The aichmophobia It is a specific type of phobia in which the person fears sharp things in an irrational, excessive and disproportionate way. People with aichmophobia may fear any sharp or pointed object.
Pencils, needles, and knives appear to be the most prevalent phobic stimuli for aicmophobia. However, subjects with this alteration may also fear other objects such as the tips of umbrellas, the sharp corners of any object, or even their fingers..
Thus, the feared elements in aichmophobia can be very varied, and the individual with this alteration presents high anxiety responses whenever he is exposed to each one of them..
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Aichmophobia is a rare type of specific phobia, an anxiety disorder that few people in society suffer from..
The main characteristic of the disorder is to experience high sensations of fear whenever the individual is exposed to sharp or pointed objects.
In this sense, the subject with aichmophobia may fear a large number of elements. The fear and anxiety that they experience when they come into contact with sharp objects is so high that the person will try to avoid exposure to these elements whenever possible..
However, due to the wide variety of feared objects, it is often difficult for the person with aichmophobia to avoid exposure to their phobic stimuli. For this reason, aichmophobia is a disorder that can seriously affect the functioning and well-being of the individual..
When the person is exposed to sharp elements, they develop an intense anxiety response, characterized mainly by physical and behavioral symptoms.
To be able to speak of aichmophobia it is necessary that the person present two main conditions.
The first is to experience fear of sharp objects. The second is that the fear experienced is phobic. In this sense, the fear suffered by a person with aichmophobia is characterized by being:
The fear that the person experiences has nothing to do with the actual threats of the object or situation. In most cases the sharp object does not constitute a risk to the person.
However, the individual with aichmophobia interprets sharp objects as highly threatening whenever they detect their presence.
The typical fear of aicmophobia is disproportionate because it is governed by irrational thoughts. In this way, the feelings of fear are not congruent or coherent.
This element is identifiable even for the subject who suffers from aichmophobia, who is aware that his fear of sharp objects is irrational.
The feelings of fear of aicmophobia appear automatically and uncontrollably. The individual is unable to manage his fear and can do nothing so that it does not appear when he comes into contact with his feared elements.
Finally, the fear of aicmophobia is characterized by being persistent. This appears invariably whenever the subject is exposed to sharp elements and does not remit with the passage of time.
The main characteristic of the symptoms of aichmophobia is anxiety. Fear of sharp objects elicits a series of intense and unpleasant anxious responses.
In general, the symptoms of aichmophobia can be categorized into three large groups: physical symptoms, cognitive symptoms and behavioral symptoms..
Physical symptoms refer to a series of modifications in the normal functioning of the body. These occur as a consequence of the fear experienced and their appearance is due to an increase in the activity of the autonomic nervous system of the brain..
Although the physical symptoms of aichmophobia may vary slightly in each case, a person with this alteration may present any of the following symptoms when exposed to its phobic elements.
Cognitive symptoms encompass a large number of irrational and negative thoughts that the person develops regarding their feared elements.
The individual with aichmophobia presents a series of cognitions highly remote from reality about the danger that sharp objects can cause and the personal capacities to be able to cope with them.
Finally, aicmophobia is a disorder that is characterized by negatively affecting the behavior of the person.
In this sense, the most prevalent behavioral symptom is avoidance. The subject with aichmophobia will do everything possible to avoid, at all times, contact with sharp elements.
However, this activity is often highly complex on many occasions. When the person with aicmophobia cannot avoid contact with their phobic elements, they will experience a heightened anxiety response that can often lead to escape behaviors.
The causes of aichmophobia are poorly studied today. However, many specialists agree that the etiology of this disorder could be the same as that of other phobic disorders.
In this sense, having experienced traumatic experiences related to sharp objects, or having visualized negative images or having received alarming information about these types of objects could be important factors for the development of aichmophobia.
As with most phobic disorders, the first-line treatment for aichmophobia is psychotherapy..
Cognitive behavioral treatment is a type of psychological intervention that is based on the subject's exposure to its phobic elements. The exposure of the person with aichmophobia to sharp objects allows them to get used to these elements and gradually overcome the phobic fear..
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