The causes of insectophobia and the development of insect fear in people of all ages. Symptoms and treatments. Insectophobia is a mental disorder that consists of anxiety about insects. Often it manifests itself not to all their species, but may act as a "dislike" for certain types, for example, spiders or cockroaches. Let's look at the causes of insect fear and how to deal with it.
Description and mechanism of development of insectophobia
All our fears are not always irrational, at times they push us away from any action, thus we avoid danger. In the list of all kinds of phobias, the fear of the macrocosm is far from the last, it is one of the most widespread.
Alienation from insects belongs to the class of zoophobia. There are the most popular types of this fear: apiphobia - fear of bees, myrmecophobia - fear of ants, arachnophobia - fear of spiders.
The source of insectophobia dates back to the days of primitive people. In those periods, peoples faced such a problem as the tragic consequences of contact with insects, starting with small, unpleasant bites and ending with the death of a person, which was caused by the ingress of a large amount of poison into the body, for example, a spider or bee bite. Thus, the formation of a phobia, fear and alienation from the macrocosm began. Also important was the lack of education and inexperience, which put people in danger.
Fear of insects is present not only in adults, but also in the younger generation. According to statistics, it is children who are most susceptible to this disorder, since babies are more vulnerable emotionally. As you know, in childhood, the psyche is not yet formed. As for the elders, most often insectophobia occurs in women, they are more vulnerable and more sensitive than men.
Sometimes people suffering from insectophobia are so struck by their fear that it takes very little to panic, it is enough to hear the sound of buzzing past a flying insect. A huge problem for a patient with insectophobia is a trip to nature - constant panic, hysteria and anxiety spoil the rest, first of all, for the patient, after which his company, which is unlikely to want to understand his comrade and enter his position. After such unpleasant moments, the insectophobe, not finding mutual understanding, begins to withdraw into himself.
Causes of the fear of insects
Insectophobia can develop in different age groups. From the point of view of medicine, there are two theories of its origin - Freud and Behavioral. Psychotherapists and scientists are leaning towards the latter, but lately Freud's thoughts have attracted much more attention.
Freud's theory states that phobia is a definite result of a person's excessive use of the defense mechanism of repression and transference in order to guide anxiety. Behavioral theory says that anxiety-phobic disorder is a denying consciousness that directs the human psyche, controls its actions, inclines to certain forms of behavior, the body's response to the environment.
The factors that cause fear of contact with insects are usually divided into two types - objective and far-fetched.
Objective reasons:
- Disastrous consequences after contact with insects. Most often this happens in childhood, due to the sting of a bee, spider or mosquito, the child receives a shock or psychological trauma, which subsequently forms fear.
- Imitation of relatives. Often, our mothers, at the sight of a cockroach or a spider, begin to scream hysterically, seeing this picture, the baby has nothing to do but repeat after the parent. Such behavior can easily harm the child's psyche and create a phobia out of nothing.
Contrived reasons:
- The fear of many patients is that they constantly think about the harm from insects, insectophobes do not leave the thought that parasites can enter the nose, mouth, stomach, or even the brain.
- The formation of a fear of insects is facilitated not only by a memorable contact with the macrocosm, but also a good and stormy imagination enters into the matter, knowing practically nothing about insects, we proudly declare that they are dangerous enemies that are destroying us.
- The virtual and literary world plays a significant role in the formation of a phobia, as well as cinematography, descriptions and shots depicting the terrifying and aggressive behavior of insects towards a person make him believe that this is an enemy that needs to be destroyed and feared. Most of all, parents of small patients face this, it seems to babies that they are the main target of insects.
The main manifestations of insectophobia in humans
People suffering from insectophobia say that when they see any representative of the macrocosm, panic completely takes over consciousness, patients cannot bring themselves to their senses and completely surrender to fear.
If, at the sight of a flying, buzzing insect, some do not pay attention to this, then the person suffering from the disorder will be in apprehension for a long time, waiting for the next arrival of the winged guest. Many insectophobes think that turning to a doctor for help in dealing with their problem is not so important, as if moving away from the object of their fear, the "disease" will go away on its own.
The main symptoms of insectophobia:
- Sharp sweating, dilated pupils, pallor, as well as psychomotor agitation;
- Tension of all muscles of the body, often the back;
- At times inappropriate patient behavior;
- Desire to leave the place where insects can be as quickly as possible;
- Panic on contact with insects, attempts to escape and hide.
On the eve of possible contact with representatives of the macrocosm, the insectophobe tries in every possible way to provide himself and those around him with maximum protection: he sprays the premises and people with special preparations, wears protective clothing, does not open windows and doors, and rarely goes outside. In this case, it is advisable to provide the patient with effective treatment, so as not to harm him and everyone in his environment.
