Fear is a basic instinct inherent in any creature on the planet that allows you to survive. However, people can still observe imaginary fears, that is, fear of a fictitious threat. At the same time, the same behavioral reactions are observed in a person, as if there was a real danger.
Sometimes the most improbable threats become a reason for fear, up to a disease, even such as HIV. In fact, this disease has a rather limited number of transmission routes, but in society the pathology is practically demonized and there is no tolerance for the sick. When a person has an obsessive fear of contracting HIV infection, then we can already talk about a phobia that requires the intervention of a psychotherapist.
Manifestations of a phobia
Symptoms of speedophobia are manifested in the following behavioral reactions:
- obsessive fear of being infected;
- endless analyzes and testing in specialized medical institutions;
- constant study of the literature on the topic of infection;
- endless conversations with other people aboutAIDS.
The most dangerous thing in such a situation is that a person really feels unhappy, because he believes that he is in constant danger. But in fact, he has a real depression, to the point that the immune system really falls into a depressed state. Such people do not perceive logical arguments, cannot calm down, that is, they find themselves in an irrational state.
Possible causes
The cause of speedophobia is hypochondria. It is more correct to say that this is one of the varieties of hypochondria, that is, the fear of getting sick with something. This is due to the fact that there is a lot of prejudice around HIV. The disease is presented as very scary and incurable, and the degree of transmission of infection is too exaggerated.
If you really want, then everyone can find similar symptoms with AIDS. For example, chronic fatigue. But who does not suffer from it, especially in a big and noisy city? Enlarged lymph nodes, skin rashes, or symptoms of the common cold are very similar symptoms to HIV. Naturally, when such symptoms appear, one can assume the presence of this terrible disease.
By the way, speedophobia and lymph nodes are almost inseparable concepts, since most patients observe an increase in lymph nodes in themselves and constantly feel them, although in fact there is no change in size.
Another reason for the appearance of a mental disorder can be cheating on your partner, using drugs or other actions thatcan indeed lead to infection.
Risk group
Most often, this phobia occurs in men at the dawn of their powers, who engage in casual sex. At risk are people with a fragile psyche or who once suffered psychological trauma, people with constant anxiety.
It cannot be said that there are statistical data on this type of disease, because not every person who feels the symptoms of speedophobia goes to the doctor. But the most dangerous thing in this situation is that a person, even having received a negative answer, still does not trust medical research and deep down continues to believe that there is an infection in his body.
How to understand that there is a problem
The phenomenon of speedophobia can be characterized by signs that should be the reason for seeking psychological help:
- any discomfort is perceived as a symptom of developing HIV infection;
- testing at least once every 6 months;
- complete confidence in the incorrectness of the analyzes;
- fear that the disease has some rare form that is unknown to science and cannot be determined by standard tests;
- spending huge amounts of money on all sorts of tests;
- contact the trust service;
- active visits to thematic sites and watching programs on AIDS.
Curse of the Internet
It's not that the Internet is evil, but for hypochondriacal individuals it is realcurse.
As we have already found out, the symptoms of AIDS phobia are similar to those of HIV, and a person is constantly looking for them in himself. And the Internet provides almost unlimited information on this disease. And in this case, it is not so important which disease a person has chosen. Such people, simply without looking up, read any information about HIV until they finally intimidate themselves. Some spidophobes can boast of knowledge that not every doctor has. But there are many pseudo-medical sites on the net, where information is laid out that has no connection with scientific research and observations! And in such situations, a person with a phobia is not lost: if there are disagreements in information from different sources, then the problem has not been fully studied, therefore, it can be assumed that a negative answer after the test is erroneous, etc.
Destructive Impact
It is believed that the symptoms of speedophobia are equally common in both women and men aged 20 to 30 years. But the most dangerous thing about this disease is that a person harms himself and faces many negative aspects.
Firstly, such people spend too much money on medical research that they do not need at all. In addition to direct tests for HIV infection, they are tested for immune status, viral load, and the worst thing is that they can even use drugs that are not indicated to them at all! That is, they actually harm their he alth.
