Anatidaephobia: the "joking" phobia related to ducks

There are many stimuli and situations in the world that can generate fear. The fact of having it is in most cases adaptive, since it is an emotion that induces responses in us. active to face a possible threat or to flee from it, allowing our survival and adaptation to the situations.

However, sometimes the panic reaction that can be experienced before a stimulus is excessive in comparison to the threat that the stimulus poses, or the stimulus in question does not represent any danger to the subject in question. question. This is what happens to subjects who suffer from phobias. Among them there are some that are more understood than others, which can sometimes be socially valued as rare or extravagant. in fact, fictitious phobias have been elaborated in order to generate a comic counterpoint to this type of pathology.

An example of the latter is Anatidaephobia: the fear of being watched by a duck. This concept gives us the opportunity to differentiate between probable and improbable phobias. And it is that some of these anxiety disorders are so specific that they seem pure fiction.

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What is anatidaephobia?

The term anatidaephobia refers to a fictional specific phobia On the one hand, it brings together characteristics of that specific phobia of animals and, on the other, of a situational type. Specifically, we are talking about the fear of being watched by a duck.

As a specific phobia (of little lies), it supposes the existence of panic and fear of a stimulus or type of specific stimulation, causing exposure to the stimulus or the idea that it will appear at a very high level of anxiety. Said anxiety can generate different physiological symptoms such as headache, hypertension, increased heart rate and breathing, sweating, fainting or even anxiety attacks. Also, to avoid these sensations the subject who suffers from it usually flees or performs avoidance behaviors, or bear them with a very high discomfort.

In the case at hand, anatidaephobia, the term that identifies it was invented by a cartoonist.

The supposed affectation generated by anatidaephobia can be variable. Most people have little contact with these birds, and it is not common to find them, something that in appearance will make it difficult for this fear to generate great difficulties, beyond the avoidance of parks, ponds and lakes. However, the fear in question would appear when being observed by these birds, something that would include the possibility of being observed without realizing it. Thus it would be possible for avoidance behaviors to appear even in less obvious places, such as the street (it is a bird with the ability to fly after all). In addition to this, it can generate relational problems, derived from the possible ridicule of their fear.

However... What is it, specifically, that makes this phobia a joke unlike other real ones that seem so specific to be absurd? The key is in its possible causes.

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Causes

The causes of the existence of different phobias have been the subject of scientific discussion throughout history, developing different theoretical perspectives and models in this regard.

Among them would be, in the case of animal and situational phobias, Seligman's theory of preparation. This author considered that a possible explanation of phobias would be linked to heredity, because our ancestors would have learned and transmitted the propensity to react with fear to stimuli that threatened their survival, as occurs with spiders and scorpions and even some kind of bird

In this sense, using imagination, the phobia in question could have an evolutionary meaning in part: ducks They are flying animals that could be compared to birds of prey, which are capable of stalking us from above. high. However, the reality is that it makes little sense to develop an innate psychological mechanism of this kind. First, because birds of prey do not and have not hunted humans (with the possible exception of Haast's eagle, now extinct). Second, because even if there were birds that posed a danger, this would have to be very important to compensate for always being alert in case a bird is watching us. And third, because it does not make sense to develop this fear only in the case of ducks, and not in other carnivorous birds.

Another of the great perspectives taken into account when acquiring a phobia is the learning and internalization of the fear of a specific stimulus. This is possible, for example, when experiencing or visualizing an aversive experience, especially if it occurs during childhood. In anatidaephobia, it could occur that in childhood we had been attacked by a duck at some point, after having been observing us, and that we associated his observation with the pain or fear felt during the attack. Another option can occur in people who have been humiliated or performed or suffered an act that embarrasses them, in the presence of these animals. But this is unlikely enough that it would be foolish to create such a diagnostic label.

What treatments are used in phobias?

As with the rest of phobias, the most indicated therapies in the case of anatidaephobia, if it exists, would be exposure therapy or systematic desensitization. Said therapy is based on gradual exposure to the feared stimulus through following an elaborate hierarchy between professional and client, in such a way that little by little the subject is exposed to situations that generate anxiety (starting with those that generate medium anxiety to progress little by little). bit).

In the case at hand, for example, items such as going to a park, going to a farm, observing to a duck at different distances and with supervision, then without supervision and later incorporating more birds. However, this is an example, the hierarchy in question depending on the stimuli provided by the patient or elaborated together with the professional.

Cognitive restructuring is also helpful to modify dysfunctional beliefs about these birds or what it might mean to be observed by them. Likewise, expressive techniques could be useful to help those affected to free themselves and express their discomfort. Lastly, the relaxation techniques They are highly recommended to reduce the level of activation, and in extreme cases pharmacological treatment can also be used.