Electrophobia (fear Of Electricity): Symptoms, Causes And Treatment
Fear is one of the oldest sensations and emotions in the animal kingdom and one of the most useful, although unpleasant, for survival. Thanks to it we can prepare to fight or flee to avoid dangerous stimuli.
However, sometimes an irrational or disproportionate fear may appear towards stimuli that are either not dangerous or that, although they may pose a danger, the risk of facing it is not as high as what is feared. One of the latter is the panic that appears in electrophobia which we are going to talk about below.
A type of specific phobia is called electrophobia, in which an extreme fear or dread of electricity
As a specific phobia, it implies the existence of an irrational and/or disproportionate fear of a specific stimulus or type of stimulation, in this case the aforementioned electricity. Exposure to the stimulus or the simple idea of ​​coming into contact with it generates great anxiety in the person, to the point of generating physiological symptoms such as hyperventilation, tachycardia, dizziness, nausea and vomiting and potentially experiencing anxiety crises.
The fear that people with electrophobia have is usually towards electricity or the fact of being electrocuted, although It usually spreads by association to most plugged-in electrical appliances Occasionally, a fear or phobia of thunderstorms may also appear, as a closely related phobia.
Symptoms
The great fear and anxiety generated by the stimulus causes an active avoidance or escape from it and everything that may be related to it. In the specific case of electrophobia, the subject will tend to avoid approaching or using most electrical devices, approaching high voltage towers or lightning rods or manipulating cables or the electrical installation of the home (for example, thermal ones). He will also tend to avoid plugs.
This avoidance will have a great impact on the subject, given the high prevalence of electricity use in our daily lives. Many jobs or leisure activities can be highly anxiety-inducing for these people , in addition to causing difficulties in using or fixing tools, instruments or appliances if necessary. In some cases there may even be anxiety at the idea of ​​using electrical elements necessary for the subject’s health, such as those devices that use electrodes, respirators or certain implants.
Causes of this phobia
Electrophobia is a highly disabling specific phobia in a society like today’s. Its causes are not completely clear, although there are different hypotheses in this regard.
The truth is that unlike what happens with other phobias, this fear is to some extent logical since it really poses a danger: we can really be electrocuted if we manipulate electrical devices. However, this does not imply that fear and avoidance of electronic instruments are not disproportionate to the real risk of electrocution.
The emergence of this phobia may be due to the experience of aversive experiences linked to electricity: many of us have sometimes received a spark while handling electrical material, and in some people the fear of what could have happened if the current was greater may appear. electrical.
Also It is possible that electricity is associated with the experience of traumatic events : having seen someone die by electrocution (by accident or suicide), having lost a loved one for this reason, having had an accident that generated feelings of helplessness or that took the subject or acquaintances to the hospital or even having been tortured. In these cases, pain and helplessness may be associated with electricity and fear and anxiety may appear in the presence of electricity.
Electrophobia can have serious repercussions on the patient’s daily life, so seeking an effective treatment to solve it is necessary.
One of the most successful therapies in the treatment of both this and other phobias is exposure therapy To do this, an exposure hierarchy must be created, that is, creating an ordered list of anxiety-generating situations. It is important to keep in mind that the goal is not to not feel anxiety but to acquire the ability to manage it (something that in the long run will probably cause the fear and anxiety to disappear).
In the case at hand, we will obviously not electrocute the patient, but a hierarchy can be developed that includes, for example, observing and being at different distances from a plug or electrical cables, plugging or unplugging devices, or using a device that requires electricity. .
Light electrical stimulation could also be used in the form of mild, controlled discharges that cannot cause harm, in a controlled environment. It must be taken into account that some items that the patient can imagine should be avoided since they may be dangerous, in which case they should be reconsidered.
Once the hierarchy is done, an exhibition will be made gradually , starting with items that generate an intensity that does not generate excessive fear but is challenging. Exposure to a specific item will be carried out until the level of anxiety regarding the exposure is greatly reduced and is perhaps imperceptible in two consecutive trials.
Along with the previous therapies, cognitive restructuring is usually useful, in order to work on the patient’s beliefs. It is about first observing the patient’s beliefs regarding electricity and the risk it poses, and working to find a less threatening and more realistic interpretation of anxiety situations with respect to the possible risk.
In any case, it will always be necessary to assess what their fear means to the patient, when it originated and what is considered to have caused it. Also its consequences, both negative and positive. All of this will allow you to work both with the previous techniques and with other alternatives.
