From the outside, this may seem like a funny quirk, but for those who suffer from phobias, it’s not at all a laughing matter: irrational fear greatly complicates and sometimes destroys their lives. And there are millions of such people.
Andrey, a 32-year-old IT consultant, is used to being laughed at when he tries to explain why buttons scare him to death. Especially on shirts and jackets.
“I worked in a corporate environment full of people in suits and buttons everywhere. For me, it’s like being locked in a burning building or drowning when you can’t swim,» he says. His voice breaks at the mere thought of rooms where buttons can be seen at every turn.
Andrey suffers from kumpunophobia, the fear of buttons. It is not as common as some other phobias, but on average affects 75 in XNUMX people. Kumpunophobes complain about the loss of contact with family and friends because they cannot attend weddings and funerals. Often they give up their careers, forced to switch to remote work.
Phobias are treated with cognitive behavioral therapy. This method involves contact with the object of fear
Phobias are irrational fears. They are simple: the fear of a particular object, as in the case of Andrey, and complex, when the fear is associated with a specific situation or circumstances. Often, those who suffer from a phobia face ridicule, so many prefer not to advertise their condition and do without treatment.
“I thought they would just laugh at me in the doctor’s office,” Andrei admits. “I understood that everything was very serious, but I didn’t know how to explain what was happening to me without looking like an idiot.”
Another reason why people do not go to the doctor is the treatment itself. Most often, phobias are treated with the help of cognitive behavioral therapy, and this method involves contact with the object of fear. A phobia develops when the brain becomes accustomed to responding to certain non-threatening situations (say, a small spider) with a stressful fight-or-flight mechanism. This can cause panic attacks, heart palpitations, tantrums, or an overwhelming urge to run away. Working with the object of fear suggests that if the patient gradually gets used to calmly react to the sight of the same spider — or even hold it in his hands, then the program will «reboot». However, having to face your nightmare is, of course, scary.
There are millions of people with phobias, but the causes of their occurrence and methods of treatment are very little studied. Nicky Leadbetter, chief executive of Anxiety UK (a neurosis and anxiety organization), has suffered from phobias herself and is a passionate supporter of CBT, but she believes it needs to be improved and that’s impossible without further research.
“I remember the times when anxiety was considered in conjunction with depression, although they are completely different diseases. We have worked hard to ensure that anxiety neurosis is considered an independent disorder, and no less dangerous to health. It’s the same with phobias, says Leadbetter. — In the media space, phobias are perceived as something funny, not serious, and this attitude penetrates into medicine. I think this is why there is so little scientific research on the topic right now.”
Margarita is 25 years old, she is a marketing manager. She is afraid of heights. Even at the sight of a long flight of stairs, she begins to shake, her heart is pounding and she wants only one thing — to run away. She sought professional help when she planned to move in with her boyfriend and could not find an apartment on the first floor.
Her treatment included various exercises. For example, it was necessary to take the elevator up every day, and add a floor every week. The phobia has not disappeared completely, but now the girl can cope with fear.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is successful in many cases, but some experts are wary of it.
Guy Baglow, director of London’s MindSpa Phobia Clinic, states: “Cognitive behavioral therapy corrects thoughts and beliefs. It works great in a variety of conditions, but I don’t think it’s effective for treating phobias. In many patients, contact with the object of the phobia only reinforced the reaction we wanted to reverse. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy addresses active consciousness, teaches a person to look for reasonable arguments against fear. But most people know that a phobia is irrational, so this approach doesn’t always work.»
“It’s sad to know that while friends joked about my oddities, I fought with my own brain”
Despite his fears, Andrei nevertheless told the doctor about his problem. He was referred to a consultant. “She was very nice, but I had to wait a whole month to get a half-hour phone consultation. And even after that, I was only assigned a 45-minute session every other week. By that time, I was already afraid to leave the house.
However, at home, anxiety did not leave Andrey either. He couldn’t watch TV, he couldn’t go to the movies: what if a button is shown close-up on the screen? He needed urgent help. “I moved in with my parents again and spent a lot of money on intensive care, but after a couple of sessions where they showed me images of buttons, I panicked. I could not get these pictures out of my head for weeks, I was constantly terrified. Therefore, the treatment did not continue.
But lately Andrey’s condition has improved. For the first time in his life, he bought himself button-down jeans. “I am so lucky to have a family that supports me. Without this support, I would probably contemplate suicide,” he says. “Now it’s so sad to know that while friends joked about my oddities and set up pranks, I was fighting with my own brain. It’s terribly hard, it’s constant stress. No one would find it funny.»