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Panยญic Attack In ShowerEveryยญone is afraid of someยญthing. To a greater or lessยญer degree, it is the human conยญdiยญtion to react fearยญfulยญly to cerยญtain cirยญcumยญstances, things or events. The โfight or flightโ response we all have is Natureโs way of alertยญing us to danยญger, and itโs a healthy reacยญtion. But what hapยญpens when a threat isnโt real or your reacยญtion to someยญthing is so exagยญgerยญatยญed that it impedes your day-to-day life?When fear conยญsumes us to an unreaยญsonยญable extreme, that heightยญened state is called a phoยญbia. The term phoยญbia comes from the Greek word โPhoยญbos,โ meanยญing โfear of.โ Most of us have a minor phoยญbia we conยญtend with, such as a fear of snakes (which is called ophidยญioยญphoยญbia, and refers to a fear of all repยญtiles), or cynoยญphoยญbia, which is an extreme fear of dogs. Though we call all kinds of minor fears phoยญbias, they usuยญalยญly arenโt, as a true phoยญbia interยญferes with our abilยญiยญty to live normally.Conยญsidยญer the difยญferยญence between being someยญwhat uncomยญfortยญable around big dogs and going out of your way to avoid seeยญing any dog, anyยญwhere. Imagยญine how the latยญter fear would curยญtail your life โ no walks in parks, for examยญple, because the terยญror of encounยญterยญing even a Chiยญhuahua is crippling.Phoยญbias on that scale proยญfoundยญly limยญit a perยญsonยญโs life. While phoยญbias may sound pecuยญliar if youโve nevยญer expeยญriยญenced the outยญright panยญic one can cause, phoยญbias are very real to milยญlions of people.The numยญber of folks dealยญing with cripยญpling anxยญiยญety and panยญic attacks caused by phoยญbias is stagยญgerยญing โ more than six bilยญlion peoยญple reportยญed havยญing panยญic attacks freยญquentยญly in Amerยญiยญca in 2016 alone. Furยญtherยญmore, in the U.S., accordยญing to the Nationยญal Instiยญtute of Menยญtal Health (NIMH) in Maryยญland, approxยญiยญmateยญly 19 milยญlion peoยญple report each year that they expeยญriยญence panยญic attacks relatยญed to a phoยญbia that disยญrupts their daiยญly lives โ and the numยญber is growing.If a fear isnโt too intense, it can be dealt with by avoidยญing its trigยญger. A fear of heights, for examยญple, (acroยญphoยญbia) is fairยญly easยญiยญly dealt with by not climbยญing mounยญtains or going on top of your roof. Othยญer phoยญbias, howยญevยญer, canยญnot be hanยญdled by avoidยญing cirยญcumยญstances that force you to face your fear.In this artiยญcle, we examยญine a phoยญbia called abluยญtoยญphoยญbia, which is the fear of washยญing, cleansยญing and bathing. It is a surยญprisยญingยญly comยญmon phoยญbia, affectยญing milยญlions of peoยญple every year.What are the signs and sympยญtoms of abluยญtoยญphoยญbia? And if you susยญpect youโre develยญopยญing it, how might you find help? Conยญtinยญue readยญing to disยญcovยญer ways of idenยญtiยญfyยญing whether this phoยญbia is impactยญing your life and what strateยญgies you can use to cope.
Symptoms Of Ablutophobia
Feelยญing panยญic and fear at the very idea of bathing or showering.
Avoidยญing even getยญting washed.
Feelยญing overยญwhelmed by a sense of panยญic as bath time approaches.
Makยญing excusยญes for skipยญping bath time or showยญerยญing to an unhealthy extent.
What Puts You At Risk Of Developing Ablutophobia?
Studยญies show that if one of your parยญents expeยญriยญenced this phoยญbia, the chances increase that you may, too, parยญticยญuยญlarยญly if you werenโt taught regยญuยญlar bathing habits as a child because of that parยญenยญtโs fear.
A bad expeยญriยญence, parยญticยญuยญlarยญly as a child, can put you at risk of develยญopยญing this phoยญbia. Those expeยญriยญences could include, for examยญple, being left in the bathยญtub too long or with the water levยญel too high for a childโs comยญfort level.
Changes to your brain may occur as you age. Peoยญple with demenยญtia can develยญop irraยญtional fears, and abluยญtoยญphoยญbia is one of them.
If You Are Developing Ablutophobia, What Should You Do?
The most imporยญtant first step you should take is this: make an appointยญment with your physiยญcian. They can diagยญnose the phoยญbia propยญerยญly once they have a full hisยญtoยญry and a psyยญchoยญlogยญiยญcal proยญfile of you and underยญstand how the phoยญbia is manยญiยญfestยญing itself.
How Is Ablutophobia Treated?
Once your docยญtor conยญfirms youโre dealยญing with abluยญtoยญphoยญbia, they will make cerยญtain recยญomยญmenยญdaยญtions to help you overยญcome it and develยญop good hygiene habits. These strateยญgies include:
- Seeing a Therapist For Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
This is one of the most effecยญtive ways docยญtors and therยญaยญpists have of treatยญing abluยญtoยญphoยญbia. This therยญaยญpy will include slow, gradยญual expoยญsure to cleansยญing in a conยญtrolled setยญting. Doing this helps alleยญviยญate your fears because it doesยญnโt force you to deal with an overยญwhelmยญing setยญting โ a comยญplete showยญer, for examยญple. CBT allows you (for examยญple) to first become comยญfortยญable using a warm washยญcloth with soap, perยญhaps on your hands and face. Gradยญuยญalยญly, your expoยญsure increasยญes in length and to a more fulยญsome sceยญnario, culยญmiยญnatยญing in a bath or shower.
