Bromidrosiphobia (fear of body odor): symptoms, causes and treatment

This specific phobia is associated with the fear of normal odors related to sweating.

The aromas, odors or body fragrances given off by each and every person are usually something to which the rest of the population tends to feel aversion. Contexts such as locker rooms, gyms or changing rooms can become truly unpleasant places due to the effects of bodily effluvia.

However, when this aversion turns into a real and exacerbated fear or dread, it is quite possible that we are dealing with a case of bromidrosiphobia, a type of specific phobia, which will be discussed of which we will speak throughout this article.

What is bromidrosiphobia?

Bromidrosiphobia is classified within specific anxiety disorders or specific phobias. Like other pathological fears, bromidrosiphobia has a specific element that causes this fear: body odors. has a specific element causing this fear: body odors..

Considering the etymological roots of the term, we can separate the concept into three words of Greek origin. The first one "bromos" can be literally translated as stench or pestilence, "hydros" refers to the term sweat, while "phobos" is understood as an expression referring to fear or dread.

As with other specific personality disorders, when people with bromidrosiphobia encounter or think they are about to encounter the feared stimulus, they will experience a series of emotions and manifestations of fear, they will experience a series of emotions and physical manifestations typical of very high states of anxiety..

Although most people experience some degree of aversion or repugnance to other people's body odors, this is not sufficient reason to consider it as a phobia.

• You may be interested in, "What is fear for?"

The limits of phobia

In order to establish a difference between a feeling of habitual aversion and a phobia or pathological fear we must take into account what consequences or direct effects this phobia has on the person's daily life.

Thus, if the person who feels this fear of body odors reaches the point of experiencing strong anxiety reactions to the perception of these and prevents him/her from carrying out his/her daily tasks normally, it is highly recommended that he/she consult a psychology professional.

In addition, it is necessary to take into account a series of requirements or qualities typical of fear disorders, which define phobias.which define phobias and allow their diagnosis. These requirements are the following.

1. It is a disproportionate fear

The first point to be examined in order to differentiate between a rational fear and a habitual feeling of dread or aversion, is that in bromidrosiphobia the fear must be absolutely disproportionate to the actual threat posed by the phobic stimulus, in this case body odor.in this case body odor, represents.

2. It is irrational

People with bromidrosiphobia are completely incapable of finding a reasonable and justified explanation for their fear, to the point that, in many of these cases, the person is perfectly aware of how benign the phobic stimulus is, but even so the anxiety response to the phobic stimulus is unavoidable..

3. It is uncontrollable

In addition to being irrational, the fear suffered by a person with bromidrosiphobia is absolutely uncontrollable for him/her. This means that the person is unable to prevent anxiety and fear reactions from occurring, just as he or she is unable to control them when experiencing them.

These symptoms originate automatically and suddenly, and only disappear when the person has managed to flee or avoid the stimulus.and only disappear when the person has managed to flee or avoid the phobic stimulus.

What are the symptoms?

Since bromidrosiphobia is classified within the category of specific phobias, the clinical picture it presents is similar to the rest of anxiety disorders of this type. These symptoms of an anxious nature appear whenever the person perceives the scent of the body odor of oneself or another, even if this person is not clearly in sight.

Therefore, in bromidrosiphobia both physical, cognitive and behavioral symptoms will appear:

1. Physical symptoms

Some of the first symptoms experienced by the patient upon perception of a strong body odor are as follows are due to the hyperactivity that this generates in the person's nervous system.. This increase in functioning gives rise to all kinds of changes and transformations in the organism.

Throughout the anxiety episode, the person may experience a host of physical symptoms. These include:

• Increased Heart rate..
• Increased respiratory rate.
• Sensation of suffocation or shortness of breath.
• Increased muscle tension.
• headaches
• stomach pains
• increased sweating.
• feeling of dizziness
• Nausea and/or vomiting.

2. Cognitive symptoms

Bromidrosiphobia is associated with a series of beliefs and speculations regarding the fear or aversion to body odors and aromas.

These distorted thoughts drive the development of this phobia and are distinguished because the person integrates a series of illogical beliefs about the possible dangers or effects of body odors.

3. Behavioral symptoms

Like other phobias, bromidrosiphobia is also composed of a series of behavioral symptoms. These behavioral symptoms is manifested by avoidance behaviors and escape behaviors..

The first type of behavior refers to all those behaviors or acts that the person performs in order to avoid encountering the phobic stimulus. Thanks to these behaviors, the person avoids experiencing the feelings of anguish and anxiety generated by the situation.

On the other hand, escape behaviors appear when the person has not been able to avoid facing the object of his phobia, in this case the perception of body aromas, so he will carry out all kinds of behaviors necessary to escape from the situation in which he is involved.

What causes it?

Determining the origin of a phobia can be an extremely complex task and even more so in those that, like bromidrosiphobia, do not have a component or characteristics that make them particularly dangerous..

In any case, there are certain factors that can favor or enhance the development of this phobia. For example, the existence of a genetic predisposition that aggravates the effects of anxiety, together with the experience of a highly traumatic or emotionally charged situation, will most likely trigger the appearance of this or any other phobia.

Is there a treatment?

In most cases, bromidrosiphobia does not become disabling because the number of situations in which a person is confronted with the perception of strong body odors is usually relatively small (especially in certain countries, due to climatic reasons), so that psychological consultations for this type of pathology are usually small.

However, if the person does experience high levels of distress due to this excessive fear of body odors, there are a number of psychological interventions or treatments available, there are a number of psychological interventions or treatments that can help the person recover and overcome their phobic fear.

These interventions are based on three psychological principles or actions. The first one consists of a cognitive restructuring that allows modifying all those distorted thoughts that the person has with respect to body odors.

Next, live exposure or systematic desensitization techniques can be carried out, whereby the person is gradually exposed to the feared stimulus.through which the person is gradually exposed to the feared stimulus. Either directly or through exercises with mental images.

Finally, these techniques are accompanied by training in relaxation skills, which allows to decrease the levels of excitation of the nervous system and help the person to face their fears in the best possible way.