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Animal Phobias

Rupophobia – Fear of Dirt

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Rupophobia: Unnecessary Fear of Dirt

Does dirt make you crazy? Do you clean house obsessively, because you don’t think it’s ever quite clean enough? Are you stuck washing your hands repeatedly because you feel they’re always dirty? Do these obsessive behaviors control your life? If so, you might be suffering from rupophobia.

What Is Rupophobia?

Rupophobia is the extreme and irrational fear of rubbish or dirt. It is a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a condition in which the person who suffers from it engages in obsessive cleaning behaviors. For example, it causes someone to spend unnecessarily long hours cleaning their house. If this impulse is not satisfied, it can lead to a great sense of general dissatisfaction and anxiety.

Rupophobia can affect a person’s daily life in terms of work and social relations. In extreme cases, people with rupophobia might not even leave their home for fear of being exposed to dirt. They might not allow anyone to get close to them, because they’re afraid of getting dirty. One can see the debilitating effects this condition can have in its sufferer’s quality of life.

Rupophobia Causes

Genetics or environmental factors could cause rupophobia. Research has shown that people who have a parent or relative suffering from a phobia have an increased risk of developing the condition compared to others who don’t.

Is Rupophobia a Phobia of Fear or Disgust?

For instance, some individuals with rupophobia could have been exposed to situations that embedded in them an extreme fear of dirt. They might have seen a relative suffer from their morbid fear of dirt or germs.

Another probable cause would be neurological factors. While research is still ongoing, several studies suggest a brain’s structure and functioning may have something to do with this condition.

Rupophobia Symptoms

People with a fear of dirt display symptoms that are similar to other phobias. These can be categorized as physical symptoms and psychological symptoms. Let’s have a look at some of them.

Physical Symptoms of Rupophobia

Psychological Symptoms of Rupophobia

  • Anxiety
  • Panic attacks
  • Restlessness
  • Inability to concentrate
  • General dissatisfaction

Treatment for Rupophobia

Several non-medical intervention measures can be done by phobia sufferers to cope with their condition, especially in instances where reactions are extreme. Common rupophobia treatment options include:

Self-Help to Overcome Rupophobia

The basic aim of self-help is to try and trick your mind into forgetting about the phobia. This goal is difficult to achieve, but several innovative methods can help:

  1. Whenever you come across a dirty object or place, try to close your eyes and walk past it. Try calming yourself by taking deep breaths. This practice can help prevent you from having panic attacks and experiencing breathlessness.
  2. You can also try visualization. Visualization involves combining breathing, relaxation, and mental visualization techniques. Visualization can help you react productively when exposed to situations that could trigger the condition. Simply put, phobia sufferers mentally prepare themselves for dealing with situations where they are face-to-face with the object of their fears.
  3. Joining a self-help group is also another self-help method phobia sufferers can try. Through the group, you can meet people who are going through similar experiences and you can share ways of coping with your phobia.

It is important to note that self-help techniques are not meant to stand on their own, but go hand-in-hand with professional therapy.

Professional Help

Although self-help techniques work, a sufferer of rupophobia also needs to seek professional help. The treatment plan for rupophobia consists of therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure therapy, etc.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT is a form of psychotherapy treatment that uses a practical approach to solving issues such as depression, addiction, anxiety, and phobias.

This treatment focuses on reframing the negative thoughts and ideas that trigger these mental disorders. A psychotherapist uses CBT to help the patient challenge their unhealthy beliefs and thoughts.

The therapist can use CBT to show the patients that phobia is an irrational fear, and they need not be afraid. Through CBT, patients may learn ways to replace with positive thoughts those unhealthy thoughts and beliefs that caused the phobia. They will understand that their perceptions—not their surroundings—are responsible for their fear.

Through CBT, more objective and impactful thoughts will be imparted on patients’ minds, paving the way for recovery.

Exposure Therapy

Exposure therapy is another technique proven effective in treating phobias. Slowly, the therapist exposes the patients to conditions that cause them stress and trigger their condition. Although this treatment is difficult for the patients, the aim is to teach them how to deal with their phobia and not let it control them. This therapy is done only after a complete analysis of the nature and severity of the phobia. In this regard, the patients might be exposed to the object of their fear (e.g., a dirty environment), and receive skills to help them cope with it.

Exposure therapy treatment takes some time. The patient is exposed gradually yet consistently to an environment where the object of their fear may be present. The aim is for the patient to normalize their fears and become free from the phobia.

This is considered one of the best treatment methods for any phobia, given that it is a practical and direct mode of treatment.

Going to Therapy

Deciding to seek medical help is a giant leap toward overcoming your phobia. The next step would be to make sure you can provide a good picture of your condition to your medical provider. You can do so by preparing as many details as you can before seeing your chosen medical provider for the first time. Some of the details that you should remember sharing include:

  • Symptoms you experience and what triggers them
  • Medical conditions you may have (and the medications you take for them, if any)
  • Your medical and mental health history
  • Questions you have about the treatment

A few of the questions your therapist may ask you during your first meeting include:

  • Why did you decide to come to therapy today?
  • Have you seen a counselor before?
  • Have you recently had a phobia episode? How often do you experience the problem?
  • What do you hope to achieve in this therapy?

How to Overcome the Fear of Dirt?

Professional treatment is the best way to fight this phobia, but you still have your part to play towards recovery. Here’s some simple tips to overcoming rupophobia.

  • The first step to living a phobia-free life is first acknowledging the condition and deciding to actively work toward recovery.
  • Continue keeping your immediate surroundings clean. Try to think that although things around can’t be as clean as you want them to be, it’s OK. You’re safe. A little dirt never hurt anyone.
  • Don’t hide away. Strive to go out and catch up with your loved ones and friends. The people you trust the most can be your best support as you journey toward recovery.
  • Avoid going to extremely messy or cluttered places. If you find yourself coming across a dirty object or place, close your eyes, take deep breaths, and walk away as quickly as possible.

You Can Beat Rupophobia

Overcoming the fear of dirt is difficult, but possible. The first step is deciding to not allow this fear to control your life. With determination and the right support including from people you trust and mental health professionals, you’ll be free of rupophobia and be able to live your best life.

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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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