All symptoms are taken from stories-observations of relatives of patients about the manifestation and development of fear of insects.
How to get rid of fear of insects
Before starting the treatment process, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with the possible therapy options, how to get rid of insectophobia.
Independent actions for insectophobia
Insectophobia is a problematic mental disorder, people who suffer from this "ailment" are able to harm not only themselves, but also everyone in their environment. It is important to notice the problem in the initial stages and start fighting the fear in time.
Treatment of insectophobia at home is as follows:
- The acquisition of an encyclopedia about insects, preferably with colorful pictures and detailed descriptions, thus, the insectophobe will gradually forget about his fears, observing the macrocosm as harmless little creatures. This method is effective for both adults and children.
- In the case when the main cause of the phobia is the film, it is recommended to review it again in order to understand that this is just a fantasy, invented by cinema professionals, for sure, the picture will not seem as scary as before.
- Purchase of original collections of home wallpaper with the "participation" of the macrocosm. The Timorous Beasties studio presented a collection of wallpapers and decorative fabrics featuring butterflies, moths and beetles. Many design masters say that insectophobes are the main buyers, thus, having bought a decorative butterfly, a person who has a fear of the macrocosm looks at the decor as a decoration, forgetting that his worst enemy is depicted there. The colleagues of the studio Timorous Beasties, Curiousa and Curiousa, are also engaged in similar designs, they create extravagant collages depicting moths and praying mantises, it all depends on the client's wishes.
If insectophobia is present in the baby and the cause of its occurrence is a horror movie, then the recommendation to “watch the movie again” should be approached from the right side, so as not to double the blow to the child's psyche. You need to tell the child that there is nothing terrible, the film is a fiction that is shown for entertainment, and the insects depicted there are pictures of professional artists.
Psychotherapy in the fight against fear of insects
Not always all of the above methods help patients, if the insectophobe has long been in a relationship with fear, then home therapy is completely meaningless, inappropriate and ineffective, the only option in the fight against fear is going to a specialist psychotherapist.
Treating the disorder with medical intervention:
- Behavioral or behavioral therapy … One of the modern and demanded types of treatment in the world of psychotherapy, in contrast to recommendations for the type of buying books and film revisions, behavioral therapy has one hundred percent result and consists in the patient's voluntary contact with a certain object. The main goal of therapy is the maximum removal of fear, a change in the good side of the patient's behavior in the presence of an insect that is opposite to him. A huge benefit of behavioral therapy is its fast response, it works at a faster rate than other types of psychotherapy. Behavioral therapy can address both childhood phobias and acquired fears over time.
- Systematic desentization … Relaxation of the patient's psyche thanks to a series of relaxation trainings conducted by a psychiatrist. After the completed course of treatment, the doctor, together with the patient, draws up a hierarchy of fears that prevent a person from fully living in society. After a plan of all actions is drawn up, the physician influences the patient with the object he fears, everything starts small and gradually, after going through the entire course of treatment, they reach the victorious end, completely freed from their fear, phobia.
- Modeling involving … One of the effective methods in combating phobias, its essence lies in the fact that a medical specialist in the presence of a patient contacts his fear, thus, the patient sees that nothing terrible is happening, the object of his fear is completely harmless and safe.
- Confrontational therapy … Treatment of a phobia by direct contact of the patient with an insect in the presence of a doctor. Many consider this type of treatment to be a mockery of the patient, as it is necessary to morally torment the person. Only a strong spirit of patients who are determined to have a successful cure can carry out such a therapeutic measure. It is believed that after the first encounters with the object of fear, so to speak, one-on-one, further treatment will be more fruitful and effective.
Those who do not believe in themselves are unlikely to be able to quickly part with an unpleasant phobia; in this case, only hypnosis or individual consultations and therapies of private psychotherapists will help.
All types of therapeutic therapies are carried out exclusively after the agreement of the patient. Today, it is confrontational and behavioral therapy that are considered the most popular types of combating insectophobia, whatever one may say, but only experienced masters know how to get rid of the fear of insects.
Important! You should not postpone going to a specialist with your problem, since phobias can harm not only their carrier, but also everyone in his environment, so you need to get rid of mental illness as soon as possible. How to get rid of the fear of insects - watch the video:
Many patients who in the past haters insects, after undergoing treatment, turn them on as pets, this behavior is usually called fear overcompensation. Doctors recommend that patients refrain from such desires, since there have been cases of phobia returning, during such periods the patient must undergo prophylaxis, its essence lies in the maximum restriction from insects, a minimum of contact and negative emotions associated with them.
