Understanding Autophobia: The Fear Of Being All By Yourself

Have you heard of autophobia before? Have you heard of anyone being scared of themselves? Isn’t it strange? Let me tell you, the fear of yourself is a legit phobia. There are people who are afraid of themselves.

People who have autophobia experience this word anxiety when they are alone all by themselves. It’s almost like you can’t be with yourself, you want someone with you all the time. And trust me, this is not the fear of loneliness, it’s different as if you’re afraid of your own self.

Loneliness makes you feel sad and unwanted whereas autophobia makes you feel anxious and fearful even of the idea of being alone irrespective of how many people you have who love and support you.

Let’s look at autophobia in detail for a better understanding…

What Is The Phobia Of Yourself Called & What Does It Mean?

What is the phobia of yourself called? The fear or phobia of yourself is known as autophobia. Autophobia causes you to feel an intense but irrational fear of being alone. Like I said before, it is not related to loneliness, people with autophobia are not lonely, and they just don’t feel comfortable when no one is around them.

Autophobia falls in the category of specific phobia, which makes it an uncommon disorder only because many people do not report their specific phobias. If we pull out the statistics of specific phobias, 1 in 10 adults report the presence of a specific phobia which does account for a large number.

Anyway, autophobia can affect anyone. Being afraid of your own self is a very scary place to be in but if you identify autophobia and begin treatment you can effectively manage the symptoms of autophobia and resume a normal life.

Symptoms Of The ‘Fear Of Yourself’ Phobia

If you have fear of yourself, you’ll definitely see a difference in your thoughts, feelings, and behavior when you are in a situation where no one is around you. It might be very difficult for others to understand your autophobia but if you let your friends and family know about the symptoms of this ‘fear of yourself’, they can probably help you when you experience them.

Here’s a list of symptoms that occur when your autophobia is triggered;

• Constant worry (about being all by yourself)
• You feel terrified even at the thought of being alone
• Extreme fear of uncertainty when you are alone
• You feel like running away to find some people so that you’re not alone anymore
• Physical symptoms like sweating, palpitations, trembling, etc.
• You feel a sense of detachment from yourself when you are alone
• Experience extreme anxiety

Also read: An Implicit Guide To Overcome Fear of Loneliness (Monophobia)

What Causes You To Be Afraid Of Yourself?

The exact cause of autophobia and various other specific phobias still remains unknown. But there are a few risk factors that can lead up to someone developing autophobia. Let’s have a look at them;

• You might have had a traumatic experience when you were alone
• You experienced abandonment as a child
• Have  a family history of autophobia or any other related phobia
• You have a borderline personality disorder
• You have Bipolar disorder

These might or might not cause you to develop autophobia but people with such experiences have a higher chance of developing the fear of themselves. The only thing you can do is, keep the symptoms in mind and as soon as you spot them in yourself or someone else, seek professional help.

Treatment For Autophobia

Autophobia is a psychological condition that comprises symptoms of anxiety, panic, and some irrational fear. The good news is that all these symptoms can be clinically treated and there is a high success rate of these treatments too.

If you have been struggling with the fear of yourself, you must visit a mental health professional as soon as you spot the symptoms of autophobia in you. Once the doctor examines your condition, you can sit with your doctor and devise a suitable treatment plan.

There are 3 most common treatment options available for autophobia. Your doctor might offer you either exposure therapy to fight the fear or cognitive behavioral therapy to fight the intrusive thoughts. You can also be prescribed some medicines like beta-blockers to manage your physical symptoms and antianxiety to bring down your anxiety

That’s All Folks!

I hope you found this blog about autophobia, and the fear of yourself informative, interesting, and helpful. Do share this blog with your friends and family or anyone you think is dealing with autophobia. You never know who needs help in understanding autophobia.

Thanks for reading

Take care and stay safe.