Haphephobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by the fear of being touched by strangers with or without consent.
Symptoms
The fear of being touched is considered a phobia when the fear arises almost every time the person in question is touched, if it persists for more than 6 months and when it affects personal relationships or work life. These are the most common symptoms:
– immediate fear or anxiety when being touched or when you think you will be touched
– panic attacks, which may include increased heart rate, sweating, hot flashes, tingling and chills
– avoid situations in which they can touch you
– be aware that fear is irrational and disproportionate
– general anxiety, depression and poor quality of life as a result of the phobia
Children may show the following symptoms: crying, freezing, having a tantrum, or clinging to their mother or father.
Doctors refer to the symptoms listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) to diagnose phobias, which are anxiety disorders related to specific objects or situations.
Causes
Haphephobia can be caused by experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event that involves being touched. The patient may not remember the event that triggered the phobia, especially if he was very young at the time . Phobias can also be learned from the family environment. We can learn the fear of being touched by observing that a loved one expresses fear or avoids being touched.
Haphephobia can also arise on its own with these types of causes:
– Fear of germs (misophobia): a person may avoid being touched for fear of contamination or impurity.
– Fear of crowds (ochlophobia): feeling anxious to be touched by strangers in crowds.
– Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD): a person with OCD may fear certain situations beyond their control, such as being touched by other people.
– Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): the fear of being touched can stem from a previous traumatic experience that involved being touched, such as witnessing or experiencing sexual assault or abuse.
Risk factor’s
– Negative past experiences that involve being touched.
– Family history of hafephobia or other anxiety disorders. Fears can be learned through observation. There may also be genetic factors that make people more prone to developing anxiety or phobic disorders.
– Other phobias. According to DSM-5, about 75% of people with a specific phobic disorder will have more than one phobia.
– Other mental health conditions , such as OCD, PTSD, or general anxiety disorder.
– Gender. Situational phobias like haphephobia are twice as likely to occur in women as in men.
– Personality type. Having a neurotic personality or a tendency to inhibit behavior can be a risk factor for developing anxiety and phobic disorders.
Treatment
One of the biggest obstacles to overcoming a phobia is avoiding the situation that causes the fear . Treatments aim to help a person deal with anxiety related to their fear and gradually overcome their fear.
When to see the doctor
Specific fears can be extreme, particularly in children, but they often go away without medical treatment. The fear of being touched is a particularly difficult fear to handle due to cultural and social expectations around touch.
If this fear persists for more than 6 months and gets in the way of personal or work life, visit the doctor as soon as possible. Also, specific phobias respond very well to treatment and it is possible to overcome a specific phobia in the long term.
