Aquaphobia
| Aquaphobia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Aquaphobia is a symptom of Rabies. | |
| Specialty | Psychology |
| Symptoms | Aversion to drinking water |
| Complications | Dehydration |
Aquaphobia (from Latin aqua 'water' and Ancient Greek φόβος (phóbos) 'fear') is an irrational fear of water.[1]
Aquaphobia is considered a Specific Phobia of natural environment type in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. A specific phobia is an intense fear of something that poses little or no actual danger.[2]
Etymology
The correct Greek-derived term for "water-fear" is hydrophobia, from ὕδωρ (hudōr), "water"[3] and φόβος (phobos), "fear".[4] However, this word has long been used in English to refer specifically to a symptom of later-stage rabies, which manifests itself in humans as difficulty in swallowing, fear when presented with liquids to drink, and an inability to quench one's thirst.
Prevalence
A study of epidemiological data from 22 low, lower-middle, upper-middle and high-income countries revealed "fear of still water or weather events" had a prevalence of 2.3%, across all countries; in the US the prevalence was 4.3%.[5] In an article on anxiety disorders, Lindal and Stefansson suggest that aquaphobia may affect as many as 1.8% of the general Icelandic population, or almost one in fifty people.[6] In America, 46% of American adults are afraid of deep water in pools and the other 64% are afraid of deep open waters.[7]
Manifestation for aquaphobia
Specific phobias are a type of anxiety disorder in which a person may feel extremely anxious or has a panic attack when exposed to the object of fear. Specific phobias are a common mental disorder.[8]
Psychologists indicate that aquaphobia manifests itself in people through a combination of experiential and genetic factors.[9] Five common causes of aquaphobia: instinctive fear of drowning, experienced an incident of personal horror, has an overprotective parent/parent with aquaphobia, psychological difficulty adjusting to water and lack of trust in water. [10]
In the case of a 37 year old media professor, he noted that his fear initially presented itself as a, "severe pain, accompanied by a tightness of his forehead," and a choking sensation, discrete panic attacks and a reduction in his intake of fluids.[11]
Signs and Symptoms
Physical responses include nausea, dizziness, numbness, shortness of breath, increased heart rate, sweating and shivering.[12]
In addition the signs and symptoms above, some general signs and symptoms one may display in reaction to a specific phobia may include:
- Physical Symptoms: trembling, hot flushes or chills, pain or tightness in chest, butterflies in stomach, feeling faint, dry mouth, ringing in ears, confusion
- Psychological Symptoms: feeling fear of losing control, fainting, dread and dying. [13]
Treatment and Case Studies
A few treatment options include:
- Hypnosis and Systematic Desensitization - 28 year old female, aquaphobia from childhood, hypnosis and systematic desensitization in an 8-week 5-session program, 2-month and 1-year follow up.[14] 37 year old male, 10 years of extreme aquaphobia (could not even drink water), 6 sessions of hypnotherapy, therapy was successful, no relapse and 6 month follow up. [15]
See also
- List of phobias
- Thalassophobia – fear of the sea
References
- ^ Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary. Elsevier. 2011. p. 122.
- ^ "Anxiety disorders". Office on Women's Health. US Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ ὕδωρ, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus
- ^ φόβος, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus
- ^ Wardenaar, K. J.; Lim, C. C. W.; Al-Hamzawi, A. O.; Alonso, J.; Andrade, L. H.; Benjet, C.; Bunting, B.; de Girolamo, G.; Demyttenaere, K.; Florescu, S. E.; Gureje, O. (2017). "The cross-national epidemiology of specific phobia in the World Mental Health Surveys". Psychological Medicine. 47 (10): 1744–1760. doi:10.1017/S0033291717000174. ISSN 1469-8978. PMC 5674525. PMID 28222820.
- ^ Líndal, E.; Stefánsson, J. G. (1993). "The lifetime prevalence of anxiety disorders in Iceland as estimated by the US National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule". Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. 88 (1): 29–34. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0447.1993.tb03410.x. ISSN 0001-690X. PMID 8372693. S2CID 42323599.
- ^ Aboo Bakar, Rofiza. "Aquaphobia: Causes, Symptoms and Ways of Overcoming It for Future Well-being" (PDF).
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Phobia - simple/specific". MedlinePlus. Retrieved 20 November 2019. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Lynne L. Hall, Fighting Phobias, the Things That Go Bump in the Mind, FDA Consumer Magazine, Volume 31 No. 2, March 1997
- ^ Aboo Bakar, Rofiza. "Aquaphobia: Causes, Symptoms and Ways of Overcoming It for Future Well-being" (PDF).
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Ajinkya. "Cognitive Hypnotherapy for Panic disorder with Aquaphobia". Sleep and Hypnosis. 17.
- ^ Aboo Bakar, Rofiza. "Aquaphobia: Causes, Symptoms and Ways of Overcoming It for Future Well-being" (PDF).
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ National Health Service. "Symptoms - Phobias".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ PhD, Frank DePiano (1985-02-28). "Hypnosis in the Treatment of Aquaphobia". Psychotherapy in Private Practice. 3 (1): 93–97. doi:10.1300/J294v03n01_11. ISSN 0731-7158.
- ^ Ajinkya, Shaunak. "CASE REPORT: Cognitive Hypnotherapy for Panic Disorder with Aquaphobia" (PDF).
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)