Aquaphobia is an extreme fear of water that can interfere with a person’s quality of life. It can be caused by traumatic events, cultural conditions, or exposure to media. Treatment options include psychotherapy, such as systematic desensitization. The term “hydrophobia” is not used to describe this fear as it is already associated with symptoms of late-stage rabies.
Aquaphobia is a fear of water. Many people have a certain fear and respect for water, recognizing that it can be dangerous in some circumstances. For a person with aquaphobia, this normal, healthy fear becomes extreme and can interfere with their quality of life. For example, a person with aquaphobia might avoid driving on bridges, swimming, boating, or even being near a body of water.
Individuals with aquaphobia sometimes acknowledge that their fear of water is not entirely rational, yet the fear is not within their control. Even when water poses no immediate threat, feelings of discomfort and anxiety such as rapid heart rate, sweating, nausea, hyperventilation and tremors can be experienced. The patient cannot suppress or overcome these feelings and may have an extreme reaction to being splashed with water or being forced into contact with water.
There are a number of potential causes for aquaphobia. People who have experienced traumatic events in and around water, or have heard of such events, may develop a fear of water. This fear can also be cultivated by watching movies or reading books where people drown or get attacked in water. Cultural conditions can also lead to aquaphobia. For example, people growing up in desert climates may find the sight of large bodies of water intimidating or traumatic.
Some individuals with aquaphobia experience fear on such a subconscious level that they may not be aware of it. They will avoid situations where water is present, sometimes inventing creative ways to evade the water, but they may not recognize that fear is behind the avoidance. In other cases, people are well aware of their fear and choose avoidance so as not to experience emotional distress.
Like other social phobias, aquaphobia can be treated, often with psychotherapy. There are several approaches to treatment that patients can explore with healthcare professionals to find the method that works best for them. Systematic desensitization is one option, where the patient is slowly exposed over time to the source of the phobia so that they can unlearn the fear associated with it. This technique can start with photographs or water drawings, slowly working up to a step like visiting a pool or beach.
People may wonder why the term “hydrophobia” is not used to describe the fear of water, given that “hydro” is a commonly used root that can be seen in many water-related words such as hydrodynamics, hydroelectricity, and hydrology. “Water phobia” is already well established in the use of the word as a term referring to some of the characteristic symptoms of late-stage rabies, so a new word has been coined to clearly distinguish between a social phobia characterized by a fear of water and the symptoms of anger.
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