Loneliness is a common problem in human society. Residents of large cities who are constantly surrounded by other people are prone to it. The habit of always being with someone can be the main reason for fear of loneliness. Therefore, people often have a fear of this condition. To fight this phobia, you first need to know its name. People ask themselves: "What is the fear of being left alone?" The article talks about this mental illness called autophobia.
What is autophobia?
Autophobia is a mental disorder whose main symptom is an irrational fear of being alone. A sense of spiritual emptiness, uselessness, panic attacks, anxiety are the main symptoms of autophobia. Particularly acute anxiety can occur in people who are alone. Outwardly, the phobia is weak, so it is so difficult to recognize. However, knowing its symptoms, autophobia can be diagnosed. People suffering from this disorder find it difficult to cope with their own thoughts.
The sick person finds peace and tranquility only in the company of other people. The main stressor is precisely the absence of a number of other individuals. The worst outcome in this case is suicide. Autophobia has an extremely negative effect on a person’s standard of living. Not everything is so terrible, because this mental illness is being treated. Fear of being alone is not a sentence, but just an upset.
Causes of the disease at an early age
This is a social phobia, so its origins must be sought in childhood. Mental illnesses tend to carry over into adulthood. Parents need to take note that due to their improper upbringing, the child may experience serious mental injuries. The fear of loneliness, the origins of which lie in childhood, is the most difficult to cure.
The main causes of the disease are:
- Inattention of parents. If the baby is often left alone, then he will fear that adults may not return. Often words hurt more than actions, therefore, threats to surrender a child to an orphanage can damage his mental development. And these thoughts will lead him to think that his parents want to get rid of him. Therefore, the child’s fear of being left alone may develop into autophobia.
- Inability to live. Excessive custody is also harmful to the child. Because of her, he may never become an independent and mature person. Alone, he will be lost and afraid of this condition. This especially threatens families in which one child.
- Self-doubt manifested at an early age. Children who are subject to this character trait are afraid of loneliness almost from birth. Such kids can throw a tantrum if adults leave them for a short time. They can be intrusive when they grow up. And all because of the fear of being alone.
- Teenage problems. Children's psyche is fragile. Problems during adulthood can adversely affect a person’s mental state.
Causes of autophobia in adulthood
Not only childhood injuries cause phobia. In mature individuals, it can appear due to various psychological injuries. There are many reasons when doctors record the development of a disease in a patient. These most often include the following:
- The loss or betrayal of a loved one. Not everyone can survive such mental injuries. And if a person is unable to cope or will not be helped when he needs it, then the risk of illness is high. The fear of being alone is terrible for weak-willed women.
- Negative experience of loneliness. Lack of support during periods of life difficulties (for example, during a serious illness or lack of money) and indifference from others are the main reasons for the fear of loneliness for an adult. Stressful situations are easier to manage together, rather than alone.
- Low social status. Unnecessary people often suffer from autophobia. Public recognition, as well as the stereotypes associated with it, drive people into a certain framework. The society is formed in such a way that a person without a family is considered to be somehow inferior. And such opinions for a single person are extremely painful.
- Lack of true friends and lack of love. Lack of comrades can be caused by the fact that a person is shy. This also applies to the fact that some find it difficult to find a soul mate. And this will inevitably lead to the development of the fear of loneliness.
- Dependence and weakness of character. People who are not ready to be responsible for their actions are used to always being with a stronger person. Loneliness is scary for them to such an extent that they are ready to accept help from anyone. And the absence of a savior nearby will cause them anxiety and fear. The fear of staying home alone at night is especially strong.
Autophobic characterization
In order to avoid painful loneliness, a person behaves in a certain way. You can notice such factors:
- Addiction to various narcotic substances. A person thinks that alcohol, cigarettes and other psychotropic substances will help him cope with the problem.
- Excessive Internet communication with strangers.
- Other people act for him in the role of the so-called saviors.
- Anxiety and anxiety if there are no people nearby.
