Having a fear of buttons may sound hilarious, but in reality it can be
debilitating. Patients need to be taken more seriously, by both the
media and doctors, say experts.
(The Guardian, 5 Dec 2016)
Andy, a 32-year-old IT consultant, is used to people laughing at him when he tries to explain his crippling fear of buttons, specifically those on shirts and jackets.
“I’ve worked in corporate environments, full of people in suits, and there are buttons everywhere you look. This situation is to me what other people may feel being locked in a burning building, or drowning and not be able to swim to the surface,” he says, his voice audibly shaking at the mere thought of rooms full of shirt buttons.
Andy’s condition is called koumpounophobia. It is not as common as some phobias – but still affects around one in every 75,000 people. Sufferers report losing contact with family and friends because they are unable to attend weddings and funerals, or abandoning their careers and doing jobs that allow for remote working or casual clothing.
Phobias are irrational fears which are classified as either simple – of a particular object, such as in Andy’s case – or complex, when they pertain to a circumstance or situation. Because of the ridicule sufferers are often met with, people tend to suffer in silence and phobias go untreated. “I thought I’d be laughed out of a GP’s office,” says Andy. “I knew this was a real thing, but didn’t know how to explain it without feeling like an idiot.”
Another reason many people don’t seek help is because of what the treatment entails. The NHS offers cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to people with phobias, which includes “exposure” to the object of the fear. A person develops a phobia when their brain has learned to respond to certain non-dangerous situations (such as seeing a small spider) with a “fight-or-flight” response, which causes symptoms that include panic attacks, palpitations, hysterical crying, and the urge to run. Exposure can work because if patients slowly learn to respond to seeing, say, a spider in a calm way – eventually even holding one in their hands – they can essentially “rewire” their brains. But the thought of facing a phobia in such a way can, understandably, be terrifying.
Around 10 million people in the UK suffer from phobias, yet research into causes and treatments is incredibly limited compared with other mental health conditions.
You can read more here: The Guardian
(The Guardian, 5 Dec 2016)
Andy, a 32-year-old IT consultant, is used to people laughing at him when he tries to explain his crippling fear of buttons, specifically those on shirts and jackets.
“I’ve worked in corporate environments, full of people in suits, and there are buttons everywhere you look. This situation is to me what other people may feel being locked in a burning building, or drowning and not be able to swim to the surface,” he says, his voice audibly shaking at the mere thought of rooms full of shirt buttons.
Andy’s condition is called koumpounophobia. It is not as common as some phobias – but still affects around one in every 75,000 people. Sufferers report losing contact with family and friends because they are unable to attend weddings and funerals, or abandoning their careers and doing jobs that allow for remote working or casual clothing.
Phobias are irrational fears which are classified as either simple – of a particular object, such as in Andy’s case – or complex, when they pertain to a circumstance or situation. Because of the ridicule sufferers are often met with, people tend to suffer in silence and phobias go untreated. “I thought I’d be laughed out of a GP’s office,” says Andy. “I knew this was a real thing, but didn’t know how to explain it without feeling like an idiot.”
Another reason many people don’t seek help is because of what the treatment entails. The NHS offers cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to people with phobias, which includes “exposure” to the object of the fear. A person develops a phobia when their brain has learned to respond to certain non-dangerous situations (such as seeing a small spider) with a “fight-or-flight” response, which causes symptoms that include panic attacks, palpitations, hysterical crying, and the urge to run. Exposure can work because if patients slowly learn to respond to seeing, say, a spider in a calm way – eventually even holding one in their hands – they can essentially “rewire” their brains. But the thought of facing a phobia in such a way can, understandably, be terrifying.
Around 10 million people in the UK suffer from phobias, yet research into causes and treatments is incredibly limited compared with other mental health conditions.
You can read more here: The Guardian
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario