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Didaskaleinophobia – The Fear of Going to School
Situational Phobias

Didaskaleinophobia – The Fear of Going to School

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Decoding Didaskaleinophobia: The Fear Of Going To School

Do you dread going to school? Is the idea of going to class enough to give you a panic attack or at least bad stomach aches? Do you find yourself wondering: Is it normal to be scared of school? or How can I get over my fear of school?

While it’s common to feel lazy or dislike school and homework, a pronounced and prolonged fear of school itself could be a symptom of didaskaleinophobia.

Dida- what? This lengthy word has a simple meaning: Didaskaleinophobia is the fear of going to school. It sounds like something that could’ve been made up by a kid who hates going to school, but it isn’t. Didaskaleinophobia is a legitimate fear. It’s not made up.

If you or your child experience didaskaleinophobia, it’s not too late to overcome it. Let’s find out more about didaskal . . . okay, the fear of going to school.

What Causes the Fear of Going to School?

Didaskaleinophobia causes are not easy to figure out. On the surface, it may seem like something a child invents who doesn’t like school. However, the possible reasons behind it can be influenced by multiple factors.

Didaskaleinophobia – The Fear of Going to School

Personal Life

Financial troubles at home or moving to a new city are stressful events. Minor anxiety about moving to a new school can be triggered by other stressful events at home or school, turning temporary anxiety into a long-term phobia of school. Lots of parents pressure their children to do better at school while neglecting to listen to their kids’ concerns and problems. As a result, children can feel trapped by a stressful environment where there appears to be no escape.

Past Events

Divorced parents, the death of a loved one, or abusive behavior from someone at school can cause children to become depressed. Kids can start viewing regular social interactions as a negative experience, ultimately becoming fearful of being forced into such interactions.

Mental/Emotional or Genetic Causes

History of anxiety disorders or social anxiety in the family can be passed down to children. Their first interaction with the world outside happens at school. Certain experiences at school can cause anxiety disorders to surface.

Separation anxiety in young children who are starting school can worsen if they encounter adverse conditions on campus. Similarly, puberty is an important milestone for children. Traumatic and distressing experiences during these times can have a negative long-term effect on their psyche.

Environmental Causes

News about gun violence, bullying at school, and strict teachers can all contribute to a hostile environment. If the parents or caregivers do not address a hostile environment, it can give rise to school phobia.

 

Some Things to Know about Didaskaleinophobia

The term didaskaleinophobia originates from didasko which means “to teach” and phobia which means “to fear.” Didaskaleinophobia is prevalent and easy to spot in children between 5 to 10 years of age. However, didaskaleinophobia in adults is not unheard of. Undiagnosed didaskaleinophobia in childhood can turn anxious children into anxious adults. Their fear of school may then grow to become a fear of society, the workplace, and the outdoors.
 

Symptoms of Didaskaleinophobia

The younger the sufferer, the harder it is to understand them. Children can show a variety of behaviors that indicate fear, but they can become less expressive and may resort to avoidant behaviors to get out of going to school as they get older. While these symptoms describe children who outwardly show fear, remember that children who go to school can also have didaskaleinophobia.

Physical Symptoms (for Younger Age Groups)

  • Crying or screaming
  • Clinging to parents when near or outside school

Physical Symptoms (for Older Age Groups)

  • Complaints of head or stomach pain
  • Loss of appetite
  • Skipping school
  • Anxiety or panic attacks
  • Trouble falling asleep
  • Nausea
  • Stress-eating
  • Alcohol or drug use
  • Dizziness
  • Heart palpitations
  • Dry mouth
  • Sweating
  • Breathlessness

Mental/Emotional Symptoms

  • Lying, making up stories, and faking illness to avoid school
  • Depression
  • Mood swings
  • Reduced interaction with family and friends
  • Reduced social activity
  • Always angry or irritable
  • Constantly complaining about teachers and school
  • Anxiety and nervousness

It can be hard pinpointing symptoms that could also apply to a hundred different things. A simple solution is to look for patterns in behavior that are related to going to school or school-based activities.

 

How Do You Deal with Didaskaleinophobia?

No matter how much children want to avoid school, it is beneficial for them to come to class. School helps them get an education while developing a social understanding of the world around them. This type of socialization is more important than it may seem.

Avoidance or alternatives (like homeschooling) can help them learn, but it won’t get rid of school fear. Instead of avoiding school, parents and children should instead look for therapies and exercises that can help them adapt. Children can practice by themselves, or with their parents or trained professionals.

Self-Help: What Can Children or Parents Do?

