Anthropophobia

One of the most unusual phobic disorders in psychiatry is anthropophobia - a condition in which the patient is afraid of people - either absolutely everyone and everything, or people of a certain category. In most cases, the phobia concerns any person passing by, regardless of their appearance, gender, social status or age.

Anthropophobia should not be confused with a similar social phobia – fear of society. Social phobes are afraid of groups and crowds of people, while anthropophobes have a negative attitude even towards any single person.

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Epidemiology

Anthropophobia can affect both males and females equally.

Most often, the pathology is detected in adolescents - this age is considered the most phobic vulnerable. In most cases, parents notice that their child becomes withdrawn and depressed when someone approaches him or her, or in any way violates his or her personal space. The patient prefers solitude and does not hide it, and with any contact with other people, expresses all signs of discomfort.

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Causes anthropophobia

Psychologists cannot yet give a clear answer to the question of the causes of anthropophobia. All the explanations offered by specialists are theories according to which the cause is hidden deep enough in the subconscious, and originates there in early childhood.

There can be many variants of anthropophobia development. It can be a consequence of some strong childhood insult, facts of violence against a child, strong fear or other shocks that are sharply perceived by the vulnerable child's psyche.

As a result, the child begins to behave in an isolated manner, and this behavior only worsens with age, acquiring the status of a character trait.

An already mature person cannot force himself to trust other people, he is much more comfortable spending time alone, he is indecisive and always tries to maintain a safe distance from people.

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Risk factors

Despite the fact that anthropophobia, according to knowledgeable people, begins at an early age, it can manifest clinically much later. The following factors can contribute to this:

• severe stress load;
• chronic fatigue;
• depressive state;
• nervous shocks (for example, a person becomes a witness to a crime or is attacked himself).

Residents of large cities are especially susceptible to developing anthropophobia. Their psyche is subjected to quite large loads every day: this is the bustle of the city, noise, constant crowds of people and the practical impossibility of creating a quality personal space.

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Pathogenesis

It is generally accepted that such a mental disorder as anthropology primarily affects those patients who previously had low self-esteem. These people often took on a barrage of criticism from others; their superiors or other people of authority always pressured them and forced them to make decisions that were not typical for them, or deprived them of their own opinion.

Due to low self-esteem and lack of self-confidence, the anthropophobe becomes a hostage to his own feelings and is constantly under stress - he subconsciously looks for moments that will bring him a new wave of discomfort.

Sometimes anthropophobia develops as a result of other mental disorders. For example, a person may have previously had a fear of publicity, or a fear of being laughed at in some situation. Such people have a large number of complexes that concern not only their skills and abilities, but also their external features.

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Symptoms anthropophobia

Anthropophobia does not always proceed in the same way - after all, the degree of mental disorder in different people can also be different. However, there are some common signs of the disease, by which it can be recognized:

• fear that arises in front of any people (it can manifest itself in the form of disgust towards people: in this case, the patient is irritated by any tactile touches, glances and phrases in his direction);
• a special feeling of fear of strangers, a complete rejection of communication with them;
• unacceptability of certain character traits or appearance (for example, a phobia may only manifest itself in relation to drunk, fat, bald people, or to people with dark eyes, beards, etc.).

When forced to communicate with people who are unpleasant to the patient, a panic attack develops, the first signs of which may be the following:

• increased heart rate;
• increased sweating;
• dyspnea;
• tremors of fingers or hands;
• stupor;
• abdominal pain, bowel disorder;
• dizziness, etc.

The patient usually senses the onset of an attack and can take steps to prevent it and calm himself down. Such steps often look like compulsive symptoms: stroking oneself, tapping one's fingers, shifting from one foot to the other, etc.

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Stages

Anthropophobia can occur in a mild form, when the patient only needs to make some volitional efforts to overcome the feeling of fear. In such a situation, the patient, although feeling uncomfortable, still communicates with other people as needed and does not avoid society.

However, at a progressive stage, it becomes increasingly difficult to control one's emotions and behavior. Over time, the patient may refuse any communication with strangers. If, suddenly, accidental contact occurs, it may end in an attack of irritability, aggression, increased sweating, trembling, and tachycardia.

In advanced situations, the patient leads a reclusive lifestyle, not allowing anyone to get close to him, even those people who openly want to help him.

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Forms

Anthropophobia can manifest itself in the form of:

• monophobia (when there is one object that causes a panic attack);
• polyphobia (when there are many objects that provoke an attack).

In addition, a phobia can be direct (fear of people in general) and the so-called phobia of consequences (fear of any negative consequences after communicating with people). As for the phobia of consequences, here the patient may be afraid of being laughed at, doing something ridiculous, or saying something inappropriate.

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Complications and consequences

Anthropophobia is dangerous only because it completely limits the patient in terms of his social participation and development.

An anthropophobe always has problems with work, with studies, with establishing personal relationships, etc.

He tries to get out of any difficult situations on his own, without resorting to outside help, even to solve serious problems with his own health. All attempts from the outside to offer help to the patient remain rejected. The patient with anthropophobia often imagines that something irreparably bad will happen to him when communicating with other people.

In some cases, an attack of anthropophobia can lead the patient into a state of aggression - this can pose a danger both to the people around him and to the patient himself.