Second,speedophobes perceive any ailment as severe pain. A small migraine will feel like a major headache that is very difficult to deal with.
Thirdly, such people are in a state of constant stress, and this is insomnia, increased heart rate, skin rashes. As a result, the spidophobe perceives all these negative factors as symptoms of HIV.
How to get rid of
A logical question arises: how to overcome speedophobia and is it even possible? In fact, getting rid of the obsessive state is quite realistic, there is even a big chance that speedophobia will recede on its own. Although in most cases it is not recommended to hope that after the next negative test result there will be calm and the person will return to normal life, it is also not recommended. It's best to see a doctor.
Classification
Before you decide how to get rid of speedophobia, you should understand which group the patient belongs to. To date, there are two of them.
- Hypochondriacs who know little about HIV infection. Persons falling into this category are considered the easiest patients. All they have to do is explain how they can get infected and prove that the tests are 100% reliable. As a rule, such people, getting rid of fear, get rid of hypochondria.
- Experts. These are severe patients who know almost everything about the disease. They even know about HIV subtypes, it's hard to argue with them, let alone convince them.
The role of family and friends
Huge role in healing fromspeedophobia is played by people who surround a sick person. In no case should you swear, it is best to contact a psychotherapist and find out how to help the patient. After all, it will not be possible to even bring such a person to a psychologist immediately, because he is completely sure that his pathology is not associated with a mental disorder, but with the presence of HIV infection in the body.
Family and friends should also understand that people with obsessive fear need so-called free ears, so they should be given the opportunity to speak out.
Psychotherapy
Group therapy gives good results, where the patient can hear stories of AIDS phobia from completely strangers and understand that he is not sick with HIV, but he has hypochondria.
The advantage of group therapy is not only in saving money on a psychotherapist, but also in the fact that by visiting such groups, a person learns to communicate normally with others and acquires new social skills. In the group, you can look at the problem through the eyes of completely strangers. Yes, and the patient himself sees the reaction of other people to their own behavior.
On the other hand, group therapy has a drawback that does not allow it to be called a panacea for all psychological problems. After all, not every person, because of his personal qualities, is able to share his problem with completely strangers. In such cases, individual psychological counseling is needed.
In the vast majority of cases, individual psychotherapy involves the use of cognitive behavioral therapy or processing desensitization techniqueseye movement information. In any case, the doctor determines the tactics of treatment individually, depending on the degree of hypochondria.
Drug therapy
In no case should you prescribe antidepressants to yourself, as they have many side effects. Recent studies have shown that inhibitors help in the fight against the symptoms of AIDS phobia. These medicines can slow down some chemical reactions in the body and, as a result, relieve a person of depression and obsessive fear.
Occupational Therapy
This method of treatment is subject even to the relatives of a sick person. The same harvesting on a personal plot allows you to forget about your problems, and even more far-fetched ones. After a whole day in the garden, a person will probably have pain in the limbs, joints, but not at all from a far-fetched problem.
What should the patient do himself
First of all, the speed phobe must realize that he does not have HIV, but the fear of contracting it. You do not need to constantly feel your lymph nodes, look for some far-fetched symptoms. It is necessary to stop visiting sites dedicated to HIV infection. And if you have a headache, it's better not to sit down at the computer and look for the cause, but just take a walk in the fresh air.
Recommended to read David Adam's book "The Man Who Couldn't Stop". David in his book describes his life and the fight against speedophobia in an accessible language. To date, the book is recognized as the best: in itThe psychological state of a person with a similar mental disorder is described as truthfully as possible.
Spidophobia and medical ethics
In the modern world, there is another problem: the medical workers themselves become the cause of the appearance of speedophobia in people. They allow the disclosure of medical secrets, refuse to help people who really have HIV. Along with this, they escalate the situation among patients and become the so-called conductors of fear of the disease.
Despite the huge number of legislative acts adopted at the state and international level, nevertheless, some representatives of medicine, instead of real help, only increase the fear of spidophobia. Therefore, at the slightest distrust of the doctor, you should refuse his services and turn to another specialist.
