What is the name of the fear of loneliness?
Autophobia is a pathological fear of loneliness. Usually manifested by a feeling of fear, spiritual emptiness, inner anxiety, boredom, dissatisfaction with literally everything.
Nowadays, a lot of people are sick with this strange disease - autophobia, especially young people. Sometimes it even leads to suicide.
The pathological state of autophobia can manifest itself quite suddenly, for example, when a person loses someone close and very dear. It can be not only a relative, but also a friend.
This phobia is called autophobia, and it is one of the most serious phobias, it is difficult to psychocorrection, a psychotherapist can spend a lot of time to consolidate a positive result.
A person is panicky, at an animal level, afraid to stay on his own. Of course, in the conditions of modern society, when families are small and everyone goes to work, this is abnormal and can result in a serious neurosis. Or even worse.
The fear of loneliness in our time is a very common disease and is called Autophobia, sometimes it is called Monophobia or Isolophobia. this disease is acute in big cities and often affects adolescents and insecure people.
This disease is called Autophobia, sometimes films are shown about people who are sick with Autophobia, and a person can get rid of his illness throughout his life if a psychologist and close people help him. And in some cases, it can end tragically if the sick person feels lonely.
The fear of being alone is called autophobia. It manifests itself in the fact that a person cannot be alone, with himself. At such moments, he feels anxiety, up to panic attacks. In the modern world, this is a frequent phenomenon, because from birth people get used to constantly being among uninterrupted communications: telephones, the Internet. Just being alone with oneself began to scare the person.
autophobia, so many people live with this phobia, it probably helps people find each other, because if they were comfortable alone, they would not look for each other and, accordingly, would not create families, however, the life chain
Autophobia is the name of the fear of loneliness. In my opinion, in our modern world, a very large number of people, so to speak, are afraid of this, afraid of loneliness. I am afraid of getting sick with such a diagnosis. I wonder what it will be called).
The fear of being alone is called autophobia. Unfortunately, this fear does not lead to anything good in people. Because of autophobia, people decide to connect their lives with the wrong people, and subsequently live an unhappy life.
The fear of loneliness is called Autophobia.
A man is simply terrified of being left alone
And he is constantly looking for some kind of company
Even if a person is alone in a room, he is still afraid
Here is such a very unpleasant phobia
Some people alone can relax and truly take a break from the hustle and bustle of the day. But there is a category of people for whom being alone turns into a real phobia. The fear of loneliness can arise in a person, regardless of his social status, whether he is married or in a regular relationship. If you feel anxious and anxious, being left at home alone with yourself, enter all unfamiliar people in your phone book, check your mailbox several times a day - perhaps you have the first symptoms of autophobia, fear of loneliness.
The name autophobia refers to a common mental disorder in which only one thought to be alone causes panic. In psychology, the fear of being alone is also called monophobia or isolophobia. Timely detection of the disease and its treatment can seriously affect the patient's future life, because often cases of suicide are recorded in this category of people.
Causes of autophobia
Why are people afraid of being alone? Sometimes the answer to this question lies in early childhood, when the mother, in order to stop the child's tantrum, threatened to leave him alone in the room. The spoken words: "Either you stop crying, or I will lock you in a room alone" can become the first brick in the foundation of autophobia. The fear of being abandoned can also arise at an older age, when the first love and first partings come.
There is no exact answer to what can cause a specific case of monophobia; psychologists identify the most common factors that provoke the fear of being alone.
- Lack of attention and care in childhood. Mom pays little attention to the child, often leaves him with strangers.
- The child's personal psychological qualities do not develop in childhood.
- As punishment, children are often threatened with being sent to an orphanage or left in a store.
- Difficult transitional age, unfavorable environment.
- The fear of loneliness in women can arise from the fear of not having time to start their own family, to give birth to at least 1 child on time.
- Excessive gullibility to unfamiliar people, who then caused a lot of suffering.
- Obsessive fear of losing a loved one.
- Communication difficulties, low self-esteem.
- There have been love dramas with bad ending in the past.
- Constant employment of loved ones, the inability to discuss personal problems and experiences with them.
These are the most common causes of fear of loneliness seen in autophobes. Quite often the reason for this behavior cannot be determined at all.
