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Hello, dear readers of the site! Peladophobia is a panic fear of bald people, as well as the fact that hair problems will begin. That is, they will thin out, their condition will worsen, which will gradually lead to a complete loss of vegetation on the head.
And today we will try to figure out what is the impetus for the development of this phobia and how you can deal with it.
What is it like?
The fear of baldness is almost equally common among both women and men. There are no exact statistics regarding the percentage yet. Since people rarely turn to psychotherapists for this reason.
Basically, such people are regular clients of trichologists, who are just involved in the treatment of hair and scalp.
And all because peladophobes pay too much attention to their hair. They are ready to spend large amounts of money on innovative methods of strengthening the follicles, all kinds of masks, creams and balms.
And if a person who does not have this disorder takes care of his hair, paying for wellness procedures, then the fob becomes literally “obsessed” with them.
Suppose he is aware of all the new products and is only able to talk about the methods by which the hairstyle becomes thick and beautiful.
He can examine the scalp for hours in search of bald spots, or vice versa, looking for confirmation that new edges are “breaking through”. And also carefully examines the comb, counting each fallen hair.
It is difficult for dark-haired people. Since their loss of curls is more noticeable on the bed or on the floor than in fair-haired ones. Why do they experience a panic attack, encountering new confirmation that alopecia (abnormal hair loss) is just around the corner.
Main features
There are people who simply do not like personalities with a bald head. They criticize them and sometimes even try to humiliate them with offensive words and associations. So — this indicates their upbringing and culture, but is in no way a sign of a phobia.
Anyone who is really afraid of clean-shaven people is not in the business of condemnation. He simply experiences a high level of anxiety, which he cannot cope with.
His condition is complicated by the fact that going out into the street is difficult not to meet someone who has bald spots on his head, or there is no hair at all.
And each such meeting reminds of fear. Causing a number of concomitant somatic symptoms, which we will discuss later.
He is afraid to stand nearby, so as not to «catch» a tendency to baldness. I can’t bring myself to talk to such a person. And more importantly, look him in the eye.
Gradually, a feeling of constant anxiety leads to exhaustion of the body. And the peladophobe simply stops leaving the house, watching TV, scrolling through the news feed on social networks, and so on.
And all because everywhere you can meet the object of your fear. And it’s not easy for him, obsessive thoughts do not give him the opportunity to relax and forget.
Peladophobes are often found among world stars. For example, Tom Cruise had to go to a psychotherapist to restore his state of mind due to a phobia. He became so afraid of losing his hair that he even refused to play a role if his hero had to be shaved bald. Moreover, it didn’t matter for Tom whether he liked the script itself or not, he said a categorical “no” even in cases where he understood that the film deserved an Oscar.
Symptoms of manifestation
At the thought that the hair is becoming rarer and threatens to disappear altogether, as well as at the sight of bald people, the fob begins a panic attack. It usually lasts from a few minutes to half an hour. In severe cases, there is an hour or two.
It is characterized by dizziness, profuse sweating and dry mouth. A tremor of the limbs may appear, the gait will become shaky, and the pressure will increase. And the ability to adequately perceive the surrounding reality will be lost.
Tunnel thinking makes itself felt. A person at such a moment is so gripped by horror that he is simply not able to think about anything else. As well as to notice the danger near him, to hear what he is told, and so on.
Panic also causes pain in the stomach and chest. Breathing becomes frequent and intermittent, which makes it seem that there is not enough air and suffocation will soon come.
This causes him to breathe even faster, which leads to hyperventilation. That is, the level of carbon dioxide becomes so low that it causes dizziness and even loss of consciousness.
Often there is nausea, vomiting and even diarrhea.
The brain receives a signal of danger, which it does not lend itself to criticism and rationalization. Therefore, when you see a bald person or a hair that has fallen out, a peladophobe starts a self-preservation program. Which is characterized by the above symptoms.
The body is freed from excess fluids to make it easier to escape. Consciousness shrinks so that no thoughts distract from seeking shelter or help.
And the release of adrenaline helps to activate all resources and systems. To, so to speak, get out of the «sleeping», measured mode.
Causes
Health problems
If a person already has such a diagnosis as alopecia, then, gradually going bald, he will be in constant anxiety due to the fact that he is losing his former beauty.
