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We are glad to welcome you, dear readers of the site! Dementophobia (lyssophobia, maniophobia) is the fear of going crazy, the fear of losing control over one’s consciousness. It occupies one of the leading places in the list of phobias, due to the fact that it occurs very often among the world’s population. And no wonder, because no one is immune from mental illness.
Plus, dementia in older people is quite expected. Not every one of them can boast of clarity of mind and excellent memory.
And today we will look at exactly how dementophobia manifests itself and what reasons provoke its occurrence.
Characterization
To begin with, I want to emphasize that such concepts as fear and phobia should be distinguished. Despite the fact that they have similar features in manifestation.
Fear is a completely natural feeling that allows a person to take care of his own safety.
For example, if we were not afraid of heights, then we would walk along the edge of the abyss quite calmly. At the risk of falling and breaking. Seeing an unfamiliar aggressive person with a knife, they would not run away from him, but would continue to meet them.
And phobias are characterized by obsession, when it is almost impossible to take control of the feelings that have arisen on your own. In this case, the person, fearing heights, will experience anxiety and horror in front of her even when lying in bed.
She can “close up” in herself and simply not leave the house, because the brain “draws” pictures of how she suddenly falls into the hatch, falls down the stairs, and so on.
So, dementophobia is an amazing phenomenon. It personifies mental death, but, in theory, physical death looks larger. If only because it is inevitable for every living being on the planet. Only now, greater horror arises at the thought of losing the connection between the body and the soul, and not vice versa.
Main features
Maniophobia, also called the fear of getting schizophrenia, can manifest itself in the form of autonomic reactions such as:
- Change in skin color, i.e. redness or pallor;
- Tremor;
- Increased heart rate and respiration;
- excessive sweating;
- Shortness of breath.
People who suffer from dementophobia may commit irrational acts. And appeals to logic are completely useless at the time of increased anxiety and panic. They simply lose control of their emotions. Which literally absorb them, which is why they are not able to instantly take and calm down.
The difficulty is that the danger they feel does not come from the outside world. It is by nature endogenous. That is, internally conditioned. Although exogenous (external) stimuli can also affect the intensity of experiences.
By the way, the above symptoms, which are quite characteristic of panic attacks, only confirm the person’s hypothesis about his own insanity.
For example, an attack is accompanied by arrhythmia, vomiting, respiratory failure, he tries to «pull himself together.» But by the power of thought, ailments do not go away, but on the contrary, they intensify, dizziness and diarrhea are added.
The attempt to control one’s condition suffers disaster. Why a person is even more convinced that not everything is in order with him. And that he is rapidly approaching such a frightening prospect of becoming a patient in a psychiatric clinic.
Causes
Heredity
Unfortunately, genetics often influence the appearance of phobias. If a close relative, such as a mother or father, suffers from this type of disorder, then the child is at risk. That is, there is a high probability that one day he will be diagnosed with lyssophobia (another name).
Biological, physiological factors
Brain damage due to injuries, infections, etc. can cause irrational obsessive thoughts, fears.
Often, individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia suffer from dementophobia. You will learn more about it from this article.
If the body is deficient in gamma-aminobutyric acid, then this provokes an increase in the level of anxiety. Since this acid has a calming, relaxing effect.
Its quantity decreases due to the long-term use of any drugs, psychotropic substances. Again, brain injuries and prolonged depression, severe stress have an effect.
Vegetative-vascular dystonia is characterized by symptoms similar to those of panic attacks. Accordingly, the person, due to the experience of living with certain ailments and the loss of control over his condition, quite reasonably grows horror and anxiety. That one day this will happen again, and he will not cope, having lost his mind forever.
Stress
Stress is dangerous for the body. Especially if a person does not know how to relax, relieve tension, let off steam, and so on. Then the psyche simply can not withstand the pressure and fail.
Of course, there is no such thing that every day brings only joy. And problems arose only occasionally, and then when we were ready for them.
Therefore, with each «blow of fate» it may seem that there is no longer the strength to hold on and steadfastly withstand them. And in general, that it is this pain or anger that will provoke the emergence of any psychiatric diagnosis.
Unfortunately, sometimes this is exactly what happens, no one is immune from the loss of reason. This condition can overtake a person regardless of his financial or marital status, state of health or character. Which is terrifying.
Psycho-emotional stress leads to exhaustion of the body. This applies to workaholics who, in the pursuit of career achievements, do not give themselves the opportunity to pause, relax in order to gain strength and restore resources. Or those who are exposed to risks and pressures in the workplace, cope with deadlines and so on.
In general, life in constant stress and stressful conditions leaves a mark, and not at all positive, on the mental and physical health of the individual. Especially if he does not seek help and support.
Experienced traumas
Also affect some kind of trauma in the past, present, negative experience. For example, experienced emotional or physical abuse, surgery. Even if a person became not a participant, a victim, but a witness of a frightening event, such as an accident, especially with a fatal outcome, a serious illness of a relative, and the like.
The psyche is trying to either repress what happened, or somehow “transform” it in order to assimilate it — and this is a completely normal reaction to abnormal events.
Simply, if a person did not receive timely help, but, for example, “closed” in himself, irrational fears may begin to haunt him.
Characteristics of character
Individuals with low self-esteem, increased levels of anxiety, with a tendency to depressive states, devaluing reactions, and so on, have a predisposition to maniophobia.
Also, the risk group includes individuals with various kinds of addictions, that is, dependent. Even those who do not have an opinion, but are guided by others. They are not able to control their passion for some substances, actions. They cannot rely on themselves and, having made a decision, bear responsibility for it.
Therefore, they are afraid that one day they will lose touch with themselves and begin to do things that are not characteristic of them. And which cannot be logically substantiated. Because the object of addiction took over their personality. And from such thoughts I want to run away.
And what can be done with it? With the help of something that allows them to at least briefly replace reality. For alcohol addicts, these are alcoholic beverages, for gamers — a computer, drug addicts — psychotropic substances, and so on.
It is like running in circles, only with each step the consequences become larger, gradually increasing the symptoms of diseases.
You can learn more about addictions in the article, which is located here.
Way of education
The child adopts from parents or other significant adults the style of behavior, attitude to life, and so on. Why can easily learn certain reactions to some kind of stimulus.
Let’s say if he observed that every time when she saw people with mental disabilities, her mother began to behave unnaturally. For example, she was very frightened, blushed, suffocated — she would repeat after her.
After all, he is not yet able to give in to some processes of criticism, rationalization, and so on. Mom is significant for him, therefore, if she does this, it means that it is so right and the only right thing.
In his picture of the world, if such a dear person is afraid of something, it means that it is worth fearing too.
Praise or criticism of the child for certain reactions also affects. If, at the sight of crazy people, he hid behind an adult, ran away and demonstrated non-verbally, said that he was afraid — and they answered him that he was doing well, because you really need to stay away from such people. Then at such moments this phobia was reinforced in him, becoming more stable.
Or, on the contrary, they scolded him if he tried to establish contact with the mentally ill, to approach them because of the interest that arose, and so on.
Completion
And that’s all for today, dear readers! Turn to specialists when you realize that you are unable to cope with some of your inner feelings and thoughts on your own. Timely qualified help and support, correction of behavior and reactions may well anticipate the emergence of any kind of phobia, not only the fear of going crazy.
Also, check out the article, which shows ways to deal with the negative effects of stress. Being able to relieve stress is very important for our mental and physical health. And not just to be able, but also to know how to do it correctly, steadily practicing these methods.
Take care of yourself and be happy!
The material was prepared by a psychologist, Gestalt therapist, Zhuravina Alina