Contreltophobia: causes, symptoms and treatment

This phobia consists of an irrational and extreme fear of being a victim of rape and sexual abuse.

There are certain situations in life that are usually feared, such as being sexually assaulted (especially women, due to the marked macho culture). This is logical, since fear is a warning mechanism that protects us from future dangers.

But what happens when you have that fear even in your own home? Or when you become obsessed with the fact that at any moment you are in danger of being assaulted, raped or sexually abused? Then we are talking about contreltophobia. We are going to know this phobia in detail.

What is contreltophobia?

The contreltophobia (also called agraphobia; not to be confused with agoraphobia) is fear or phobia of being sexually abused, assaulted or raped. This fear goes beyond the "normal" fear of this happening, since it is logical to be afraid of being raped or abused.

In addition to intense fear, there is avoidance of situations associated with the feared (or phobic) stimulus or situation (or if they are not avoided, they are endured with great anxiety), interference in daily life, and irrationality or disproportionality of fear, as we will see below.as we will see below.

Symptoms

We know that contreltophobia is a specific phobia. In the DSM-IV and DSM-5, there are 5 types of specific phobias: phobia to animals, to natural environments/environmental phobia, to blood-injection-injury, to situations (situational phobia) and finally other types of phobias.

Specifically, contreltophobia could be included in this last category, that of "other types of specific phobia". This category includes other similar fears, such as choking, vomiting, contracting a disease, or, on the other hand, fear of costumes or loud noises in children.

The symptoms of contreltophobia are the most important symptoms of a specific phobia.The symptoms of contreltophobia, which correspond to the diagnostic criteria of the DSM-IV and DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) are:

1. Intense fear reactions

This fear is disproportionate to the object or situation that originates it, as well as irrational.

2. Avoidance

In addition, avoidance responses appear when the phobic stimulus must be faced; or, in case the stimulus is not avoided, it is faced with great anxiety and/or with the presence of a companion.

3. Interference

The phobia significant discomfort or impairment in the person's functioning. of the person.

4. Duration of 6 months

In order to diagnose a specific phobia, it is necessary that this fear lasts at least 6 months in children under 18 years of age (in DSM-IV). In DSM-5, however, the specification of "under 18 years of age" is eliminated, and the duration is established for all persons, regardless of age.

5. Exclusion of other disorders

The symptoms of the phobia are not explained by another mental disorder, by a medical illness or by the effects of a substance.

How does the contreltophobia appear?

This fear (but not the phobia) usually manifests itself in women, especially when they are in certain situations.This is especially true when they are in certain situations (e.g. walking alone on a lonely street at night; although this should not happen, it still does).

However, when the phobia itself, the contreltophobia, appears, This occurs in both women and men; in this case, sufferers interpret almost any everyday situation as potentially dangerous.In this case, sufferers interpret almost any everyday situation as potentially dangerous. Thus, any situation is feared because one thinks that it will lead to abuse, rape and/or aggression.

Causes

The causes of contreltophobia can be diverse. Some of them are:

1. Episodes of sexual abuse

These episodes can also be of rape or sexual aggression, and usually occurred in childhood. This is what we call in psychology direct conditioning.

We must, however, make a good differential diagnosis in the case of shock. differential diagnosis in the case of post-traumatic shock or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in the case of victims of abuse.In these cases, the behavior and fear is the same, but they are not considered a phobia per se.

2. Witnessing a sexual assault

Vicarious conditioning, or having witnessed or observed a sexual assault on a third partycan also trigger contreltophobia.

3. Transmission of information

It is not always necessary to have experienced a sexual assault (or witnessed it in another person) in order to acquire contreltophobia. Sometimes, hearing stories of people who have suffered this type of abuse, aggression and/or rape (as well as their reactions of fear and panic), can be enough to develop contreltophobia.

Faced with these stories anxiety can be triggeredThe person may immediately put him/herself in the place of the victim, thinking that this may also happen to him/her in the future.

Treatment

When the initial fear considered "normal", to suffer such damages, triggers in a contreltophobia (with the symptoms that it implies), it is convenient to go to a specialist to treat it. It is important that the people in the environment practice empathy and do not downplay the importance of the person's concerns (even though "a priori" they may seem disproportionate).

It will be necessary to treat the cognitive distortions associated with conrteltophobia (which may distort reality); this can be done with cognitive behavioral therapy and, more specifically, with cognitive restructuring. On the other hand, this will also include disproposing the situations that are considered dangerous or the uncontrollable nature of the fear.

At the behavioral treatment level, exposure therapy can be employed (exposure to the phobic stimulus or situation can be several), combined with the use of self-instructions and/or relaxation techniques.

Bibliographical references:

• Belloch, A.; Sandín, B. and Ramos, F. (2010). Manual de Psicopatología. Volume II. Madrid: McGraw-Hill
• APA (2014). DSM-5. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. Madrid. Panamericana.
• Sánchez, L. (2018). Contreltophobia: Treatment of fear of sexual abuse. Diario Femenino