What is Autophobia (Fear of Being Alone): Symptoms, Causes & Treatments

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Autophobia, also known as homophobia, is an anxiety disorder. It can be described as a fear of being alone. However, it is different from the usual loneliness one feels. It can even manifest while someone is surrounded by friends and loved ones.

Read on to find out how one can get autophobic, its symptoms, treatment options and much more.

Autophobia is an anxiety disorder that involves feeling excessive fear when someone is alone.

People with this disorder can have anxiety attacks even in crowded places like the office, school, and their own houses. In such cases, the fear stems from imagining being alone, even in a crowd, people leaving them, and being lonely when they have to return home.

It is different from loneliness as it is not a sad feeling associated with someone's lack of quality social relationships. Autophobic feelings come regardless of one's relationships.

As a result, this phobia can harmfully affect their career, social life and affinities. However, to prevent it, one has to recognise its symptoms.

The symptoms of autophobia vary from one individual to another. But, it can be divided further. 

The psychological symptoms of autophobia are:

• Worrying excessively about being alone.
• Fears concerning loneliness.
• Experiencing extreme terror on being alone.
• Uncontrollable fight or flight response.
• The desire to run away from situations.
• A feeling of detachment from the body.

The physical symptoms of autophobia are:

• Shaking.
• Sweating.
• Chest pain.
• Heart palpitation.
• Chills.
• Breathlessness.
• Nausea.
• Indigestion.
• Dizziness.

Such symptoms can help someone recognise the disorder and seek help. However, knowing the triggers of autophobia and identifying them on time may help to prevent the phobia from progressing.

Phobias can develop from various factors. It can vary from one’s environment to genetics. Generally, it is linked to childhood experiences, past traumatic events and stress management. Let's look at some major triggers of autophobia:

Past Experience: Traumatic Events

Past traumatic experiences with certain situations can create a phobia related to that situation. For example, if something terrifying happens to a person when he or she is completely alone, it can create a phobia of being alone.

Furthermore, the memory of the traumatic event can further reinforce the phobia by reappearing whenever the person is alone.

Genetics

Genetics can also be a cause of autophobia, as children with autophobic relatives are more prone to this disorder. The changes in genes due to repetitive responses can travel into the next generation and develop into a phobia.

Childhood Experiences

A traumatic childhood experience or incident can play a huge role in developing autophobic responses. For example, an instance where a person was trapped alone can instigate the fear and trigger this phobia.

Additionally, if someone is a witness to such incidents, this can also cause development of this phobia.

Responses to Stressful Situations

If someone has an anxious response to a stressful situation, he or she can develop autophobia to avoid that fear response. Here, it is developed from one's desire to escape a reaction.

Stress

The inability to manage stress can lead to a phobia. Unmanaged stress piles up and makes one more susceptible to newer stress. It is a never-ending cycle that leads to anxiety disorders and depression.

It reduces one's ability to face certain situations and makes one increasingly anxious about those situations, which can develop into a phobia.

Identifying one’s causes of autophobia can help someone to start dismantling their fear and anxiety. However, doing it without professional help can be very difficult for a person who has a phobia.

Some people are more at risk than others. Let’s look at the risk factors of autophobia that can increase one’s chances of getting this disorder:

Panic Disorder

People with panic disorder can have panic attacks that make them feel like they have a heart attack. Some of its symptoms are increased heart rate, chest pain, sweating, nausea, and breathlessness.

Fear of a panic attack can increase in people when they are alone or anticipate loneliness.

Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD)

People with Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD) feel submissive and unable to take care of themselves. Their overreliance on others causes them to fear situations when they are alone.

The overwhelming need to have someone by one's side all the time can increase the chances of autophobia in a person.

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

An individual with Borderline-Personality-Disorder (BPD) faces self-image issues, difficulty to maintain stable relationships, face problems in managing behaviour and emotions etc.

People with BPD also have an intense fear of being left alone and have a hard time tolerating loneliness.

Furthermore, risk factors for autophobia can include family history, genetics, gender and other phobias. Now let’s look at what risks the fear of being alone has for a person.

This anxiety disorder can give rise to various psychological complications, such as:

• Anxiety Disorder.
• Depression.
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

To escape from the severe anxiety of being alone, many people also fall prey to substance abuse disorder.

Other than that, additional complications stated below affect the social interactions of the individual. It will affect a person’s:

• Family relationships.
• Friendships.
• Marriage.
• Career.
• Social standpoint.  

However, with proper diagnosis, this condition is treatable.

The diagnosis of this anxiety disorder will start with an individual's medical history. The concerned healthcare professional will try to figure out if the phobia is due to any pre-existing physical condition.

Next, they will start the psychological evaluation, where one will answer questions about their thoughts and feelings related to the condition. They will also try to find out if there are other phobias making the individual's situation more difficult.

Finally, they will devise a program to treat the disorder.

1. Psychotherapy

The most common psychotherapies a healthcare provider can use to treat this disorder are Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Exposure Therapy.

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

CBT is a very effective method of therapy that has produced results across various psychological problems. It aims primarily at changing thought and behavioural patterns.

Strategies for changing thought patterns include gaining self-knowledge, private motivations, identifying distorted thoughts that are creating a problem, developing problems solving skills, building up self-confidence etc.

Changing behavioural patterns involve facing one's fears, preparing for potential problems, using relaxation techniques etc.

• Exposure Therapy

Exposure therapy was developed to help individuals to confront their fear. People generally avoid the things they fear. It can be an object, a place, a person, an activity, and in this case, a situation.

This therapy aims to break this pattern of avoidance and treat the disorder by facing the fear. This may sound terrifying to a patient, but exposure to the elements is done in a very safe and controlled manner.

They will start with minimal exposure a few times a day and gradually increase the intensity and frequency. This gradual exposure helps the patients regain confidence and normalcy in their lives.

2. Medication

In general, psychologists do not want to use medications at all to treat a mental disorder. However, if the condition physically harms an individual, they recommend medication to reduce the symptoms.

Common medicines used to treat the fear of being alone are:

• Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)

SSRIs help to maintain the dopamine level in the brain. As a result, it will help to prevent anxiety and depression from setting in.

• Beta Blockers

These drugs help to block the effects of adrenaline. It can make patients better handle their physical responses during exposure therapy.

• Sedatives

Sedatives like benzodiazepine can give patients relief from anxiety responses due to the phobia. However, these drugs can have addictive effects on individuals, so one should take cautionary measures if the use of sedatives becomes necessary.

With proper treatment, one can get long-lasting results and other positive changes in life. However, it is important to know when to make a call and when to see a doctor.

One should seek professional help immediately if:

• There is a panic attack.
• Symptoms of anxiety or depression show up.
• One develops a substance abuse disorder.
• Quality of life deteriorates due to irrational fear.

One can make a routine of the following practices to better cope with this phobia:

Tip 1: Slowly try to get used to the thought of being alone.

Tip 2: Try to spend time with one’s self for a little while every day.

Tip 3: Learn how to have positive thoughts in stressful situations.

Tip 4: Use deep breathing exercises to calm the body and the mind.

Tip 5: Meditate, identify and eliminate the core reason for the fear.

Autophobia is an anxiety disorder that anybody can get affected by. However, treatment for the disease is available. With timely care and patient engagement, a complete recovery can be made.