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The name “erythrophobia” is derived from the Greek words “erythros” – red and “phobos” – fear. This mental disorder is manifested primarily by the fear of reddening in company. In this disease, the social context of the problem is of great importance and it may occur independently as one of the symptoms of social phobia, i.e. fear of social situations.
Symptoms of erythrophobia and its impact on everyday life
Living in constant fear of reddening in the presence of other people can lead to avoiding spending time in company, in particular, avoiding stressful situations related to being in a group or being exposed to others. Erythrophobia it can only concern specific, stressful situations – then we are talking about non-generalized anxiety. However, if fear arises in contact with others in every possible situation, we are dealing with erythrophobia generalized. People affected by this disorder, apart from social withdrawal, can be identified by the fact that if they have to be around other people, they try to mask their face as carefully as possible. Women usually put on thick makeup to hide the undesirable red color of the skin. People from erythrophobia they often grow their hair and bangs so that they cover their face as much as possible. Attempts to cover the head area also through appropriate clothing, e.g. a hood, caps or hats with a larger brim, pressing the head into a wide scarf or a high collar, putting on large glasses. Very often erythrophobia as a symptom of social phobia it results from the fact that contact with people alone causes stress and anxiety, which in turn increases the heart rate and increases blood pressure, which is manifested, among others, by flushing.
What are the causes of erythrophobia?
If at the root erythrophobia there is a social phobia, the causes of this condition can be many – from genetic and neurobiological factors to purely mental problems, which are most often the basis of many different disorders. Childhood problems, impaired self-esteem and the feeling of being under enormous social pressure often play a significant role.
Same erythrophobia may result from disorders of the sympathetic nervous system. Functionally, the sympathetic nervous system is responsible for, among other things, redness, as well as sweating. Interestingly, blushing in a stressful situation is a kind of evolutionary atavism – the red color of the face used to be a signal to the opponent that the individual was ready to fight and scared him away.
Treatment of erythrophobia
Treating this disorder is often a complex matter, so it is first and foremost important to find out what the root causes of this fear are. If it is one of the disorders related to social phobia, psychotherapy will be most helpful. Eliminating stress and fear is essential in this case. If a person stops being nervous, the nervous system will stop being aroused over time and blushing will stop being a reaction to contact with others. However, getting to this point usually requires long, regular therapy.
On an ad hoc basis, if erythrophobia is not a problem on a large scale, you can apply pharmacological treatment using the so-called beta-blockers that inhibit the action of the sympathetic nervous system. Taking these drugs, however, can cause numerous side effects, including problems with the digestive system (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, etc.), respiratory system (increasing asthma attacks), increasing the risk of diabetes, temporary impotence in men, not to mention side effects with the side of the nervous and blood systems themselves (impact on well-being, memory, concentration, heart rate, pressure).
Some people are so afraid of the red color of their face that they take the radical step it is surgery. In this case, the operation consists in incision of the sympathetic nerve in the armpit, thus excluding the possibility of activating the reaction in this way in the form of dilation of the blood vessels in the face and reddening.
Before we reach for radical methods, it is worth trying psychotherapy in combination with other techniques of working on yourself. It is worth signing up for yoga or tai-chi classes, because they emphasize the control of breathing and your own body, and bring you into a state of relaxation. At home, in turn, you can regularly carry out the so-called autogenic Schultz training. This is one of the neuromuscular relaxation techniques. In practice, it consists in listening to a recording that puts us in a state of relaxation and helps to release tension and strengthens control over our body. Similar effects brings Jacobson’s relaxation training. These techniques draw to some extent from meditation. For some, meditation itself can also be an effective solution, and there are many methods of doing it.
Regardless of the stage of advancement erythrophobiaIn the event of its symptoms, you should always seek professional medical help, because the sooner the treatment is started, the easier it is to tame the disease and find its real cause.