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Diagnostics anthropophobia

Only a competent and experienced specialist can diagnose anthropophobia, taking into account certain characteristics and criteria of the disease. If a person avoids communication, this does not always mean that he suffers from anthropophobia. Sometimes a tendency to loneliness becomes a manifestation of seasonal depression, or is a temporary sign of a difficult period in life.

To make a correct diagnosis, the doctor communicates not only with the patient, but also with his environment - relatives, friends. The specialist needs to know not only the subtleties of the patient's behavior, but also the conditions of his residence, study or work.

As a rule, blood and urine tests are not prescribed to diagnose a disease such as anthropophobia: such studies can only demonstrate the general health of the patient.

Instrumental diagnostics will help determine the degree of panic in an uncomfortable situation. For example, an electrocardiogram can record an increase in heart rate. Computer and magnetic resonance imaging will allow you to assess the condition of the brain vessels.

The main diagnostic method for determining anthropophobia remains a direct interview and examination by a psychiatrist.

Differential diagnostics are usually carried out with other anxiety and phobic disorders – for example, with social phobia, with generalized anxiety disorder, with panic disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder – that is, with pathologies in which similar reactions to certain objects or situations are detected. Taking this into account, the doctor must be able to qualitatively assess the patient's condition and draw up a treatment plan.

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Treatment anthropophobia

How to cope with anthropophobia? Perhaps the following table will help, reflecting the main treatment options for the pathology.

Actions	What can a patient do?	What can loved ones do?
Emotional relief	The patient must think that society is not dangerous.	Relatives should instill confidence in the patient, trust and believe him.
Breathing exercises	The patient is advised to practice abdominal breathing during an attack. The exhalation should be twice as long as the inhalation.	A relative nearby can duplicate the correct breathing along with the patient.
Physiotherapy procedures	The patient is recommended to take a contrast shower, massage the ears, fingers and toes.	During an anxious state, a loved one can massage the patient’s shoulders and back, or brew tea with mint or chamomile.
Distraction methods	To calm himself down, the patient can count passers-by, cars, and objects.	A loved one can distract the patient from the situation in any way. Pinching and stroking will help. You can start counting cars or windows in the house together with the patient.
Phytomedicines	You can take: valerian drops, motherwort or peony tincture, valocordin (10-15 drops in 200 ml of water).
Medicines	The patient takes the medications prescribed by the doctor. Most often, these are tranquilizers (for example, phenazepam or sibazon), nootropic drugs (mexidol, glycised) and antidepressants (fluoxetine, pyrazidol). The dosage of such drugs is prescribed individually by the attending physician.

In addition, a patient with anthropophobia is prescribed a dietary diet with the exclusion of alcohol, stimulating drinks (coffee, strong tea), chocolate, and hot spices.

Yoga and breathing exercises are considered useful. Additionally prescribed:

• psychotherapist consultations;
• psychoanalysis sessions;
• hypnosis sessions (regular or Ericksonian);
• Neuro-linguistic programming sessions.

Prevention

Prevention of anthropophobia can be the competent upbringing of a self-sufficient, self-confident person with normal self-esteem and attitude towards others. Parents should explain to their child from an early age what can await him in life, what dangers can lie in wait for him, so that as the little person grows up, he is ready to bravely endure all adversity.

In addition, from early childhood it is advisable to protect the baby from stress, which can include serious illnesses, funerals, tragic situations, etc.

Moreover, you should not subject a child to violence, and you also should not frighten him - small children have a very vulnerable and sensitive psyche that absorbs negativity like a sponge.

If a child suffers from any fear, it is necessary to talk to him gently, explain to him that there is no need to be afraid at all - but: in no case should you laugh at the baby or make fun of him.

Games and trust of loved ones can serve as an excellent replacement for psychotherapy. However, if a child's fear becomes pathological, if it does not have a clear basis and is not psychologically conditioned, then it is necessary to consult a child psychiatrist.

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Forecast

Anthropophobia can be cured by seeking help from a psychotherapist – and the sooner you do it, the better. A thoughtful and competent medical approach, with the patient’s assistance, will inevitably lead to the patient gaining peace of mind and even feeling some need for human communication.

You can get rid of the pathology on your own only in the initial stages of the disease, but it is better to carry out treatment under the supervision of an experienced specialist.

If the symptoms of the disease are ignored, then anthropophobia will later transform into absolute isolation of a person from society, as well as other additional mental disorders.

Fitness for military service with anthropophobia

Most often, anthropophobia does not become an obstacle to conscription of a young man into the army. The point is that this pathology does not always reveal structural disorders in the human body. For example, if the patient is examined outside of an attack, then in this case the doctors will not find any deviations. And sometimes an attack of anthropophobia can be perceived as an attempt to avoid conscription.

Thus, if a conscript suffers from anthropophobia, he must have a corresponding conclusion in his medical history. The entry must reflect not only the symptoms of mental disorders, but also somatic disorders that arise at the moment of psychological discomfort. Such disorders may include problems with the heart, blood vessels, changes in blood pressure, loss of control over emotions and actions, etc. All such moments must be recorded by a psychiatrist and confirmed diagnostically. Only under such circumstances can a conscript expect that the medical commission will take the diagnosis seriously.

Most often, anthropophobia is an indication for receiving a deferment, during which the patient is given the opportunity to undergo treatment for this disease.