Every second of his life a person hears sounds. Their sources can be conversations, radio and TV programs, ticking clocks. All these noises create a certain background. Many people cannot imagine their life without it. In the absence of sounds, some individuals develop a fear of silence.
Features of pathology
Every person is familiar with the state of fear. However, if this feeling occurs frequently and interferes with a normal life, experts speak of a mental disorder. One of these pathologies is the fear of silence. This fear is called silenophobia. It consists in the inability to normally perceive the absence of sounds. People refuse to be in a quiet place. They seek to constantly receive information from the outside world. For this, audio books, radio, telephone conversations, TV are used. With a phobia of silence, the absence of sound stimuli provokes discomfort. Indeed, in this situation, a person is left alone with his emotions. In severe cases, the state of discomfort causes even the performance of a written test and being inlibrary.
Causes for the development of the disorder
Technical devices are constantly present in the life of a modern individual. Background sounds fill every second of human existence. Persons who are afraid of silence cannot safely be in a lonely hut in the middle of a forest or in protected areas.
This environment makes them uncomfortable. Today, many people face the same problem. The question of what a phobia is called - the fear of silence - and why it occurs is quite relevant. Experts say that the phenomenon is associated with negative or dangerous events.
The most common causes of the disorder are:
- Strong fright in childhood. Many caring mothers and fathers try to protect the sleeping baby from sound stimuli as much as possible. They make double glazing, install soft flooring, turn off the radio. In the absence of noise, even a pencil falling or a door creaking can cause a child to feel fear.
- Use isolation from sound stimuli as punishment. The fear of silence develops in babies who were locked in basements, pantries, closets, dark rooms.
- Associations. They are often associated with reading books or watching horror films, in which, after a long absence of sound stimuli, frightening events occurred to the characters.
- Problems of a personal nature. Self-doubt, inability to realize aspirations leads to fear of being alone. In this situationa person tries to fill the void, to cope with the flow of negative thoughts. To do this, he turns on the TV or music, talks on the phone.
Other possible causes
Prerequisites for the development of fear of silence are individual. Sometimes negative emotions experienced in early childhood contribute to the emergence of a phobia in an adult. Some people, for example, talk about how the emergence of fear is associated with the news of the death of a relative or other unpleasant events. Such situations are usually accompanied by silence. Therefore, a person experiences fear in the absence of sound stimuli. In addition, parents often scold children for noisy behavior. Babies are naturally energetic and restless. They are always trying to get attention. If a child does not shut up at the request of adults, he is punished.
Sensitive individuals may develop a fear of silence. In addition, the absence of sound stimuli is typical for deserted areas and forests. Superstitious people believe that evil spirits live there. They try to avoid being in places like this.
The causes of the development of fear associated with pathologies
Fear of silence is due to the following ailments:
- Hormon imbalance.
- Disorders of the adrenal glands.
- Depression.
- Delirium.
- Schizophrenic disorder.
Sometimes, under the influence of hallucinations, a person cannot calmly be insilent and unlit room. What is the name of the phobia fear of darkness and silence?
Such phenomena are referred to as "nyctophobia" and "silensophobia", and they are often associated observed in the same person.
Psychological symptoms
The violation in question is accompanied by a change in the behavior and emotional state of the individual. The absence of sound stimuli provokes the following phenomena:
- Panic attacks.
- Feeling helpless.
- Thoughts of suicide.
- Loss of orientation in space.
- The desire to avoid negative emotions.
- Inability to think rationally.
Manifestations of a phobia at the physiological level
Feeling of fear provokes not only mental disorders, but also disorders of the work of various organs and systems. The absence of sound stimuli causes discomfort. A panic attack causes these symptoms:
- Pain in the head.
- Tension muscles.
- Pale skin.
- Feeling broken.
- Dizziness.
- Profuse perspiration.
- Feeling chilly.
- Speed up heart rate.
- Feeling sick, dry mouth.
- Trembling limbs.
- Feeling of muscle stiffness.
- Feeling short of breath.
- Discomfort in the gastrointestinal tract.
How to identify pathology?
Many people sufferingfear of silence, experience its symptoms for several months. Even in the absence of reasons for negative emotions, a person feels discomfort. In addition, pathology often manifests itself in the most common situations. Symptoms of fear increase, at first the fear causes only a slight feeling of anxiety, and then leads to the development of panic attacks. The quality of human life is deteriorating, and well-being is disturbed. The need to listen to music or watch TV before bed robs him of a good night's rest.
If a person notices such signs in himself, he should consult a specialist.
Medicated treatment
Fear of silence is a phobia that, in severe cases, requires the use of drugs. Means must be used as prescribed by the doctor. The following medications are recommended for patients:
- Drugs to combat the symptoms of depression. These include Fluoxetine, Sertraline.
- Beta blockers.
- Psycholeptics ("Busporin").
- Drugs with a sedative effect (Alprazolam, Phenazepam).
Other ways to deal with pathology
To get rid of a phobia helps to work with a specialist in the field of psychotherapy. Classes do not involve the use of drugs. The doctor conducts conversations with a person to determine the cause of fear. There are various methods of dealing with the symptoms of the disorder, for example, art therapy. Individual sessions are the most effective.