Symptoms
Residents of large cities and small towns are susceptible to fear of loneliness. According to statistics, residents of multi-storey buildings with a bunch of neighbors often ask themselves how to overcome the fear of loneliness, despite free access to the Internet and the presence of other modern means of communication. What is loneliness and how to avoid it? Most often, the fault of the current situation is the termination of emotional contact with people around, distance from each other once close people, relatives. There is a misconception that the fear of being left alone is more experienced by female representatives. This is not entirely true, men also experience this phobia, they just more often restrain their emotions.
The symptoms of autophobia usually go unnoticed by others. Most often teenagers, insecure people, residents of big cities are afraid of being unnecessary.
- Lack of confidence in their own abilities. A person constantly needs support and guidance from others. It seems to him that he is not capable of making important decisions, and self-esteem falls.
- A sharp change in course in relationships. An individual who was withdrawn yesterday and was afraid of people suddenly becomes a bright extrovert, and seeks to communicate. On the contrary, such behavior can scare people away and aggravate the situation.
- Attempts to keep a soul mate. The autophobe begins to show complete compliance, loses his own opinion, does only what he is told. All this is done with only one goal: not to be alone. In extreme cases, the person may resort to blackmail and threaten suicide if abandoned.
- Attacks of neurosis. A striking symptom of autophobia is panic attacks that occur from quite commonplace situations: separation for several days, unavailability of a subscriber, unanswered calls from a loved one, or simply no response to SMS. Unreasonable seizures are the first signal that the problem of possible loneliness exists and must be dealt with.
- Illegal actions. Sometimes the fear of being alone at home pushes women to marry the first person they meet. The main goal in this situation is not to be lonely, and everything else does not matter anymore.
- Constant demand for evidence. People suffering from a similar mental disorder torment their loved ones with confirmation of their love and eternal friendship. An autophobe just needs to know that he will never be abandoned.
How to get rid of autophobia
How to deal with the fear of loneliness is perhaps the most frequently asked question at a psychologist's appointment. There is no individual in the world who has never felt the lack of the presence of another person. To overcome the fear of loneliness, you can delve into the subconscious, where various fears are formed. First of all, loneliness is an expression of a person's inner world, his desire to interact emotionally with other people. The more a person is able to experience compassion, love towards others, the less he suffers from the fear of loneliness. An open and benevolent person, always making contact, easily makes new acquaintances. In the age of modern technology, you can communicate with people thousands of kilometers away.
Experts give some tips on how to get rid of the fear of loneliness:
- First of all, you need to understand that it is normal to stay at home alone from time to time. It is impossible to constantly communicate with people, in the life of any person there must be a time when no one is around. So that your free time is not a burden, you need to find something to your liking: household chores, fitness or visiting hobby groups. In such places, there is more opportunity to meet new acquaintances with similar interests, and there will be less time for sad thoughts.
- To have a pet. Many people who have lost loved ones have pets. It doesn't matter who it will be: a cat, a dog or a fish, the main thing is to feel needed by someone. You can also offer your help to those who need it. Perhaps an old woman lives in the next apartment who cannot go to the store herself. As you help others, you will begin to gain a sense of pride and satisfaction in your work.
- A psychologist will help to cope with the problem of how not to be afraid of loneliness. If you already have the first symptoms of autophobia, do not delay the visit to the doctor, otherwise the usual disorder can develop into a real phobia.
- In your daily routine, you need to learn how to do unplanned activities: going to a cafe or a movie with friends, going shopping and buying a nice little thing will help to distract from thoughts of loneliness.
The basis of the psychotherapeutic approach in the treatment of autophobia is to find the main reason that a person is afraid of being alone. Group exercises are particularly effective in eliminating the main symptoms of the disease. The main goal of therapy is that a person should feel like a person. If autophobia is firmly rooted in the mind of a person and there is a threat to his life, it is recommended to take antidepressants and other medications. If you follow all the recommendations of the psychotherapist and a personal desire to get rid of the problem, there will be no trace of autophobia. This will not only restore peace of mind, but also improve relationships with others.
Autophobia is the name of a common mental disorder that manifests itself in a pathological fear of loneliness. We can say that this phobia is present to one degree or another in more than half of the world's population, including children. The fear of being alone with oneself brings considerable discomfort to the life of a modern person.
