Anthropophobia is an extreme fear of being around other people, leading to isolation and discomfort even with loved ones. Treatment involves therapy and medication to uncover and overcome underlying causes.
Anthropophobia is a condition in which people experience unusual and often extreme difficulty being around other people. This particular phobia goes beyond the more common fear of being in crowded social situations and extends to feeling great discomfort even when being with another person. While some cases of the condition are relatively mild, other situations are so intense that the individual may choose to isolate themselves from any type of direct human contact, limiting their social interaction to handwritten letters and electronic communications.
Normally, it takes a healthcare professional to define anthropophobia as the correct diagnosis for an individual. This is because some of the symptoms of phobia are common responses that most people have to uncomfortable social situations at one time or another. The anthropophobe is often unable to look people in the eye during conversation, often blushes for no apparent reason, and tends to often think that others are making covert judgments about the patient’s physical attributes, intelligence, or style of dress. What is different from a true definition or diagnosis of anthropophobia is that these symptoms are not transient and are often so intense and frequent that the patient is unable to relax even in the company of people he loves and trusts.
As with most types of phobias, professional advice from a qualified therapist is often the basis for any series of anthropophobic treatments undertaken. Due to the nature of the condition, many therapists experienced with this particular phobia may choose to initiate therapy using a medium that does not also function as a trigger. This may include online instant messaging or telephone conversations. Over time, instant messaging can be enhanced with a video connection that allows the patient to interact both visually and verbally with the therapist. Ultimately, therapy takes place with the therapist and patient in the same room.
Medications are also sometimes part of ongoing anthropophobic treatment. Due to the intense emotional painting an anthropophobe experiences, sedatives are sometimes used to alleviate the level of discomfort and allow the individual to experience at least limited social interaction. However, the goal is to uncover the underlying beliefs or events that led to this extreme mindset and to help the patient reverse and ultimately overcome these root causes. As with many phobias, treating anthropophobia is a process that can take a long time, depending on the severity of the condition.
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