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, although unpleasant, most useful for survival. Thanks to him we can prepare to fight or flee to avoid dangerous stimuli.

However, sometimes an irrational or disproportionate fear of stimuli may appear or not dangerous or that although they may pose a danger, the risk of facing it is not as high as what it is feared. One of the latter is the panic that appears in electrophobia, about which we are going to talk next.

• Related article: "Types of Phobias: Exploring Fear Disorders"

Electrophobia: basic definition

It receives the name of electrophobia to a specific type of phobia, in which it appears an extreme fear or dread of electricity.

As a specific phobia, it supposes the existence of an irrational and / or disproportionate fear towards a certain 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 may experience crisis of anxiety.

The fear that people with electrophobia have is usually towards electricity or towards being electrocuted, although usually extended 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 flight of 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). You will also tend to avoid plugs.

This avoidance will generate a great impact on the subject, given the high prevalence of the use of electricity in our day to day. Many jobs or leisure systems can be highly anxious for these people, in addition to causing difficulties in using or fixing tools, instruments or electrical appliances if necessary. In some cases there may even be anguish at the idea of ​​using necessary electrical elements for the health of the subject, such as devices that use electrodes, respirators or certain implants.

• You may be interested: "Types of Anxiety Disorders and their characteristics"

Causes of this phobia

Electrophobia is a highly disabling specific phobia in today's society. Its causes are not totally clear, although there are different hypotheses in this regard.

The truth is that contrary to what happens with other phobias, this fear is to some extent logical since it really poses a danger: we can actually get electrocuted if we handle 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 related to electricity: many of us have sometimes received a spark when handling electrical material, and in some people the fear of what could have happened if the electric current was greater may appear.

Too electricity may be associated with the experience of traumatic events: having seen someone die electrocuted (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 have been tortured. In these cases, pain and helplessness can be associated with electricity and fear and anxiety appear in the presence of electricity.

Treatment

Electrophobia can have serious repercussions on the daily life of the patient, so looking for an effective treatment to solve it is necessary.

One of the most successful therapies in treating both this and other phobias is exposure therapy. For this, a hierarchy of exposure has to be carried out, that is, to draw up an ordered list of anxiety-generating situations. It is important to bear in mind that the objective is not not to feel anxiety but to acquire the ability to manage it (something that in the long run will probably cause the disappearance of fear and anxiety).

In the case at hand, obviously, we will not electrocute the patient, but a hierarchy can be developed that integrates, for example, observing and being at different distances from an electrical outlet or cables, plugging or unplugging appliances, or using any appliance that requires electricity.

Mild electrical stimulation may also be used in the form of mild, controlled shocks that cannot cause harm, in a controlled environment. It must be taken into account that some items that the patient may imagine should be avoided since they can be dangerous, in which case they should be rethought.

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 that is challenging. Exposure to a specific item will be carried out until the level of anxiety before the exposure is greatly reduced and perhaps imperceptible in two consecutive tests.

Together with the previous therapy, cognitive restructuring is usually useful, in order to work on the patient's beliefs. It involves first looking at the patient's beliefs about electricity and the risk it poses, and work 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 fear of it means for the patient, when it originated and what is considered to have caused it. Also its negative and positive consequences. All this will allow working both with the previous techniques and with other alternatives.