It is difficult for a person to live without social contacts. Someone needs to communicate more than others. Such people are looking for ways to escape from their loneliness. Sometimes they find salvation on the Internet, but only this is fraught with negative consequences. Nothing can replace live communication, but virtual networks become a salvation for people suffering from autophobia. It would be better for them to search on the Internet, what is called a phobia of fear of being alone, and begin treatment of the disease.
Symptoms of Autophobia
Constant frantic crying and hysteria can be the first signs of a child’s fear of loneliness when there is no mother nearby. Autophobia teens communicate with bad companies to drown their fears. Mature individuals may be wary of having a serious relationship for fear of being abandoned. A constant feeling of jealousy, the inability to let go of an already grown child are signs of autophobia in an adult. Symptoms of low self-esteem and fear of loneliness are similar. Do not rush to the diagnosis: only a psychologist will be able to accurately establish it.
With the development of the disease, inappropriate personality behavior becomes more noticeable. The following symptoms appear:
- low self-esteem;
- emotional restlessness;
- desire for constant communication;
- panic attacks;
- boredom;
- excessive exactingness;
- blackmail by suicide;
- distraction;
- heart palpitations and breathing;
- suicidal thoughts.
Autophobia breaks the life of not only the patient, but also the people around him. Due to the fear of staying at home alone, mothers may not let their children go. The behavior of such women is becoming more powerful every day.
Communication
Healthy people face autophobes in life. Patients need to unobtrusively explain what is called a fear of being alone at home. When communicating with such people, one must be extremely careful in words and actions. They are very vulnerable, and they can take every word into their account negatively. But it is worthwhile to understand that they are manipulators without realizing it. Autophobes sometimes use others to escape their loneliness. The best help from others will be a recommendation in visiting a doctor.
Autophobia in women
For women, the fear of being alone is terrible. This applies to interpersonal relationships. Women are afraid: to be alone, not to find a worthy husband, not to have a baby, to lose their beauty with age. And to avoid this, they rush into any relationship that may harm them in the future. Because of this, the fear of loneliness only intensifies. Uncertainty in their own abilities forces these women to hide behind the backs of strong personalities. Sometimes even such a relationship does not bring happiness. Then the fear of loneliness becomes even stronger.
How can a woman avoid being alone?
To overcome the fear of being alone, a woman must accept the fact that she may be alone. It is necessary to start the fight against autophobia with the idea that a person does not owe anyone. If a woman does not yet have a second half, this should not scare her much, since stereotypes should not affect a person. One must realize that relations with another person consist of care and love, and not obligations. If the fight against the disease becomes unbearable, it is best to consult a psychologist.
How to fight on your own?
At the initial stage of the disease, you can cope without the intervention of a psychologist. The patient must begin with his own way of thinking and life. A person must accept his loneliness and realize that each individual is a unique person. The main thing is patience. It is recommended to get carried away with something, meet interesting people or change the atmosphere. Traveling also does a good job of feeling lonely. But the most important thing is self-improvement. Meditation and awareness of the disease will help to cope with negative thoughts.
Psychologist's help with a disease
If you can’t cope on your own, then you need to contact a specialist. According to psychotherapists, it is difficult to solve the problem:
- irresponsibility;
- selfishness;
- intolerance and pickiness towards others.
The recovery process requires the zeal of not only a specialist, but also a patient. It depends on the personal qualities of the patient how quickly he can recover. The doctor will analyze the mental state of the patient, as well as voice the causes of the disease. The doctor will teach an autophobe to think logically and see himself from the outside. For panic attacks, breathing exercises will help. Group psychotherapy copes well with the disease. In extreme cases, a specialist may prescribe antidepressants, as fear of loneliness is a common cause of suicide.
Conclusion
Man is a social being, therefore he needs constant communication. There must be meaning in his life. Autophobia is not a sentence. It’s normal that people are afraid to be alone. But it’s not good when a person suffers greatly while alone. Knowing the causes and symptoms of the disease, you can cure it. This will help experts.