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Rare Phobias

Radiophobia — Fear of Radiation

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Radiophobia: Rare but Real

Of all the irrational fears you’ll come across, radiophobia is one of the most rare, yet most fearful. Who knew that not just radiation, but the fear of radiation could be detrimental to our health?

Do you get shivers at the mere mention of terms like radiation, nuclear reactions, and ions? If so, you may be suffering from radiophobia.

Radiophobia can cause a lot of mental and physical distress to the body. Nevertheless, this phobia is treatable.

To learn more about this irrational fear, the causes of radiophobia, and treatment options, read on.

Some Things You Should Know about Radiophobia

Have you had a friend refuse to get X-rays simply because they believed the radiation would kill them? They most likely suffer from an exaggerated, inexplicable, yet genuine fear of radiation, also called radiophobia.

The sight or mention of nuclear reactions and the application of radiation in different fields can induce panic and anxiety in those who struggle with this fear.

The term “radiophobia” is a blend of two words: radio, which can be associated with radioactivity or radiations, and phobia, which means an extreme reaction or fear of an object.

Radiophobia Origin and Causes

What causes radiophobia?

Radiophobia can originate from events that happened in the past.

You may have been affected by the bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, both which involved the usage of nuclear weapons. Or you may have first developed the fear when you heard about the nuclear disaster that took place in Russia’s Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

In the modern world, learning about such traumatic events involving radioactivity may cause a person to develop radiophobia.

Other generic radiophobia causes may include:

  • Family history and genetics
  • Environmental factors
  • Past trauma that makes a person more vulnerable to developing a phobia

What Is Radiophobia Like?

Radiophobia might seem like a rational fear, considering radiation is dangerous, life-threatening, and something everyone is fearful of. However, for someone who suffers from the phobia of ionizing reactions, such a phobia can disrupt their everyday life.

The thought of radioactive reactions might frequently make an appearance in the sufferer’s mind. It may instill negative emotions and impede their routine activities.

Even if the actual ionizing reactions do not seem to possess a threat of great magnitude, the fear of such reactions can do more harm than the reactions themselves.

Radiophobia Symptoms

The reactions or symptoms of radiophobia are usually in proportion to the quantity or the severity of radioactivity or radiation-related events one encounters.

Psychological Symptoms

  • Lack of concentration
  • Loss of focus
  • Inability to relax or stay calm
  • Severe anxiety, panic attacks, and stress

Physical Symptoms

  • Dizziness
  • Palpitations
  • Fatigue
  • Feeling of nausea
  • Loss of breath
  • Severe headaches and migraines
  • Dry mouth

How Do You Deal with Radiophobia?

The first step to dealing with radiophobia, as with any other phobia, is to first accept and acknowledge your fears. The quicker you recognize your phobia, the faster you learn to cope with your fear, and the easier it will be for you to overcome it.

Your symptoms may reduce over time, and you may grow to feel normal about radiation, nuclear activities, and radiophobia.

Try to expose yourself to your fears as much as possible. Familiarize your brain with the objects you associate with radiophobia.

To ensure that every treatment or method that you use to fight against your fears has effective outcomes, pair it up with self-love and self-care. Be kind to yourself; lead a physically and mentally healthy life.

Radiophobia Treatment

Seeking help from a professional is one effective form of treatment. It will also offer long-lasting solutions and practical outcomes. When you visit a therapist, they may try different treatment methods based on the severity of your phobia. Listed below are a few treatment options that your therapist may use to treat radiophobia.

Exposure Therapy

During exposure therapy, the therapist exposes the patient to the source of their fears for a specific period of time. This helps desensitize the patients to the source of their fear. The therapist may initiate conversations about radiation with the patient, so they get used to hearing and talking about it.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

In cognitive behavioral therapy, the patient learns about different tools to help cope with the anxiety their fears induce. This therapy helps identify the patient’s thought and behavior patterns around the fear. It attempts to modify these patterns to weaken the fear and anxiety around it.

The patient can also join general counseling forums where they gain a platform to openly discuss their feelings and emotions. The counselor may provide constructive feedback to help them deal with their fear.

How to Cope with Radiophobia

Coping with radiophobia involves consistency and commitment. You need to plan a schedule, work out efficient ways that will help you cope with the fear, and then execute them daily.

Here are a few tips you can follow to help you effectively cope with your fears:

 

  • Make a journal and list all your objects of fear. Create a list of everything that brings about a high level of anxiety and panic. Once you identify all the phobia factors that cause you distress and understand the behavioral changes and patterns you experience, you will be able to better cope with your fears.
  • Invest time in productive activities to distract yourself from negative thoughts and negative emotions. You can start a hobby, read a book, socialize with friends, cook meals, or learn new skills.
  • Practice breathing exercises to reduce anxiety, which is the most common and severe result of phobia. Any time you feel yourself losing control over your feelings, overcome it by using relaxation breathing techniques.
  • Join groups where people share the same concerns as you. It’s important that you feel you can communicate your feelings and thoughts without fear of judgment.
  • Practice yoga and mediation for your mental well-being. Make sure to include some form of exercise in your routine for your physical wellness.

 

 

Some Final Words

If we have to pick one single, effective method that works best in eliminating fear, it has to be facing and becoming familiar with the fear. If you choose to run or hide from your fears, your fight will only get tougher, and you’ll have a hard time dealing with anxiety-inducing objects.

Make sure to learn as much as you can about your fears. And if you know someone going through similar trouble dealing with radiophobia, share your concerns and what you’ve learned with them. By helping others, you help yourself.

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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