Pselismophobia (fear of stuttering): symptoms, causes and treatment

Pselismophobia is the intense and persistent fear of stuttering.. It is a fear that usually aggravates and prolongs the stutter itself. It is also a fear related to social phobias.

Below we will see what psellismophobia is, what are some of its main characteristics and causes, as well as the most common treatment for social phobias.

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

Pselismophobia: fear of stuttering

The word "psellismophobia" or "pselismophobia" is made up of the term "psellismo" which means "stuttering" and "phobos" which means "fear". In this sense, pselismophobia is the persistent and irrational fear of stuttering (a disorder of fluency of speech). Is about a phobia related to different fears of engaging in verbal interactions, as the glossophobia, lalilophobia or lalophobia.

Due to the above, pselismophobia is frequently considered a type of social phobia or a characteristic of the latter. Social phobia, for its part, is characterized by an intense, persistent and excessive fear of one or more social situations, as well as the obligation to perform actions in front of others.

This can happen to known or unknown people, but the fear is not the people or the interaction itself, but the humiliation, the discomfort and the possibility of being compared or evaluated.

• You may be interested in: "Social phobia: what is it and how to overcome it?"

main symptoms

In social phobia, the most common feared situations are public speaking, starting or maintaining conversations with new people, speaking with authority figures, being interviewed, and going to parties. Exposure to these generates anxiety and its corresponding physiological correlate: sweating, increased heart rate, hyperventilation, decreased gastrointestinal activity, etc., and sometimes panic attacks.

Other of the most frequent manifestations are dry mouth, nervous contractions and flushing. Frequently, these responses are generated in an anticipatory manner, that is, before exposure to social interactions. Likewise, these responses are a consequence of the activity of different systems such as the autonomic nervous system, the cognitive system and the behavioral system.

To counteract the anxiety response, the person generates different avoidance behaviors to social interaction. The latter ends up having a significant and negative impact on their daily activities. In fact, it is this last criterion (the discomfort that significantly interferes in the person's life) that makes the difference between a social phobia and social anxiety (also called shyness).

When it comes to adults, the intensity and disproportion of fear are easily recognized, but when it occurs in children, this recognition does not occur.

• Related article: "Stuttering (dysphemia): symptoms, types, causes and treatment"

Causes

social phobias usually develop in adolescence (frequently around the age of 15). The latter may be linked precisely to this stage of development, where the situations that imply an external evaluation increase significantly. The above coupled with the demands generated by new environments and the need to establish certain roles in a social system beyond the family.

In addition, social phobias occur more frequently among women, which may be related to western values ​​where shyness is incompatible with the masculine role, but it is socially accepted in the female. On the other hand, it is more common for them to occur in people of lower socioeconomic status, a matter which may indicate discomfort related to hierarchies and unequal power relations (Bados, 2009).

In the specific case of pselismophobia, it is important to consider that the fear of stuttering itself is one of the main causes of persistent stuttering. As such, it can trigger a constant avoidance of talking and interacting with other people, especially if it involves the situations described above.

In this sense, beyond being a particular phobia, pselismophobia is, on the one hand, one of the causes of stuttering, and on the other, it is one of the manifestations of social phobia. Thus, to know the specific causes of fear of stuttering it is necessary to explore the persistent fear of broader social situations.

Treatment

Among the most widely used treatments for social phobias is live exposure in the natural environment, exposure by imagination, social skills training, cognitive restructuring, self-instructional training, applied relaxation techniques, virtual reality and simulation (Bados, 2009).

Likewise, stress reduction techniques typical of the cognitive behavioral model have recently been used. such as supportive educational therapy with explanations, demonstrations and discussions about the determinants of phobia. Regarding maintenance program group therapy approaches have also been undertaken, once the anxiety before social interaction has decreased (ibidem).

Finally, and considering the prevalence, it may be important to explore and work on empowerment from a critique of values. gender and socioeconomic inequalities, so that social interactions can flow more safely and assertiveness.