Understanding the Fear of Being Alone
The fear of being alone, also referred to as monophobia is a real fear that thousands of people suffer from daily. It can be something that happened because of a traumatic event or simply a fear that grips someone in the heat of a moment. It can be an extremely serious fear because the person who suffers simply doesn't want to be left alone in a house, an office or anywhere else €" they need to feel that constant connection with other people in order to breathe. The case of the fear of being alone is different for different people, ranging from a minor issue to extremely serious.
The Fear of Being Alone: Symptoms
There are some people who suffer from monophobia who will out and out admit that they don't want to be alone and cannot be alone. Other people break out into cold sweats at the fear of being alone while others get the shakes, cannot breathe and start to go into panic attacks. If you or someone you know has this kind of fear, it's important to try and get a psychologist to diagnose the issue as soon as possible to start trying various methods of treatment to cope with the fear.
In today's world, the fear of being alone doesn't have to just be with having someone else in the room. They must feel connected with the world in its entirety. With such influences as social media and the internet, texting on the phones and much more, some people get a case of monophobia through that simply because they are used to having people around them either actually or virtually, which can be just as serious of a case as the traditional sense of the phobia.
Whether a case is mild or not, the fear of being alone is not something to push away. It can lead to many other problems. A person cannot be with people every hour of every day. There are occasions where they will need to be alone. In order for the person to regain some of their life back, they need to seek treatment on this fear.
The Fear of Being Alone: Treatment
There are a number of different treatments available for someone who suffers from the fear of being alone. Typically, either a psychologist or psychiatrist will diagnose the person as someone with monophobia. From there, the treatment will vary based upon how serious a case it is and perhaps do some trials and errors until one treatment over another seems to do the trick.
Medications can be prescribed to help add a calming effect and reverse some of the paranoia that sets in when a person has the fear of being alone. These are usually used as a last resort but most patients who take them are aided by them enough to integrate into society and lead a normal life.
Sometimes, the doctor will work with the patient in therapy sessions to find out why the person has a fear of being alone. It may be because of a childhood incident, a fear of something else or any number of things. If the doctor can work through these issues so that the patient realizes that it's an irrational fear and that there's actually nothing to be afraid of, it can be a full cure of the problem.
Other times, practice sessions are held to put the person who has the fear alone in a room for a small amount of time to show them that there's nothing to be afraid of. Over time, these sessions become longer and longer as a way of demonstrating that the fear of being alone is actually not a fear at all. This can be very time consuming, but it is a method that has worked wonders on a number of different cases over the years.
Treatments will range based upon the severity of the case, the openness of the patient as well as the strategies that the doctor will use to help the person realize that the fear of being alone can be overcome. Some people just don't want to change. They're fine with status quo. It's the people around them that are pushing for the person to get help. In a case like this, it's like everything else €" in order for the treatment to be truly effective, the person has to want to change, which means showing that they'd be better off in life if they can be alone from time to time.
The Fear of Being Alone: Symptoms
There are some people who suffer from monophobia who will out and out admit that they don't want to be alone and cannot be alone. Other people break out into cold sweats at the fear of being alone while others get the shakes, cannot breathe and start to go into panic attacks. If you or someone you know has this kind of fear, it's important to try and get a psychologist to diagnose the issue as soon as possible to start trying various methods of treatment to cope with the fear.
In today's world, the fear of being alone doesn't have to just be with having someone else in the room. They must feel connected with the world in its entirety. With such influences as social media and the internet, texting on the phones and much more, some people get a case of monophobia through that simply because they are used to having people around them either actually or virtually, which can be just as serious of a case as the traditional sense of the phobia.
Whether a case is mild or not, the fear of being alone is not something to push away. It can lead to many other problems. A person cannot be with people every hour of every day. There are occasions where they will need to be alone. In order for the person to regain some of their life back, they need to seek treatment on this fear.
The Fear of Being Alone: Treatment
There are a number of different treatments available for someone who suffers from the fear of being alone. Typically, either a psychologist or psychiatrist will diagnose the person as someone with monophobia. From there, the treatment will vary based upon how serious a case it is and perhaps do some trials and errors until one treatment over another seems to do the trick.
Medications can be prescribed to help add a calming effect and reverse some of the paranoia that sets in when a person has the fear of being alone. These are usually used as a last resort but most patients who take them are aided by them enough to integrate into society and lead a normal life.
Sometimes, the doctor will work with the patient in therapy sessions to find out why the person has a fear of being alone. It may be because of a childhood incident, a fear of something else or any number of things. If the doctor can work through these issues so that the patient realizes that it's an irrational fear and that there's actually nothing to be afraid of, it can be a full cure of the problem.
Other times, practice sessions are held to put the person who has the fear alone in a room for a small amount of time to show them that there's nothing to be afraid of. Over time, these sessions become longer and longer as a way of demonstrating that the fear of being alone is actually not a fear at all. This can be very time consuming, but it is a method that has worked wonders on a number of different cases over the years.
Treatments will range based upon the severity of the case, the openness of the patient as well as the strategies that the doctor will use to help the person realize that the fear of being alone can be overcome. Some people just don't want to change. They're fine with status quo. It's the people around them that are pushing for the person to get help. In a case like this, it's like everything else €" in order for the treatment to be truly effective, the person has to want to change, which means showing that they'd be better off in life if they can be alone from time to time.
Source...