OVERVIEW

Megalophobia is an anxiety disorder in which a person experiences intense fear of large objects. people with megalophobia experiences intense fear and anxiety when they see large objects such as large buildings, statues, animals. People who have megalophobia generally fear more than one kind of large object. There are other phobias that are characterized by a fear of something that happens to be large, but its size isn’t the main aspect of the fear. An example is that, if you have an intense fear of the ocean (which is a large “object”) specifically, you may have thalassophobia, the fear of the ocean, and not megalophobia .Megalophobia can affect anyone at any age. megalophobia, are more likely to develop in children and become apparent in adolescents and young adults. There is currently no cure for megalophobia, but exposure therapy, a form of psychological therapy, is successful in treating it. Exposure therapy is considered the first-line treatment for specific phobias in general.

CAUSES

People with phobias often go to extreme lengths to avoid situations that involve what they are afraid of. Researchers aren’t sure what exactly causes megalophobia. They believe that having a negative or traumatic experience that involved a large object may contribute to a person developing megalophobia.

Symptoms

If a person with megalophobia isn’t able to avoid large objects and is near large objects, they may experience the following symptoms:

• Feel intense fear and anxiety.
• Experience a rapid heartbeat.
• Have shortness of breath.
• Feel dizzy and lightheaded.
• Feel nauseous.
• Feel a strong desire to escape the situation.

 

Diagnosis

Megalophobia is diagnosed through a thorough series of questions about the person’s history, experiences and symptoms. Usually, you have to have had experienced persistent fear and anxiety of large objects for at least six months in order to be diagnosed with megalophobia.

Your healthcare provider will likely use the criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a publication by the American Psychiatric Association, to diagnose megalophobia. Your provider will also rule out any other physical or mental health conditions that could be causing your symptoms.

In general, phobias have at least four criteria for diagnosis, including:

• Intense and unreasonable fear: The fear of the object or situation is persistent and out of proportion to an appropriate level of fear.
• Anticipatory anxiety: An individual who has a phobia tends to dwell on or dread future situations or experiences that will involve the object or situation they are afraid of.
• Avoidance: Many people who have a phobia will actively avoid the feared object or situation. Some go to extreme lengths to avoid the thing they are afraid of.
• The phobia interferes with day-to-day activities: The fear the individual experiences has to limit their everyday life in some way in order for it to be diagnosed as a phobia.

Tests

There’s no definitive test to diagnose megalophobia. Instead, your healthcare provider will ask you questions about your history, symptoms and experiences related to your fear of large objects to assess whether or not you have megalophobia.

Management and Treatment

Megalophobia can usually be treated with psychological treatment (psychotherapy) such as exposure therapy and/or cognitive behavioral therapy. It’s not very common, but sometimes people need medications that temporarily relieve symptoms of fear and anxiety in order to cope with fear while they are participating in therapy.

 

Exposure therapy

Exposure therapy is a common form of psychological treatment used to treat specific phobias. People with phobias usually avoid situations that involve the thing they are afraid of. Because of this, they aren’t able to learn that they can manage their fear when presented with their specific phobia or that their feared outcomes often do not happen. Therapists and psychologists use exposure therapy for people who have a phobia to slowly encourage them to enter situations that cause them anxiety and to try to stay in that situation so that they can learn to cope.

If you have megalophobia and participate in exposure therapy, your therapist or psychologist may begin with talking about large objects. They may then gradually move on to showing you pictures of large objects. Next, they may have you look at and be near a large object in person. The process of exposure therapy is slow and gradual. Your therapist or psychologist will tailor the pace of the therapy to your needs.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

CBT is a form of psychological treatment. Through talking and asking questions, your therapist or psychologist helps you gain a different perspective. As a result, you learn to respond better to and cope with the stress and anxiety you feel when you are exposed to things that cause you fear.

 

Medications aren’t usually used to treat specific phobias like megalophobia. But in some cases, people with megalophobia might take medications to temporarily help them relieve symptoms of fear and anxiety when they are going through psychological therapy to treat their phobia. Medications sometimes used to help treat megalophobia include:

• Beta blockers: Some beta blockers are used to treat or prevent physical symptoms of anxiety, such as a fast heart rate.
• Sedatives (benzodiazepines): Benzodiazepines, which are a type of sedative, help you relax and reduce the amount of anxiety you feel.

 

Above article is for information purpose only, if you have any  queries please contact us on query.gtsmeditour.com and get the assistance abroad.