Hydrophobia is an extreme fear of drowning that can affect a person’s quality of life. It can cause physical responses such as dry mouth, sweating, and difficulty breathing. The disorder is often caused by past experiences and can be treated with gradual exposure to water, but can be dangerous if dealt with alone.
Hydrophobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by an extreme fear of drowning. The panic is usually so intense that it can have a detrimental effect on a person’s quality of life. People with hydrophobia may sometimes find it uncomfortable to see a large body of water or a swimming pool, and some may even be frightened by smaller things, such as a full bathtub or sink. Individuals with hydrophobia are actually more at risk of drowning than other people who can’t swim, because their panic can be so intense when submerged. When someone has hydrophobia, they are generally so overwhelmed by the extreme of their emotional response that they have a hard time listening to rational arguments against the fear.
One of the differences between hydrophobia and a normal fear of water is the physical element in the reaction. People with hydrophobia have a fairly extreme adrenaline rush, which can cause several physical responses, including dry mouth, sweating, and difficulty breathing. They may feel the urge to close their eyes to avoid looking at the water, and they may also have trouble talking to other people or understanding what someone is saying to them.
The cause of the disorder varies, but usually occurs due to some past experience, often in childhood. A common example would be someone who nearly drowned or fell into the water when they were too young to understand what was happening to them. Extreme experiences like this can potentially cause a person to make lifelong associations about cause and effect, and these associations can lead to irrational behavior later in life.
Dealing with hydrophobia alone can be dangerous due to the risk of drowning. Most treatments will eventually involve immersing an individual in water and this will generally require supervision. Adults with hydrophobia do not usually seek treatment, this is often true with many phobias, because those who suffer are so fearful that even the thought of treatment can be too scary to contemplate. Parents often send their children to therapy, and for this reason, the most effective treatment methods have generally been designed with children in mind.
The most common approach is to gradually expose the person to water while helping them deal with the mental triggers that create their fear. Individuals may start with something like a sauna or bathtub and gradually work their way up to larger water sources, such as swimming pools and lakes. The therapist will try to develop a good level of comfort with each step before moving forward. Using this method, some people are able to get rid of the phobia completely, while others are only able to make the fear less crippling. Success rates can vary a lot because the intensity of phobias can be different from person to person.
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