- Your Doctor May Advise You That Certain Medications Are Called For
If your abluยญtoยญphoยญbia is severe, havยญing been left untreatยญed for a subยญstanยญtial amount of time, medยญicaยญtion may be necยญesยญsary to help you cope, at least in the short term. Beta-blockยญers, often preยญscribed to deal with high blood presยญsure and a too-fast heart rate, may be preยญscribed. So too many cerยญtain anti-anxยญiยญety drugs and sedaยญtives. Your docยญtor will know which ones are suitยญed to you based on your health and medยญical history.
- Behaviour Modification Exercises
A therยญaยญpist or psyยญcholยญoยญgist may recยญomยญmend cerยญtain lifestyle and behavยญiour changes, sugยญgestยญing that you take up calmยญing activยญiยญties like yoga and medยญiยญtaยญtion. These strateยญgies can be very helpยญful because they encourยญage relaxยญation through stillยญness and deep breathยญing. They may also counยญsel you to take up visuยญalยญizaยญtion techยญniques, a pracยญtice that teachยญes how to focus on a probยญlem and seeยญing soluยญtions in your mindโs eye.
- Getting More Exercise Can Help
Your docยญtor or therยญaยญpist can assess how much activยญiยญty youโre getยญting and may sugยญgest getยญting more. Exerยญcisยญing helps alleยญviยญate stress and anxiety.Abluยญtoยญphoยญbia can devยญasยญtate an indiยญvidยญuยญalโs life if left untreated.
What Are The Risks Of Avoiding Treatment?
- You Risk Becoming Isolated Because Other People Avoid Uncleanliness
Itโs natยญurยญal for othยญers to shy away from a perยญson who doesยญnโt bathe regยญuยญlarยญly. Body odour is unpleasยญant, but it is an outยญcome of not bathing or showยญerยญing regยญuยญlarยญly. Someยญone with abluยญtoยญphoยญbia is likeยญly depressed, and social isoยญlaยญtion can exacยญerยญbate that isoยญlaยญtion and depresยญsion. Othยญer peoยญple are less inclined to spend time with someยญone who isnโt hygienยญic, so the afflictยญed indiยญvidยญual becomes more depressed. This becomes a vicious cirยญcle until the abluยญtoยญphoยญbia is treated.
- The Afflicted Person Is At Greater Risk Of Illnesses
Think of how many germs we colยญlect on our hands every day. If we were to stop washยญing them regยญuยญlarยญly, the chance of getยญting sick (and passยญing germs to othยญers) would increase dramatically.
- An Increased Risk Of Substance Abuse
If you know someยญone with abluยญtoยญphoยญbia who has not sought treatยญment, there is a risk they are self-medยญicatยญing. Whether with alcoยญhol or drugs, this behavยญiour can become danยญgerยญous to their health and well-being. Subยญstance abuse adds to their probยญlems and must be dealt with promptยญly by dealยญing with abluยญtoยญphoยญbia and the issues that lie at the core of the phobia.
How To Help If You Suspect a Loved One Is Dealing With Ablutophobia?
Although there is no quesยญtion that the indiยญvidยญual must seek out help, there are some things you can do to prompt them to seek assistance.
- Donโt Judge
The perยญson with abluยญtoยญphoยญbia needs help, not critยญiยญcism. Tryยญing to force them into a showยญer or bath wonโt work. Belitยญtling them or minยญiยญmizยญing their fear is not helpยญful. Encourยญage them to see their docยญtor immediately.
- Try To Be Understanding
While it can be difยญfiยญcult to be patient with someยญone afflictยญed with any phoยญbia, telling them their fear is silยญly or illogยญiยญcal does no good whatยญsoยญevยญer. This is parยญticยญuยญlarยญly true if the perยญson has had a terยญriยญfyยญing expeยญriยญence with water that lies at the heart of their ablutophobia.
- Offer To Go To The Doctor With Them
Once they have an appointยญment with their docยญtor, sugยญgest youโll go with them. Conยญvincยญing the patient that you are there for them demonยญstrates real care and conยญcern. Offer to pick them up and driยญve them yourยญself, which will keep them from canยญcelling or backยญing out of the appointยญment at the last minute.
In Summary
There are some less seriยญous phoยญbias that can be hanยญdled by avoidยญing the trigยญger, such as a fear of snakes, as we menยญtioned earยญliยญer. But abluยญtoยญphoยญbia has real-life conยญseยญquences for the indiยญvidยญual who is sufยญferยญing from it, and it canโt be dealt with by avoidยญing bathing. Good hygiene is part and parยญcel of good health. The perยญson must get help and get it as promptยญly as possible.Abluยญtoยญphoยญbia may be part of a largยญer anxยญiยญety disยญorยญder, or it may be the only fear the indiยญvidยญual is copยญing with. Either way, it has a huge impact on not only the perยญson dealยญing with it, but their famยญiยญly, friends and colยญleagues. The soonยญer the perยญson begins getยญting help from a therยญaยญpist and docยญtor, the soonยญer they will be on the road to recovยญery. They may always expeยญriยญence minor moments of panยญic or anxยญiยญety around bathing and showยญerยญing, but once they have the propยญer copยญing strateยญgies, theyโll be able to manยญage those moments and face their fear.
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