The emotional reactions we give to situations or objects that pose a danger in the outside world or within ourselves are expressed as fear. Fears can be inherited as well as instinctively. Phobias, on the other hand, are unconscious and persistent fears of a particular animal, object, event or situation.
What is trypophobia?
Quite interesting phobias are also encountered, such as common phobias such as animal phobias, phobia of heights, claustrophobia (not being able to be in closed or recessed places). Trypophobia, which is briefly called "fear of holes", is one of the most common phobias in recent years.
When phobias reach the level of violence that will affect the work, social and daily life of the person, they must be treated. Just like phobias, trypophobia is a type of discomfort with a solution. With the treatment methods to be applied, it is possible to control trypophobia and increase the quality of life of the person. Trypophobia is the feeling of extreme fear, anxiety, stress, disgust and discomfort, especially against perforated objects, entities or very similar geometric shapes such as rectangular, round, convex.
Trypophobia. The word was first used in 2005. It comes from the Greek words τρύπα (trýpa), meaning "hole", and φόβος (phóbos), meaning "fear". In trypophobia, which is commonly called the fear of holes among the people, it is known that not only objects with holes, but also spongy structures, bubbles and foams trigger the fear.
There is limited information about trypophobia. Trypophobia, which is not heard as much as known phobias, is found in 16% of people. Despite this, trypophobia, which has been scrutinized by many researchers, is not yet included as a disease in the medical literature.
What are the Symptoms of Trypophobia?
The symptoms, which are generally mild in people with trypophobia, may affect daily life in people whose disease progresses. may happen.
The most common symptoms in trypophobia:
- Disgust and discomfort
- Sweating
- Shaking
- Chilling
- Vomiting
- Extreme and persistent fear
- Skin itching
- Nausea
- Heart palpitations
- Shortness of breath
- From the situation and either trying to escape from the environment with triggers
- Anxiety attacks
- Panic attacks
- Fear of death
- Sudden irritability
- Balance disorders
- Headaches
How to Diagnose Trypophobia
Unlike commonly known phobias, such as trypophobia Specific phobias may be discovered incidentally. Momentary disturbances are often overlooked and ignored. However, when the feeling of fear and disgust is long-lasting, the person starts to seek treatment when it comes to a level that affects the private, social and business life of the person and his daily life. People with symptoms should apply to psychiatry departments.
There is no trypophobia test used in the diagnosis. To diagnose the disease, the physician asks some questions. It shows various images. He questions whether he feels any fear, disgust, stress and anxiety towards the images. Evaluates the person's reaction. In addition to trypophobia, the patient's psychiatric history is examined, and it is investigated whether there are other ailments and triggering factors. The most appropriate treatment is planned for the patient.
What Causes Trypophobia?
The exact cause of trypophobia is unknown. However, in recent years, there are some approaches that may cause the emergence of the disorder.
One of these approaches is based on the evidence obtained from previous studies. It shows that people's feelings of fear and disgust caused by the eyes of poisonous animals such as snakes, octopuses or their geometric patterned skin can cause trypophobia. The emergence of trypophobia, probably due to the self-protection instinct of the person who is afraid of poisonous geometric patterned animals, shows that this fear is not learned later. This may indicate that there is no deep trauma at the root of trypophobia. Trypophobia also does not belong to a cultural origin like number 13 phobia.
According to another approach, some diseases cause trypophobia. For example; In diseases such as measles, typhus, and chickenpox, round-shaped blisters occur as red clusters on the skin. This image, which is caused by their diseases, creates negative signals in the person, creating fear and disgust, anxiety and fear of death. can trigger it. In some studies, it is thought that major depression, generalized anxiety and anxiety disorder may also cause trypophobia.
Many perforated and porous objects cause trypophobia. The most common triggers of trypophobia are:
- Honeycombs
- Strawberry
- Sponges
- Water droplets
- Seen in clusters Lotus flower seeds
- Cluster of eyes
- Pomegranate seeds
- Bubbles formed on the skin
- Corn
- Soap bubbles
- Melon
- Mushrooms
- Animals with geometric patterns
How Does Trypophobia Pass?
It is possible to treat trypophobia. The success rate of the applied treatment methods is quite high. After the treatment, the symptoms of discomfort in people disappear completely. Permanent improvement is observed. Medication and therapy methods are used in the treatment of trypophobia. Emotions caused by various drugs and triggers are suppressed and the person is relieved by suppressing them. Antidepressants can be prescribed by a physician to prevent depression. It affects mental health as well as poses a physical problem. Fear and anxiety cause stress in the body. The heartbeat accelerates in the body, which is exposed to extreme stress, and blood pressure rises. Beta blockers may be prescribed to prevent stress in the body. As in many phobias, the role of drug therapy in trypophobia is very small. Administering drugs alone cannot completely eliminate trypophobia, and it may also cause people to become dependent on the drug. Rather than drug treatment, physicians prefer to apply cognitive behavioral treatments in trypophobia. Cognitive behavioral psychotherapies and other therapy methods cause people to experience extreme fear, anxiety and stress. It is aimed to change the non-realistic thought patterns.
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