Self-help entails the parents and children taking the initiative to find a solution by finding the cause. Take steps that help children become familiar with the school environment and address any concerns that stem from it. Parents are the first social contact children have, and this relationship inspires the way they interact with the world. Healthy relationships in the house allow children to follow the same practices outside the house.

Talking

Talking to someone helps get a fresh perspective and develops a feeling of comfort between people. Children could talk to their parents, teachers, or a counselor at school. The help of teachers can be enlisted if necessary.

Relaxation Exercises

Visualization, music therapy, and breathing exercises are known to relax the body and mind. Doing some form of these exercises before and after school can help put children at ease and help them worry less and focus on the present more. Being present and rational can be achieved with mindfulness exercises. Professionals or parents can guide children in doing these.

Lifestyle

A healthy diet and exercise relieve stress from the body. Focus less on grades, homework, and school. Avoid blaming poor grades on children or constantly pressuring them to study harder as it can increase their fear of getting bad grades.

Professional Help for the Fear of Going to School: Options

If the mere thought of going to school causes your child to panic, it can be a serious problem. Consulting a professional is advised. A trained professional can conduct a didaskaleinophobia test to determine the level of children’s fears.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

This includes a series of sessions where a therapist talks to a child about fear, fear responses, symptoms, thoughts, and feelings. Its purpose is to bring out the root cause of fear, help the child develop healthier mental pathways, and rationalize their actions.

Desensitization

Also known as exposure therapy, desensitization exposes children to the trigger or stressor in a controlled environment. Children can participate in these exercises knowing they are not real and are completely safe. The purpose of it is to desensitize children towards the stressor by repeated exposure and teach them ways of coping.

Medication

For didaskaleinophobia treatment in younger children, medication should be the last option. While medication is a good solution in decreasing fear responses and helps calm the child, it doesn’t provide permanent relief from the fear.
 

Learning to Cope with Didaskaleinophobia

Any phobia involving children can be frustrating for children and their parents. Parents can help children cope by being patient and calm. Trusting their kids, understanding the situation, and lending a sympathetic ear work well in reducing nervous energy in children.

Parents need support as well. Parents can draw support from each other or a therapist. Getting parental support can help parents put their worries to rest, so they can help their children and be the parent their children need.

FearAZ.com is looking for personal stories of any 'fear of' or phobia. If you have an interesting story you'd like to share, we welcome your submission. If the story fits with our content and guidelines, we'll add it to our site.
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Your Fear Goes Up and Down

Are you someone who would rather climb the stairs than take the elevator? You call it squeezing in a workout after being sedentary the whole morning. Or perhaps you claim it's a faster route. These are both typical, normal, and acceptable reasons. But what if you need to be in the conference room on the eleventh floor in five minutes, and you're wearing your business suit and wingtips? Would you still prefer to take the stairs? If your answer is yes, then maybe it's time to take a closer look at your reasons for avoiding elevators. Elevators stir all sorts of emotions in passengers. From the discomfort of closeness to strangers to the sensations in our gut, elevators can be a source of the heebie-jeebies for many, but for some, they can also be a source of terror. Let's dig a little deeper into the latter, and see what this terror is all about and what can be done to manage it. To begin with, does being inside an elevator give you chills or the sweats? Or does it trigger an unpleasant memory? Perhaps you remember movies you've watched where something terrible happens inside an elevator. From Silence of the Lambs, The Shining, Final Destination 2, or the king of all elevator horror films, 2010’s Devil, the elevator becomes witness to something sinister and horrible. And you want nothing to do with any of it. You know that you're not claustrophobic. You can deal with heights just fine, too. And you know that you're not going to be trapped inside. All of these contribute to a fear of elevators—but they don't apply to you. Yet being inside one does something to you. It's hard to explain.

What is the Fear of Elevators Called?

What you have is a fear of elevators, which is called elevatophobia. It is most commonly triggered by an experience of getting stuck inside either due to a power outage or technical maintenance. Hearing about other people's experiences or watching a movie about similar circumstances can prompt a fear of elevators getting stuck with you inside. Usually, claustrophobics and agoraphobics may also develop elevatophobia because the triggers and objects of these fears are related. Claustrophobia is the fear of closed and cramped spaces, while agoraphobia is the fear of being trapped without any means of escape. Put the two together, and the elevator becomes the perfect combination of both phobias. The space is limited and closed, with only one means of entry and exit. You can add another point of access if you consider climbing the cables like they do in the movies, but that certainly isn't ideal.