The patient is afraid of becoming useless to anyone, may experience an irrational fear of never meeting the other half.
Today, autophobia is called a disease of the twenty-first century, since it most often affects residents of large cities, who are actively involved in the social and social structure. Adapting to such an existence and adjusting to generally accepted standards, a person ceases to improve his own personal qualities, and behaves according to existing stereotypes. Any deviation from the "template" and causes an attack of fear.
Causes and risk factors
According to psychologists, autophobia begins to emerge even in infancy with a lack of attention from parents, close emotional and physical contact with them. The development of a phobia is most likely if the child experiences a similar attention deficit before the age of three.
However, even in the absence of traumatic circumstances in childhood, the fear of loneliness can manifest itself in adulthood. As a rule, the development of phobia occurs with the rapid pace of life in a modern city with constant employment and no personal time. Living in a constant rush, a person begins to fear being alone with himself. So, for example, if a person breaks up with a partner for some reason, he immediately tries to find a replacement for him. This negatively affects the life of the autophobe, as well as his relationships with others.
Psychologists often compare autophobes to an iceberg. This comparison is based on the fact that under the visible part there is another, more dangerous one. If we look at the problem superficially, the reasons for autophobia are most often hidden in the absence of close, understanding people nearby, problems in relationships with others. However, there are also stereotypes imposed by modern society that kill an individual's individuality. A person begins to consider himself inferior if he is alone, although this is not so. In addition, people need the company of other people in order not to be alone with their thoughts, which are often full of anxiety and fear. 
However, it is not only those people who do not have the so-called independent thinking that can suffer from such a phobia. Absolutely spontaneously, the fear of being alone can arise in any person who has experienced a divorce, the death of a loved one, who have lost their job or their usual social status.
Symptoms
The first signs of autophobia can appear at a very early age. The child begins to identify himself as a person literally from infancy, and in the absence of his mother, the fear of loneliness often manifests itself in crying and tantrums. Sometimes the pathology takes on a somatic character, manifesting itself in neurodermatitis and other skin diseases. At school age, the phobia becomes even more persistent. Experiencing an acute fear of being alone, it is these children who most often fall under the influence of the so-called "bad companies".
Growing up, young people begin to fear never to start a family, however, even if everything goes well and the patient gets married, autophobia continues to manifest itself in pathological jealousy, an irrational assessment of relations with children. Difficulties also appear in professional activities.
Very often, the fear of loneliness proceeds implicitly and is not noticeable to others, so with mild and moderate severity, the disease does not cause significant changes in the patient's behavior. Typical signs of autophobia are:
- mental discomfort, constant inner excitement and boredom;
- the desire to always remain surrounded by loved ones and friends;
- a feeling of longing when it is necessary to perform certain actions alone. In severe cases, patients may even refuse to go to the toilet or shower alone;
- in the event of temporary loneliness, the autophobe experiences anxiety and intense excitement. It is possible that obsessive thoughts may arise that an unhappiness will happen to someone close to him, which prompts the patient to make a phone call or a personal meeting with the object of anxiety;
- the inability to concentrate and get carried away with those activities that need to be performed independently;
- with a severe course of phobia, depression with pronounced suicidal tendencies is possible.
With the acute onset of autophobia, panic attacks can occur, in which the patient experiences anxiety, intense fear and a desire to hide or run away. All this is often accompanied by such vegetative manifestations as sweating, shortness of breath, increased heart rate, tremors of the extremities. It is very important not to ignore the fear of loneliness, but to resist it. In severe cases of phobia, it is recommended to immediately contact a qualified psychologist.
Diagnostics and treatment
From the outside, it is quite difficult to determine the presence of autophobia, even for a specialist. However, with the help of special techniques and questionnaires, as well as detailed interviews with the patient, an experienced psychotherapist is likely to detect symptoms of a mental disorder.
The main treatment for autophobia is called psychotherapy. Classes can be held both in group and in individual form. As a rule, it is possible to completely get rid of the phobia within two to three years of psychotherapy. During the sessions, the patient learns to be aware that even the environment of a large number of people does not mean the absence of loneliness, and also learns to develop awareness of personal identification.
In severe cases, autophobia is treated with medication. The doctor may prescribe a short-term intake of antidepressants, sedatives, psychostimulants.
