Demophobia: causes, symptoms and treatment

When there are a lot of people around, it is always unpleasant. The bustle is confusing, and the mixing of different moods and auras negatively affects the inner state of a person. But these feelings are experienced not by all people, but only by those who are somewhat susceptible to demophobia. Crowd fear is bad for a person's mood and life.

Man has long been accustomed to living in society. However, some representatives cannot stay in crowded places for a long time due to discomfort. The expressed character of crowd rejection is called a phobia. This state can be divided into three parts.

• Agoraphobia. It is believed that this is the most accurate name for the fear of open space. The same term applies to the designation of fear of the crowd. The fact is that this word is translated from ancient Greek as "area and fear." Usually the square is filled with a lot of people. So it turns out that agoraphobia is directly related to the fear of the crowd.

• Demophobia... This condition determines the fear of a large number of people. The congestion of people in transport, in queues, at rallies causes discomfort, and some even have panic attacks. Such individuals are subject to tremendous fear if they fall into the center of public events. Therefore, demophobes practically do not appear in places where it is very crowded.

• Chlophobia also has similarities with the concept of demophobia. We can say that these terms are synonymous. The only difference here is that the chlophobe is only afraid of an unorganized crowd of people.For example, he may be overwhelmed by panic if he suddenly finds himself in the center of a group of people who are marching in a column to a rally.

However, the same individual will calmly attend the planned public lecture. This behavior is explained simply: an unorganized gathering of people can pose a threat, and a planned meeting of people at a cultural event cannot develop into an uncontrollable problem.

Most people do not pay attention to strangers, but this is in cases where there is no anxiety. Some individuals are afraid to be in the crowd just because they have had negative experiences in the past.

It's easy to pull out your wallet or phone in a crush. You can get hurt in a strong crush. Fans, leaving the stadium, have repeatedly experienced the pressure of the crowd. Those who have suffered will remember the unpleasant sensations for a long time. That's why There can be a large number of reasons for the occurrence of demophobia.

Fear of the crowd is not irrational, unless it turns into obsessive states, this is when a person begins to think about the dangers that lie in wait for him every minute. Those who live in big cities are more prone to phobias of this kind due to the large crowd of people. In any case, phobic moods are caused by the fact that a person finds himself in an unfamiliar place, which is also uncontrollable and therefore unsafe.

And from this the individual experiences potential helplessness in the face of inevitability. It is as if he is being driven into a corner from which there is no way out. Demophobe thinks that those around him will feel his fear and start laughing at him, or even worse - they will be robbed and even killed.

The development of such a state entails more serious consequences. A person begins to be afraid of everything connected with going out. He becomes asocial, and all his actions defy logic. A house or apartment becomes a refuge for him, from which it is scary to leave. Ultimately, the phobia affects the person's personal life, work and physical condition.

Any disease has its own symptoms. In the physical, some organ hurts, in the mental, some deviations appear that are not characteristic of ordinary behavior. People with a healthy psyche perceive the world around them adequately.

It's another matter if a person begins to experience severe discomfort when he appears where there are a lot of people. Usually these are squares, markets, supermarkets. And then we can say with certainty that there are some deviations. Perhaps they are not very common.

An individual cannot explain irrational fear to himself or to those close to him.... It appears out of nowhere and gradually captures all consciousness, depriving ordinary thinking. At this moment, a person cannot control his behavior. He is driven by fear.

Then the accompanying symptoms appear, which are as follows:

• dizziness begins, headache appears in the temples;
• urge to vomit or vomit;
• the pulse quickens, interruptions in the work of the heart begin;
• the color of the skin changes: they become pale or purple;
• fainting is possible;
• frequent urination may begin;
• sleep disturbance;
• sweating

With a phobia, a person's behavior changes radically. He becomes uncommunicative, tries not to go out, he has problems at work and in the family. Constant fear plays out unforeseen situations in the mind, such as losing money or fear of getting into an unpleasant story.

A person constantly talks about this and tries to be supported morally. However, no arguments from friends and relatives help. Chlophobia prevents common sense from gaining the upper hand.When the course of the disease begins to interfere with a full life and threatens a normal physical condition, it is necessary to seek help from a specialist.

It must be remembered that any stress can provoke a phobia that will arise suddenly and take over your entire consciousness. The specialist will conduct a complete examination using tests and confidential conversations.

And if symptoms such as anxiety, anxiety about trifles, tension, memory impairment, a feeling of nervousness, rapid fatigue appear in behavior, then it is necessary to pay the most serious attention to them. It must be remembered that a phobia can be divided into a very advanced and a normal anxiety state. There are many different disorders. They are divided into generalized, post-traumatic, stressful, panic. In all cases, an individual approach is required to eliminate the unpleasant condition.

You can overcome fear both on your own and with the help of a specialist. However, you need to remember that self-medication is fraught with the development of unforeseen situations, so you need to seek help from a specialist. After diagnostics, he will offer to act according to one of the following scenarios.

• Conducting psychotherapy sessions (cognitive behavioral therapy) can help you relax. In the course of this treatment, the patient's thinking stereotypes are radically changed. Calm conversation and appropriate setting determine the origins of the obsessional state. A psychotherapist will teach you how to properly deal with a phobia. But remember that the success of the entire treatment depends on the person himself and on the persistent desire to be treated. The patient must understand that it is necessary to make volitional decisions and try to follow all the recommendations.
• Physiotherapy helps to get rid of phobias. Natural phenomena such as water, current, wave radiation have a beneficial effect on the human psyche and on his body as a whole. Therefore, specialized water procedures, massage of various orientations will contribute to the rapid recovery of the psyche.
• Drug therapy also helps restore mental balance. However, one must remember that such treatment can bring both benefits and harm, therefore, it is necessary to use medication only in extreme cases, when other methods do not help.

Antidepressants and tranquilizers help keep your mind in check. They are prescribed to quickly relieve anxiety and panic attacks. Only a specialist can correctly determine the need for the drug and its dosage. Self-administration of such pills will lead to very sad consequences.

Psychologists very rarely resort to extreme measures. If the situation is not too badly neglected, then it is possible to get rid of it with an effort. This requires the patient and the specialist to work together. One gave recommendations, and the other strictly followed all the assignments. Plus, there must be a clear desire of the person himself to get rid of the obsessive state.

Psychologists provide general advice that is very simple, but has tremendous potential in helping to relieve phobic attitudes. So what should you do if you feel anxious and even somewhat panic attacks?

• A healthy lifestyle will have a good effect on both your mental state and your body as a whole.
• Jogging in the mornings and evenings, classes in the gym will complement the therapeutic effect.
• Lack of sleep negatively affects the general condition of the body, therefore, a healthy and long sleep is recommended.
• No stress!
• Healthy and tasty food can cheer you up.
• If it is not possible to attend physiotherapy sessions, use the shower or bath. Warm water works wonders. You will feel better after these procedures.
• Find something to do. Take up knitting, embroidery. Communicate with loved ones more.
• Learn to relax and deal with stress on your own. Various breathing exercises will help for this:
  • take a slow breath and hold your breath;
  • count to five and exhale slowly;
  • carry out such manipulations several times until relief comes.

• Read more. It is advisable to choose light and life-affirming works for this.
• Sign up for a circle where you will find like-minded people.
• Try to overpower yourself and start visiting crowded places. For such a walk, invite a loved one (girlfriend, friend) so that they support you in difficult times. So you will be sure that you are not alone, and in case of an unforeseen situation, you will not be left alone with trouble.

It is important to remember that everything depends only on you. And if you decide that you need to fight phobias, then you will overcome all your fears.

For the features of demophobia, see below.