Fear of water

The fear of water is called aquaphobia or hydrophobia. This is a collective term that reflects any type of disorder. For the vast majority of people, this fear is realized only when swimming in open water, but there may be more exotic forms of the phobia:

• bathophobia – panic fear of swimming in deep waters;
• dipsophobia – a severe disorder in which a person is afraid to drink water;
• ablutophobia – a disorder that provokes fear during various hygiene procedures;
• potamophobia – fear of rivers or seas with a strong current, fear of falling into whirlpools, whirlpools;
• thalassophobia – fear of the seas;
• limnophobia – fear of lakes;
• ombrophobia – fear of rain, falling into the rain;
• хионофобия – страх перед снегопадами, снегом;
• антлофобия – фобия в отношении наводнений.

Проявления у этих фобий так или иначе связаны с водой и имеют похожие симптомы.

Causes of fear of water in adults

Любые формы фобии могут развиваться при влиянии как психологических, так и физических факторов. Обычно психологические факторы формируются еще в детстве и закрепляются по мере взросления. Возможны такие влияния, как:

• the death of relatives in the water in front of a child;
• обучение плаванию в экстремальной форме, если возник сильный испуг или травма;
• violence against a child using water;
• ожоги, обморожения, боль от воды;
• судороги, если ребенок плавал.

Psychotrauma of childhood can be associated with water not directly, but indirectly. For example, during the rain, parents died, quarrels of parents near a reservoir, contact with ice water during a conflict.

In adults, fear of water can develop when a person becomes a victim of natural disasters associated with water (avalanches, disasters, floods). Plus, in impressionable people, the psyche can suffer from watching scenes from horror films with sharks, floods, violence in the water.

Phobias can occur after accidents – choking with water in pathologies of the throat, coughing, muscle tone disorders, aspiration of water into the bronchi and lungs, when the help of doctors was required.

Symptoms of fear of water in adults

Основное проявление фобии – это панический страх перед водой как таковой или определенной ее формой (водоемы, душ, питьевая вода). Проявления аквафобии могут быть в виде:

• повышения тревожности при приеме жидкости, купании, заходе в воду или контактах с водой;
• отказа от выполнения рутинных гигиенических процедур, категорический отказ от плавания в водоемах;
• increased anxiety, irritability, aggression while on the beach, in other places where there is water;
• panic when exposed to rain or snow;
• obsessive thoughts about a possible tragedy related to water.

Люди с разными вариантами аквафобии постоянно фантазируют на тему различных трагических, опасных сценариев, связанных с разными вариантами контакта с водой.

Физические проявления фобии неспецифичны. К ним относятся:

• palpitations with a sharp rise in pressure;
• sweating, stickiness of the skin;
• озноб и дрожь по телу;
• respiratory disorders;
• сухость во рту, потеря голоса;
• convulsions, confusion, fainting;
• tinnitus;
• похолодание, онемение конечностей, боль в мышцах;
• disorientation.

In severe cases, contact with water leads to panic attacks.

Treatment of fear of water in adults

Aquaphobia can significantly disrupt a person’s life, especially in its advanced form. In this case, the help of a specialist is needed to reduce the severity of manifestations both at the level of the psyche and the physical body.

Diagnostics

The basis for the diagnosis of water phobia is a conversation with the patient, identifying specific symptoms that are directly related to water in its specific form or form. When combined with the appearance of panic attacks, anxiety or signs of depression, additional tests are needed.

Modern treatments

A doctor can use psychotherapy in the treatment of a phobia, sometimes supplementing it with medication. During psychotherapeutic sessions, methods are used that will be most effective for certain symptoms. Sessions can be done individually or in a group. In the second case, patients with similar problems are taught to effectively deal with internal discomfort in certain situations. Visualization techniques can be used, with viewing pictures or videos of the objects of their fear, in order to gradually overcome oneself.

Prevention of fear of water in adults at home

The basis of all preventive measures is a full-fledged education without the formation of various fears in childhood. It is important to avoid stressful situations associated with water – swimming in deep and dangerous water bodies, extreme swimming training.

Popular questions and answers

О проблеме аквафобии, ее возможных осложнениях, способах лечения мы поговорили с psychotherapist Alexander Pyatnitsky.