You can try to overcome fear on your own, realizing that the loneliness of each person is laid down from the very beginning, and sometimes even the closest friend is not able to understand and provide the necessary support. The fear of loneliness will subside as you realize this. Also, experts recommend going in for sports and creativity, traveling as much as possible, saturating your own life with positive emotions and new impressions.
Greetings, my dear readers! The fear of being left alone today is very common among both men and women, adolescents and adults. Sometimes such fear takes a mild form and it is easy to deal with it on your own, but sometimes the case can be critical, which is life-threatening and requires the intervention of a specialist. Let's look at the reasons, understand how to deal with this feeling and how to understand when it is time to ask for help.
The vice of modernity
The fear of loneliness today is found in more and more people. More often among residents of large cities. And no wonder. Fast pace of life, a huge number of people, rush, crush. In fact, we are never alone with ourselves. And this allows a feeling of fear to arise.
I would like to draw your attention to the book by Elena Yakhontova “ Goodbye loneliness!»In it you will find not only a description of the reasons that prevent you from enjoying loneliness and a large number of solutions to combat this feeling.
Let's try to understand where a person can get this feeling and what it will eventually lead to. Men are much less likely to experience fear of loneliness. They are essentially warriors, hunters, and miners. Therefore, they throw their strength into building a career, winning a woman, and so on. And in society, it is not customary to consider a lonely man a loser.
Teens today often have a fear of being left without a phone or computer. Where does this feeling come from? Gadgets today have become an integral part of life, all the attention of a teenager is concentrated there, correspondence, photos, comments. Therefore, to be left without your favorite phone even for one hour is a real disaster.
But if this is just a force of habit, then the fear of being left without friends is already a much more serious problem. For teenagers I have a wonderful article on this topic: "". In it, I describe in detail all the benefits of loneliness and how to skillfully subdue it.
What is this fear of loneliness? Inability to be alone with oneself. When a person does not know what to do with himself, he has no hobbies, he is used to being surrounded by people and does not feel comfortable in his own home alone.
Plus, being alone is a great way to show you your priorities. The activity that you prefer to do on your own and is the most interesting for you. Maybe it's time to make it not just a hobby?
It is when you are alone with yourself that you can conduct an internal dialogue about your problems, look for solutions and answers. For example, when I am alone, I like to talk to myself out loud. This helps me to see many situations from the outside and find a completely unexpected solution. Take advantage of loneliness rather than focus on fear.
When is it time to ask for help?
But it also happens that fear develops into a phobia, which is impossible to cope with on your own. Autophobia is a mental disorder that is based on the fear of being alone. In order to find the right solution, you first need to understand the reasons.
Most often, the reasons are rooted in childhood. Mom’s accidentally thrown phrase “you won’t stop crying, I’ll leave and you will be left alone” may just be the very reason. Sometimes parents just want to and leave such phrases without thinking about the consequences this can cause.
In addition, lack of parental attention during childhood can be the cause. Or serious at an early age. Difficult or tipping point in adolescence. Betrayal, betrayal, painful breakup. There can be a lot of reasons for a phobia and a psychologist can help you figure it out.
What can autophobia lead to? The person is completely promiscuous in the relationship. For fear of being alone, he constantly connects his life with anyone, just not to be alone. I have a friend who got married for this very reason. She saw the guy for the first time in her life, but was already ready to run to the registry office.
Moreover, people with similar problems often experience impaired self-esteem, panic attacks when he is alone in the room, deep depression after a breakup. Such people try to keep the relationship at any cost, they are usually very compliant and almost always agree with everything, so long as the person does not leave and is there. For example, the wife of an alcoholic, who cannot leave him, because she is afraid to be left alone, but life with him does not give her pleasure either.
In any case, if you notice this feeling in yourself, I recommend that you immediately seek help from a psychologist. After all, the sooner you start working on your problems, the faster you can become a phobia-free person.
How long have you noticed your fear of being alone? What do you usually do when you are alone with yourself? How often are you alone with yourself? Why are you afraid to be alone?
Wish you all the best!
The irrational fear of loneliness, which psychologists call autophobia, is characterized by many manifestations of panic attacks and anxiety. Fear arises when a person is left alone with his thoughts. In addition, a fear of being alone at home may develop.
