Fear of heights, fear of narrow spaces, fear of holes, fear of certain animals, fear of objects. All these fears belong to a group of phobias many of us are familiar with. However, not many people are familiar with “philophobia” which occurs with those who are single and don't dare to start falling in love with someone. Therefore, we would recommend everyone to check if you are suffering from this phobia or you just haven't found the right person yet.

Getting to know philophobia

Although the fear of love, philophobia, is known as a phobia, it isn’t considered a disease. It's just a fear that exists as a specific type of phobia that is no different to the fears of the things mentioned above. Patients with this phobia are afraid of being in love, both falling in love and being loved as well as starting a deep relationship. This is because they are worried that they will not be able to maintain the relationship. In other words, they fear breaking up. The fear expressed by the body can be so intense that it affects the quality of life.

Causes of philophobia

There are many causes of philophobia, and it can be as vague as the fear of things in specific phobias. These range from genetics and environmental factors that contribute to increased risk, abnormal brain function and traumatic events. It doesn’t have to be about love: it may be a problem with a family member, a belief, religion, culture, tradition or childhood memory that each person encounters differently. Some people are able to move on with their normal lives while in others the pain persists in their subconscious.

Another potentially unexpected aspect that causes philophobia is a lack of self-confidence which contributes to low self-esteem. They think they are not worthy or good enough to be in love, so they tend to close themselves off in fear of being rejected by others.

Symptoms of philophobia

Philophobia can be divided into two groups of symptoms:

·       Mental symptoms: Initially, they were reluctant to start a relationship with anyone. If it has passed the initial stage, they feel anxious all the time which causes the distance and all too often ends in a breakup.

·       Physical symptoms: When faced with love situations such as falling in love or receiving special attention, various forms of abnormalities in the body ensue such as rapid breathing, shallow breathing, numbness in the tips of the hands and feet, excessive sweating, tremors, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, crying, and others.

How to treat philophobia

Treatments for philophobia include psychotherapy and medication to treat physical symptoms. The most appropriate therapy will be selected for each patient such as cognitive behavioral therapy, eye movement therapy, systemic anxiety reduction process, hypnotherapy, and others. As for medication, the doctor may use drugs in the group of depression and anxiety disorders in therapy, especially in cases of high-level anxiety, stress or depression.

What patients can do along with treatment is make adjustments to their daily lives such as eating nutritious foods, getting enough sleep, changing the environment around them, finding new activities, avoiding being alone and trying to understand that fear and love are natural things that can happen to everyone.

If you find someone close to you has symptoms similar to philophobia or is likely to have philophobia, it is advisable to see a doctor for a diagnosis and treatment.

Krungthai-AXA Life Insurance customers who would like a preliminary diagnosis check your mental health online for free. For more details, please visit: https://www.krungthai-axa.co.th/th/MindHealth.

References

·       Pobpad website
https://bit.ly/3DN1W9u

·       Doctorraksa website
https://www.doctorraksa.com/th-TH/blog/philophobia.html

·       Pueasukkapab website
https://bit.ly/3xGHRxZ