What is Autophobia? Symptoms, Causes, Treatment 

Some people love the company of themselves, others don’t, and some are fearful of it. Today, we’ll discuss what is autophobia; its symptoms, causes, and treatment.

What is Autophobia? 

Autophobia also goes by the name of monophobia; it’s the fear of loneliness and being alone. When such people are alone in a very comfortable place like home, they experience a severe anxiety attacks.

People with the autophobic condition feel that they need the company of other people around them to feel safe and comfortable. Even though they’re aware of the fact that they’re safe physically, they’ve got the following fears;

• Hearing unexplained and unexpected noises
• Experiencing a sudden medical problem
• Feelings of unwanted
• Being unloved
• Strangers
• Burglars

The autophobic condition develops irrational anxiety in you based on the fear that you would end up alone. Even though there is no possibility or threat of getting along, the person can’t manage to control their symptoms. The person won’t be able to perform routine functions of life until the fear and feelings of loneliness go away. Sometimes, when they’re alone with themselves in their company, they’re in desperate need of ending their loneliness.

Symptoms of Autophobia 

When the person in our close support network isn’t available with us, it causes distress and anxiety so much that it would disturb your life. Some of the main symptoms of autophobia are as follows;

• Misconception and disbelief that something bad and catastrophic would if they were alone
• Find it difficult to function properly in their routine life like developing healthy relationships
• Having panic attacks
• Trouble breathing
• Chest tightness
• Speedy heartbeat
• Trying everything in their power to avoid loneliness
• Being ignored and secluded feelings in a crowd of people
• Apprehensive feelings when thinking about loneliness
• Feeling intense anxiety about their situation
• Nausea, fainting, and dizziness feelings when they’re alone

Diagnosis of Autophobia/Monophobia

In order to diagnose autophobia, your doctor would examine you physically in order to make sure whether some other condition isn’t causing the symptoms. The doctor would also study the signs that it’s only the fear of loneliness. When we talk about diagnosis, then uncomfortable feelings and nervousness aren’t enough to diagnose a phobia.

Causes of Autophobia 

Researchers don’t know the exact and precise cause of autophobia. Any type of traumatic experience of loneliness and being left alone play a significant role in developing this condition. You would have learned such fearful behavior from a close friend or family member. It’s significant to mention here that adverse experiences in childhood play a significant role in developing this condition. However, children develop the fear of loneliness due to the following experiences;

• Illness of any family member
• Mental illness or parental misuse of the substance
• Neglect
• Separation from children
• Financial and economic problems within the family
• Domestic violence
• Divorce
• Death of a parent
• Abuse

Self-regulating challenges and fear of loneliness would trigger the autophobic condition. It has relevance to the inadequate feelings in the emergency situation, and it’s a concern of many people when they’re home alone.

Your fear is reasonable and rational if you live in a neighborhood with a high crime rate. But the fearful feelings don’t force you to live and behave in a certain way; rather than making you take cautious measures.

Treatment of Autophobia

Some of the main treatment plans to treat the symptoms of autophobia are as follows;

Medication

In order to control and manage the fearful symptoms of the autophobic condition; your doctor would prescribe an antidepressant, beta-blockers, benzodiazepine, and anti-anxiety medications like SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors).

Your doctor would only prescribe the medication and suggest using it along with the therapy. People with the phobic condition would use the medicines in the short term in order to lower the symptoms.

Psychotherapy

Behavioral psychotherapy is also a significant part of the treatment plan. The types of therapies that your doctor would recommend are as follows;

Desensitization

Desensitization is a type of treatment plan where your therapist exposes you to a fearful situation that causes anxiety. The practice of this method would teach you to remain calm. However, the goal of this therapy is to desensitize yourself from the fear of loneliness and being alone.

CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy)

CBT helps you to change your thought pattern relevant to fear and phobia. It starts from recognizing those thoughts that are causing anxiety based on the fear of being alone.

Self-Coping Mechanism

Some of the self-coping techniques that would help you to manage stress and anxiety are as follows;

• Yoga
• Visualization
• Muscles relaxations progressively
• Meditation
• Deep breathing

Conclusion: What is Autophobia? Symptoms, Causes, Treatment 

After an in-depth study of what is autophobia; its symptoms, causes, diagnosis, treatment, and self-copying mechanism; we’ve realized that autophobic condition disturbs your life to a great extent. If you’re experiencing its symptoms; then you should discuss it with an expert professional.