Each time, looking in the mirror, he experiences emotional pain, impotence, and sometimes horror. He is ashamed to show himself in society, because it seems that those around him are looking at him, or rather, at his bald patches.
This leads to a desire to limit contact with the outside world, or somehow hide this «shameful» shortcoming.
Various hats come to the rescue. Which really catch the eye, especially if they are almost never removed, especially indoors.
Character traits
Individuals prone to anxiety, impressionable and vulnerable, usually do not withstand tension, daily stress or some kind of shocking information. Because of what they develop phobic disorders.
But pedalophobia is more likely to affect people with excessively low or high self-esteem. Especially if they are very picky about their appearance.
Therefore, the probability of losing the density of the hairstyle, and, moreover, being left without it at all, is equated in terms of the intensity of experiences almost to death.
Most insecure people seek to win the favor and love of others, «deserve» their attention.
For example, it may seem that if bald spots appear on your head, then you probably won’t be able to get married, because no one will look and won’t want to get acquainted.
Or, if a person is in a relationship, he will worry that the partner will stop loving, that it is disgusting for him to touch someone who has bald patches.
With arrogant personalities, in principle, the same situation. They position themselves as ideal, the best. So, they have no right to shortcomings.
The feeling of shame is already toxic for them, that is, destructive, and then they lose their hair.
After all, there is a stereotype that thick hair is a guarantee of beauty. And the lack of vegetation is most often associated with the fact that a person underwent chemotherapy due to the oncological disease. Why alopecia is too serious a blow to their already not healthy self-esteem.
Psychological trauma
A traumatic event, of any nature, even a car accident or the death of a loved one, can affect the human psyche, causing a disorder.
So, the fear of baldness can arise due to severe stress. A person just at such a moment drew attention to someone who was shaved on his bald head.
This is especially true for children, they can fix his image in their heads and, when meeting similar people, fall into hysterics with fear.
This happens, for example, if the father, who was distinguished by bald patches, was too harsh and cruel towards the child. And then, growing up, such a baby projects the image of the pope onto those who, according to his purely personal feelings, have some similarities with him.
By the way, the process of education also plays an important role. Children learn this world based on the words and actions of their parents.
In this case, if at least one of them suffered from peladophobia, then the child will consider it a completely normal reaction, for example, attempts to run out of the room at the sight of a bald man. Or the feeling that he was paralyzed with horror if he was too close.
Treatment
It is important to understand that peladophobia is a mental personality disorder characterized by an irrational fear of baldness. That is, the fear of being with a smooth head is not the result of the work of self-preservation instincts.
It may not always look pretty, but it certainly is not a mortal danger. Therefore, there is no justification for panic attacks in this case.
A person can live happily ever after if he is diagnosed with alopecia. And even can not treat it. Unlike a phobia.
At the first symptoms, you need to contact a psychotherapist. So that she does not continue her development, changing the lifestyle of a peladophobe for the worse. Provoking the occurrence of degradation, depression or a number of other concomitant mental disorders.
You will learn about what degradation is and in what cases it appears if you click on this link.
In the process of therapy, the psychologist helps to investigate the causes of this condition. And also to cope with the experiences that have accumulated, or were simply so deep inside that they were not realized. Therefore, they led to such terrible consequences.
If necessary, the specialist redirects to a psychiatrist for prescribing medication. An integrated approach will provide a better result.
Most commonly, doctors prescribe antidepressants, sedatives, sleeping pills, and beta-blockers.
All this helps the body recover, relax, normalize mood and «keep» the production of adrenaline under control. So that its excess does not cause somatic ailments, which only worsen the condition and frighten even more.
Completion
Very often they diagnose the presence of not one, but several phobias at the same time, which intersect with each other on the topic.
For example, a person is afraid to die, but at the same time he never goes to doctors, because they also scare him. Or he does not agree to injections, only because the very thought of the possible pain during the injection horrifies him.
So subscribe to site updates, and you will find out what other phobias exist, in addition to the most common ones among the population of the planet. And also what is the name of the fear of hospitals, indoor flowers and even dust.
Take care of yourself and, of course, be happy!
The material was prepared by a psychologist, Gestalt therapist, Zhuravina Alina