Autophobia - fear of being alone in the house
Autophobia is a common disease. Most people are not even aware of such a problem. Therefore, it is important to understand how fear manifests itself and how to resist it.
Features of autophobia
Autophobia is a mental disorder in which the patient develops a fear of being alone with their thoughts. Phobia manifests itself in moments of loneliness, when, under certain circumstances, a person is left alone at home, at work, etc. Often the patient experiences a feeling of anxiety or panic even when the thought of his loneliness arises.
Despite the bright signs, it is very difficult for a person suffering from it to independently identify autophobia. Those who are subject to this fear in any way try to constantly “be in touch” with relatives, friends and colleagues. By meeting in person or by talking on the phone, a person avoids the appearance of thoughts that cause fear.
This phobia should not be underestimated. According to psychologists, panic attacks can become so severe that the patient may even have thoughts of suicide. Therefore, it is important to learn how to deal with a phobia alone or with the help of specialists.
The main causes of autophobia
The fear of being alone at home appears in early childhood. The most common reason is a traumatic experience experienced when the parents locked the child alone in the apartment or in the room. In addition, being at home alone can be difficult because of simple educational threats from the mother or father. Even the phrase "I'll lock you in the room now!" can create fear.
Experts say that it is very difficult to identify the exact cause of autophobia in a patient. Children's experiences are hidden in the subconscious, and sometimes it is impossible to reveal them. Fear may arise in childhood or adolescence due to such factors:
- lack of attention to the child on the part of his parents;
- frequent threats from the mother or father to “leave” the child somewhere alone;
- first failures in love;
- constant employment of loved ones (they do not find time for communication).
The fear of loneliness can also develop due to the personal qualities of the patient's character. People with low self-esteem or excessive gullibility are more likely to be subject to autophobia. The reason for the appearance of a phobia can be fear for the health and life of loved ones.
Autophobia can develop due to loneliness during childhood
How to identify fear of being home alone
Signs of autophobia can vary. Often, the symptoms of fear are so subtle that it is difficult to identify them even for a psychotherapist. According to statistics, autophobia is diagnosed more often in women.
But experts associate such statistics with the fact that men tend to "hide" their experiences from others. There is only one conclusion: the stronger sex is faced with such a phobia no less often than women.
Phobia can manifest itself in the form of physical symptoms: tremors in the body, fever, or increased heart rate. The appearance of such signs is not excluded, but they occur less frequently than behavioral and psychological symptoms. Autophobia can be detected by such signs as:
- Feeling anxious about little things. Fear can appear when the patient is forced to be alone at home, or because of the remoteness of loved ones, their inaccessibility (the phone is turned off).
- Lack of confidence in their own abilities. The patient is constantly looking for help from others. Their presence next to a person is enough.
- Attempts to "keep" a loved one in moments of separation.
- Irregularity in actions. The patient can buy uncomfortable housing closer to his own close people, marry an unloved person, etc.
For such factors, it is difficult to identify the presence of autophobia in a person. Psychologists' advice: you need to help yourself by making your own "psychological portrait". Most often, individuals suffering from autophobia are easily influenced by others and seek to attract the attention of others by any means. They are irresponsible and dependent, jealous and have difficulties in their own realization.
The feeling of anxiety in a patient can cause a disabled phone in a loved one
How to deal with your fear of being home alone
Therapy of autophobia can be based both on the intake of antidepressants and psychostimulating drugs, and on psychological effects. Pronounced signs are removed with medication. Psychological influence helps to overcome fear itself. Experts advise patients:
- Learn to perceive your loneliness correctly. You don't need to do anything. The main thing is to understand that being alone is natural and normal.
- Get a pet that will make the sick cat, dog or other animal fit. You don't need to do anything special. Help your pet, and he will help you brighten up loneliness.
- Spend more time for yourself and your loved ones.
Help yourself. If it is difficult to cope with fear on your own, you can always consult a psychologist. Autophobia, with the right therapy, can be cured in a few sessions.
Conclusion
Fear of being alone in an apartment arises more often in early childhood. Its signs are physical, behavioral and psychological. It is important to cope with your own fears, because its manifestations can lead to the fact that the fear of loneliness will lead to thoughts of suicide.