Symptoms of Elevatophobia

If for some reason an elevator stops due to an outage or some technical difficulty, passengers with elevatophobia may go into full panic mode. Even if the maintenance team advises that it will just be a matter of minutes, by then, the person's mind has become irrational with the fear of the elevator falling, being stuck for hours, or other unpleasant thoughts. You would expect a person to exhibit the following physical symptoms: Additionally, you would be filled with that overwhelming anxiety where you feel that you have zero control over the situation. You start fearing the unknown and are filled with negative thoughts about death and imminent doom. You become irrational and unresponsive.

Possible Complications of Elevatophobia

When the panic sets in, the possibility of emergencies related to pre-existing conditions may make themselves known. This might include serious health crises like heart attacks or asthma attacks. When this happens, fear becomes a medical emergency. Elevator rides do not last long; it's just a matter of minutes or even less. But the fact that a person can escalate from panic to a near fatal medical situation classifies the fear of elevators as a 'hard phobia.'

Trying Some Self-Help Methods

Your fear of elevators can likely interfere with your social and work life and relationships. Not everyone understands that elevatophobia, like most phobias, can be crippling. But don't be disheartened. Depending on the level of your fear and level of control, you can gradually face and manage your phobia. Here are some recommendations you can try:
  1. Make a List of Everything that Entails Riding in an Elevator This is a systematic approach to getting over your anxiety. By following a step-by-step process, you can identify where the fear kicks in at its strongest. You can write a list of steps like pressing the topmost button and waiting to arrive on that floor, watching as the door closes and opens, being alone inside the elevator, or having delays with the doors opening. Now try doing the opposite. For example, face away from the door or occupy yourself with your phone so that you are distracted.
  2. Create Your Fear Ladder Although the name says fear of elevators, it is not the whole process that scares you. There are just phases and parts of the elevator riding experience that cause you to panic. So go back to the list you initially created and label the fear level you feel. You can do it numerically, too, like ten being 'really scary,' six, 'manageable scary,' and one, 'not scary at all.' You can put the corresponding fear levels so you can focus more time and effort into activities that are more scary to you.
  3. Face Your Fear By now, you have identified what scares you the most. You can try repetitive action to minimize your fear and increase your sense of ‘normalcy’. Remember that the longer you expose yourself to your fear, the better you get at handling your emotions. If you are feeling overwhelmed, stop. Pushing yourself too fast and too soon can backfire. Modify your pace and go slower instead.
  4. Talk About Your Fear People by nature, unfortunately, are not quick to offer understanding and support. You need to tell them what's wrong before they can empathize. Talk to someone who you trust and ask for their support, especially in the initial phase of overcoming your fear. If you are too afraid to ride the elevator alone, you can ask them to go with you, and before you realize it, you are on your floor, and there was no indication of panic.
  5. Learn To Be Patient Be patient with yourself and your predicament. This is, after all, your fight against fear. It might take hundreds of elevator ride practices before the fear gets under control. Even then, there might be some hesitations and episodes of nervousness. These are acceptable and expected, so cut yourself some slack and congratulate yourself for every progress.

Seeking Professional Help

Along with self-help, you can always enlist a medical professional's aid to support you with your elevatophobia. Talking to someone who has experience with similar cases can be comforting, because you know that you are not alone, and this situation can get better. Talk to your doctor about the severity of your fears and the symptoms that you experience. Explain how you deal with it in an attempt to control it. An exam and a health history are made to ensure that there are no unrelated or underlying problems that your symptoms might mask. Usually, phobias like this are approached with a combination of psychotherapy and medication. Your doctor will talk about these options with you, and it's entirely up to you, with your doctor's recommendation, what you want to pursue. For psychotherapy, the most common type is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which aims to help you find different ways of behaving, thinking, and reacting when about to step inside an elevator or when already inside it. With medications, there are beta blockers and benzodiazepines, but note that these can have side effects. Whatever these side effects are, you should promptly share it with your doctor.

Simple Tips to Overcome Elevatophobia

Elevators are not perfect, but their likelihood to malfunction, fall, or get stuck is very low. If you are not fully confident with this information, you can help overcome your elevatophobia by learning common elevator safety tips and basic elevator operations. These should help curb your mild fear until you become more self-assured. In addition to that, here are some of the things that you can do to gradually overcome your fear of elevators—both in getting on and riding one.

Conclusion

Yes, elevatophobia can be a challenge in today's world, but don't allow the elevator to win. Don't let it stop you from taking a job on the top floor or attending a social gathering on the rooftop. Sure, you can take the stairs if you insist and arrive winded and sweaty, with the party about to wrap up. But is this the quality of life you seek? Elevators are designed to make life easier. There are guaranteed ways to help you overcome elevatophobia. Take the first step and seek help. Soon, you’ll see yourself breezing through the floors with those arduous stair climbs little more than a memory.
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