Atomosophobia (fear of a nuclear explosion): symptoms and treatment

Atomosophobia is a clear example that human beings can develop extreme fears of highly improbable phenomena. This mental alteration is based on the fear of atomic explosions, something that the vast majority of the population has never experienced or will ever experience.

Let's see what are the symptoms and causes of atomosophobia, as well as the possible psychological treatments associated with this disorder.

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

What is atomosophobia?

Atomosophobia, or phobia of nuclear explosions, is a type of anxiety disorder belonging to the group of specific phobias.

In it, what produces a intense fear is the expectation of a nuclear explosion in a nearby place. This means that the symptoms of the disorder do not manifest only if you attend one of these explosions, but can appear practically in any context, as long as intrusive ideas related to this kind of catastrophes come to be in the focus of attention of the person.

It must be taken into account that phobias are disorders because

in them there is a fear of something that should not be feared with that intensity, since it does not pose a danger. In the case of nuclear explosions, it is clear that they are dangerous, but in this case the problem is a matter of probability: what should not be feared is the risk of an imminent and nearby nuclear explosion, since it is most likely that it will not produce.

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

Causes

As in the rest of the phobias, there is no specific and unique cause that is the same in all cases, but there are a variety of situations that can lead to the development of these disorders and make their symptoms manifest. keep.

Exposure to a traumatic experience related to real or imagined nuclear explosions is one cause. This association between the experience and a highly anxious emotional state can be realized in the most elaborate ways.

For example, when experiencing the collapse of a house up close, which is similar to the explosion of a bomb, or when seeing someone die of cancer to a loved one, in which case the most distressing element of the nuclear explosion would be the radiation that would leave your passed.

It must be taken into account that phobias are based on mechanics of fear and anxiety that in most cases they are useful for survival, but that in certain cases can degenerate and give way to psychopathology.

This means that these anxiety disorders are not something that can be controlled through rationality, but start from the emotional facet. that has been for millions of years at the core of the functioning of the nervous system and without whose existence we could not understand the human mind.

Symptoms

As regards the symptoms, these are the usual ones in any type of phobia, and they all have to do with a strong anxiety response to a real or imagined stimulus.

On the one hand, there are the physiological symptoms. These are increased blood pressure and respiratory rate, tremors, cold sweats, nausea, and the possibility of losing consciousness.

On the other hand, there is the psychological component, in which obsessive ideas based on the image of the nuclear explosion stand out, and the inability to direct attention to anything else while the crisis lasts, as well as the feeling of fear.

Finally we have the purely behavioral part, in which the behaviors of flight and avoidance of the phobic stimulus stand out.

Treatment

Fortunately, phobias have a good prognosis if they are treated with the help of professional psychologists.

In this sense, the most common techniques to treat this type of disorder in which we find atomosophobia are systematic desensitization and the exhibition. Both are based on the idea of ​​exposing the person to the phobic stimulus in a controlled situation, under supervision of the psychotherapist, and going from the situations that are easiest to deal with to the most difficult.

In the case of atomosophobia, since it is not possible to find the phobic stimulus in real life, the most useful thing is take advantage of forms of virtual reality based on a three-dimensional graphics engine.

On the other hand, in parallel, ways of psychological intervention that appeal to the cognitive component and mental schemes can be used. For this, cognitive restructuring is used, linked in this case to the improvement of self-esteem and self-efficacy.

Bibliographic references:

• Cavallo, v. (1998). International Handbook of Cognitive and Behavioral Treatments for Psychological Disorders. pergamon.
• Myers, K. M., Davis, M. (2007). "Mechanisms of fear extinction". Molecular Psychiatry. 12 (2): p. 120 - 150.