direct exposure but also in anticipation of having to come into contact with someone.

It is a very limiting phobia, which makes it difficult to interact with most people in almost any situation and which will have repercussions both socially and academically. repercussions both socially, academically and occupationally.. That is why its treatment is essential so that the individual can have a full life and stop being limited.

Differentiation with social phobia

Anthropophobia can often be confused with other phobias, due to the similarity between the the similarity between the existing symptoms and the type of stimulation that causes them..

The most difficult differentiation to make is that between anthropophobia or fear of people and social phobia, often being considered the same phobia due to the similarity of their characteristics. But although in both cases there is an avoidance of social contact and the reactions are similar, some subtle differences can be detected between both types of phobia.

The main and most notorious one refers to what is dreaded per se. Social phobia involves the appearance of intense fear or anxiety in one or more social situations in which the individual is exposed to possible examination by other people, generally strangers (fear of people he/she trusts being not so common). He/she is afraid of acting in such a way that he/she may be judged negatively and be humiliated or rejected in the face of poor performance or the manifestation of fear or anxiety, which generates panic that leads to persistent avoidance or resistance to social situations.

In contrast, in anthropophobia the fear is specifically towards people and the link with them, regardless of their judgment and the situation regardless of their judgment and the situation. It is not that they avoid social situations, but their fear can make them avoid any direct contact with another person, even the most significant for them.

This does not mean that they are unrelated. In fact, it is common for them to occur together and anthropophobia has sometimes been considered a subtype of social phobia, but it is important to keep in mind that we are not referring to exactly the same thing and that they are not synonymous.

Possible causes

As with other phobias, the causes of anthropophobia are often not entirely clear. However, in many cases, the intense panic of contact usually derives from the experience of traumatic or stressful events, such as bullying or such as bullying, or in more severe cases mistreatment or even sexual abuse in childhood.

These experiences may have conditioned the subject's response to contact with others, generating panic due to the association between social contact and Pain or humiliation suffered throughout life. The lack of social skills can also facilitate the appearance of this phobia, as we do not know how to act correctly in front of other people.The lack of social skills can also facilitate the appearance of this phobia, as we do not know how to act correctly in front of other people.

Finally, we must take into account that it can also appear as a symptom of a disorder rather than as a disorder in itself, as occurs in some cases in people with psychotic problems.

Treatment

The treatment of this and other types of phobias is carried out through psychotherapy.There are several treatments with proven efficacy.

The best known and most effective technique is exposure. Basically, the therapy involves exposing the subject to the feared stimuli progressively until the level of anxiety, panic and physiological activation decreases. It is important to keep in mind that this exposure must be progressiveestablishing a hierarchy together with the patient. Temporary escape may be allowed in situations where the anxiety is unbearable for the subject, as long as he or she returns to the situation.

The most effective exposure is live exposure, in which the patient is actually exposed to the feared stimulation. However, prior to this, imaginary exposure to the feared situations or even exposure via virtual reality can be used.

It should be borne in mind that for a person with anthropophobia the situation of going to therapy can also be aversive for the patient, being in a situation that requires contact with another person (the subject being in fact exposed to the feared stimulus). In this sense it may be necessary to establish a chain of steps in which the subject gradually comes into contact with the therapist by telephone, video call and finally face to face.

In addition to exposure, in anthropophobia it is very useful to work on cognitive to work on the basis of cognitive restructuring to combat the possible beliefs that may have generated or maintained the panic at the idea of relating to another person. Training in social skills (although it would be necessary that the therapy is already advanced) and in assertiveness to improve their abilities can also be useful. Finally, the use of expressive therapies can be useful for them to express their fears and doubts, as well as techniques to increase self-esteem.

Pharmacology?

In some occasions in which the panic and anxiety are very intense, it can be useful to use the occasional use of some type of tranquilizer such as benzodiazepines, or some types of antidepressants.or some types of antidepressant. As with social phobia, the use of paroxetine seems to be particularly useful.

However, it must be taken into account that such use of pharmacology would not solve the problem itself, but would only reduce the anxious symptomatology temporarily. Thus, the treatment of anthropophobia and other phobias requires psychological therapy, although it may benefit from the use of pharmacology as a complementary treatment.