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Insect phobia is an anxiety disorder that can be treated through exposure to the feared insect and coping with associated anxiety. Systematic desensitization is a common method used by therapists to reduce or eliminate fear, and negative thoughts can also be addressed through therapy. A licensed therapist may be necessary in extreme cases.
Insect phobia, or fear of insects, is an anxiety disorder that occurs when a person develops an irrational fear of a specific type of insect or various types of insects. One of the most common methods of treating insectophobia is continuous exposure to the type if the insect fears a person. The other method, usually used in conjunction with the first one, involves coping with the disturbing thoughts and anxiety associated with that insect. A person can try to treat the phobia using the methods mentioned, but in extreme cases, the help of a licensed therapist may be needed.
A person must be accurately diagnosed with the phobia to effectively treat the fear of insects. First, an individual must demonstrate an excessive or unreasonable reaction to an insect given the reality of the threat posed by the insect. The phobia can interfere with the ability to perform daily activities accompanied by extreme physical symptoms in the presence of insects. It can also cause significant distress and inhibit the actions needed toward the completion of goals and interfere with a person’s ability to live a normal life. These conditions indicate a phobic response in an individual who requires treatment.
Because phobic reactions are learned responses, therapists commonly use the method of systematic desensitization to eliminate or reduce the fear of insects. The therapist asks the patient to relax and imagine a series of increasingly frightening situations involving insects. After a period of practicing the imagery technique, the feared insect is placed in the patient’s presence and the exposure is gradually increased until the reaction is no longer excessive. The phobic person may be asked to read about the insect, look at pictures of it and touch it. A patient learns to control the fear of insects and the fear can be reduced or eliminated altogether.
Sometimes the fear of insects is closely related to a traumatic experience that a person believes will repeat itself in the future. In this case, it is necessary for a person to control thoughts associated with experience and insects. The patient begins therapy by examining the negative thoughts associated with the insect and writing down those thoughts. After completing this task, the therapist asks the person to find arguments against negative thoughts and reminds the patient that nothing bad can happen. This method usually works best with insect exposure, but the technique can work on its own.
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