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Situational Phobias

Scopophobia – Fear of Being Seen or Stared at

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Being Stared at, Is It Unnerving?

You’re inside your home, hesitant to leave. You know that once you do, people will see you. People will stare. Just that thought is causing your heart to feel like it’s beating out of your chest. You’d do anything to avoid being seen. As a result, you likely don’t go out in public very often and keep those trips as brief as possible.

If this scenario describes you, you may be suffering from scopophobia or the fear of being stared at.

If this is you, you’re likely extremely frustrated by the situation. You don’t want to be so scared of being stared at to the point that you cannot live your life, at least as easily as you see others live theirs. This situation can seem so completely out of your control. Fortunately, there are ways that you can gain a sense of control over this fear. Some of them can even be done by yourself with no professional assistance.

What Is Scopophobia?

This phobia has been known for thousands of years. In fact, in 400 B.C., Hippocrates described someone he knew as a person who “thinks every man observes him.” The word also has Greek roots. “Skopeo” means to look to, to examine, while “phobos” means fear. And, like other phobias, the fear that sufferers experience is not proportional to any threat that may or may not exist.

So, simply put, scopophobia is the fear of being stared at. But it’s more than that. It’s often the fear of simply being seen, and it often involves a related overwhelming feeling that you’re being scrutinized. This feeling can even occur when you’re alone at home if, for example, thoughts of being observed by hidden cameras are constantly at the forefront of your mind.

Scopophobic/Scopophobia Causes

Some develop this type of fear because they have epilepsy or Tourette’s syndrome and are fearful of symptoms related to those occurring in public settings and then being stared at as a result. Others may have a physical deformity and are fearful of people staring at them for that reason. Those who have low body-image issues can have a fear of being stared at as well.

Bullying, particularly if it involves public ridicule, is another of the scopophobic/scopophobia causes. Some who suffer from the more common fears of public speaking and having stage fright develop scopophobia as well.

Symptoms of Scopophobia

It’s normal to feel uncomfortable if you notice someone actively staring at you, particularly if it’s someone you do not know. However, if you experience discomfort because you believe that everyone or nearly everyone will be staring at you as soon as you go out into public, that’s a definite sign of suffering from this phobia.

This is particularly true if that discomfort shows itself in more severe symptoms such as panic, a rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath and nausea. Some of the other symptoms that those suffering from scopophobia often experience include restlessness, difficulty concentrating, sweating, trembling, muscle tension, dry mouth, excessive worrying and blushing. Note that some with scopophobia also suffer from erythrophobia, the fear of blushing, which can significantly exacerbate this situation.

Of course, a common symptom of scopophobia is that fear resulting in avoiding being seen. At its most severe, it can result in the person rarely leaving home and experiencing an inability to work or to cultivate any sort of social life. The last point is particularly relevant when scopophobia has evolved from being scared of being seen by strangers to also including family members and friends.

Traveling on planes, trains or buses can be especially traumatic experiences for those with scopophobia.

Scopophobia: Self-Help

When you realize that you’re starting to experience a scopophobia attack, take advantage of these self-help tips to get the situation under control. Take some deep breaths. Relax your body, focusing on one part of it at a time. Close your eyes to eliminate external visual stimulation. Visualize a place where you feel safe.

Also note that some are helped by a walk, especially if it’s in a quiet area, while others appreciate the support of a trusted friend or family member.

Scopophobia: Professional Help

In many cases, learning how to overcome scopophobia needs to be done with professional assistance.

One of the most common methods used by professionals is exposure therapy. They will analyze your fear and look to determine how it developed. Treatment methods would be provided next. Following the development of a fear hierarchy—a ranking of levels of fear experienced during different types of situations—is being exposed to those circumstances, the least fearful ones first. You’d then build from one step to another as you make your way through that fear hierarchy and gradually learn how to overcome scopophobia.

You can also engage in cognitive therapy. A professional would work with you to help you recognize how your thoughts have led to this state of mind and help you change your behavior.

Medication may also be prescribed to relieve anxiety.

How to Avoid Scopophobia

Avoidance is more of a symptom of scopophobia than a treatment method. This is because this fear is generally not one that can be avoided. For example, someone with a fear of heights could, for the most part, avoid heights if they didn’t want to attempt to overcome that fear. However, having a fear of being seen often results in great discomfort whenever outdoors or, in more extreme cases, indoors. That makes it especially difficult to go about life.

Bottom Line

Fortunately, there is hope. Many of those who have taken advantage of self-help tips and the services of a mental health professional have reported the lessening of their scopophobia symptoms. You most likely have not experienced scopophobia your entire life, so you know that it doesn’t have to be this way. You can start to make your way to a mindset that has these thoughts and fears under control as you go about your day-to-day life in all types of settings.

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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