Are you afraid of being alone or lonely? It could be autophobia

You must have heard about aerophobia, claustrophobia and so on. But, are you aware of autophobia ? If not, read this.

By: Aishwarya Vaidya | | Updated: May 23, 2018 12:58 pm

Nisha (name changed) 28, would often feel anxious and scared when she was alone. She constantly needed someone to be around her. She would get afraid when by the thought of being alone. Her worried parents took her to a psychiatrist who evaluated her and revealed that she suffered from autophobia also known as monophobia (the fear of being alone or lonely). With counseling and therapy helped her overcome her fear. Do you also feel the same? Then, read this…

Autophobia is an abnormal fear of being alone. The person may have a morbid fear of being left alone or of being unloved. The person may become anxious from anticipating loneliness. The person will not be able to function and this will hamper his/her quality of life. Here, we ask Dr Kedar Tilwe, Consultant Psychiatrist and Sexologist, Department of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences, Hiranandani Hospital, Vashi – A Fortis Network Hospital to decode it.

Read: Here is everything you need to know about generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

Causes:

Experiencing a traumatic event can be one of the causes. It is also associated with high level of anxiety in a person.
It is important to remember that autophobia can also masquerade as presenting symptom of or in combination with some other psychiatric disorders such as agoraphobia (fear of situations or places from where help might not be available), social anxiety disorder (phobia of situations where one is expectation to speak), borderline or histrionic personality disorders, etc.

Symptoms:

The person will obsessively worry about being alone
Fear of what could happen if they are left alone
Feeling terrified while being alone
Knowingly avoiding or enduring with great distress, situations which would cause the person to feel isolated (having to spend the weekend alone or attending a party where no one knows you)
Anxiety from anticipating loneliness

Read: Being alone can impact your reasoning ability and memory, says research

Treatment:

Like anxiety spectrum disorders psychotherapy (e.g. cognitive behavioral therapy) and pharmacotherapy, would help you cope and conquer this condition.
It’s important to acknowledge the presence of this disorder to oneself and enlist the help of a good mental health expert for assessment as soon as possible.

Image Source: Shutterstock

Published : May 23, 2018 12:52 pm | Updated:May 23, 2018 12:58 pm

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