Every second of his life, a person hears sounds. Their sources can be conversations, radio and television programs, clock ticking. All these noises create a certain background. Without it, many people cannot imagine their life. In the absence of sounds, some individuals have a fear of silence.
Pathology Features
Everyone is familiar with a state of fear. However, if this feeling arises often and interferes with a normal lifestyle, experts talk about a mental disorder. One of these pathologies is the fear of silence. This fear is called silensophobia. It lies in the inability to perceive normally the absence of sounds. People refuse to be in a quiet place. They strive to constantly receive information from the outside world. For this, audio books, radio, telephone conversations, and TV are used. With a phobia of silence, the absence of sound stimuli provokes discomfort. Indeed, in this situation, a person is left alone with his emotions. In severe cases, the state of discomfort causes even the performance of a written test and being in the library.
Causes of the disorder
In the life of a modern individual, technical devices are constantly present. Background sounds fill every second of human existence. Persons experiencing fear of silence cannot calmly be in a lonely hut in the middle of the forest or in protected areas.
This situation makes them uncomfortable. Today, many people face a similar problem. The question of what is called a phobia - the fear of silence - and why it arises, is quite relevant. Experts say that the phenomenon is associated with negative or dangerous events.
The most common causes of the development of the disorder are:
- Strong fright in childhood. Many caring mothers and fathers try to protect the sleeping baby from sound irritants as much as possible. They make double glazed windows, install a soft coating on the floor, turn off the radio. In the absence of noise, even a pencil drop or a door creak can cause a child to feel fear.
- Using isolation from sound stimuli as a punishment. Fear of silence develops in babies who are locked up in basements, pantries, closets, dark rooms.
- Associations. They are often associated with reading books or watching horror films, in which, after a long absence of sound stimuli, frightening events occurred with the heroes.
- Problems of a personal nature. Self-doubt, inability to fulfill aspirations leads to fear of being alone. In this situation, a person tries to fill the void, to cope with the flow of negative thoughts. To do this, he turns on the TV or music, talking on the phone.
Other possible causes
The prerequisites for the development of fear of silence are individual. Sometimes negative emotions experienced in early childhood contribute to the appearance of phobia in an adult. Some people, for example, say that the occurrence of fear is associated with news of the death of a relative or other unpleasant events. Such situations are usually accompanied by silence. Therefore, a person experiences fear in the absence of sound stimuli. In addition, parents often scold their children for noisy behavior. Toddlers are inherently energetic and restless. They always try to attract attention. If the child does not fall silent at the request of adults, he is punished.
Sensitive individuals may develop a fear of silence. In addition, the absence of sound stimuli is characteristic of deserted areas and forests. Superstitious persons believe that evil spirits live there. They try to avoid being in such places.
Pathological Causes of Fear
Fear of silence is due to the following ailments:
- Hormone imbalance.
- Adrenal gland disorders.
- Depression.
- Delirium.
- Schizophrenic disorder.
Sometimes, under the influence of hallucinations, a person cannot be quietly in a soundless and unlit room. What is the phobia called the fear of darkness and silence?
Such phenomena are denoted by the terms "niknofobiya" and "silensophobia", and they are often associated are observed in the same person.
Psychological symptoms
The violation in question is accompanied by a change in the behavior and emotional state of the individual. The absence of sound stimuli provokes the following phenomena:
- Panic attacks.
- Feeling helpless.
- Thoughts of suicide.
- Loss of orientation in space.
- The desire to avoid negative emotions.
- Inability to think rationally.
Physiological manifestations of phobia
The feeling of fear provokes not only mental disorders, but also disorders of the work of various organs and systems. The absence of sound stimuli causes discomfort. A panic attack leads to the appearance of the following symptoms:
- Headache.
- Muscle tension.
- Pallor of the skin.
- Feeling overwhelmed.
- Dizziness.
- Profuse sweat separation.
- Feeling of chills.
- Acceleration of the heart rhythm.
- Feeling of nausea, dry mouth.
- Trembling limbs.
- Muscle tightness.
- Feeling of lack of air.
- Discomfort in the gastrointestinal tract.
How to determine the pathology?
Many people with fear of silence experience its symptoms for several months. Even in the absence of reasons for negative emotions, a person feels discomfort. In addition, pathology is often manifested in the most ordinary situations. Symptoms of fear intensify, at first the fear causes only a slight sense of anxiety, and then leads to the development of panic attacks. The quality of human life is deteriorating, and health is being disturbed. The need to listen to music or watch TV before going to bed deprives him of a full night's rest.
If a person notices such symptoms in himself, he should consult a specialist.
Medication treatment
Fear of silence is a phobia, which in severe cases requires the use of drugs. Means must be used as directed by the doctor. Patients are recommended such medications:
- Medications to fight the symptoms of depression. These include Fluoxetine, Sertraline.
- Beta blockers.
- Psycholeptics (Busporin).
- Drugs with sedative effect ("Alprazolam", "Phenazepam").
Other ways to combat pathology
Work with a specialist in the field of psychotherapy helps to get rid of phobia. Classes do not involve the use of drugs. The doctor talks with a person to determine the cause of fear. There are various methods of dealing with the symptoms of the disorder, such as art therapy. The most effective are individual sessions.