Selacophobia (fear of sharks): symptoms, causes and treatment

If we think of some of the most fearsome predators in the seas and oceans, probably the first creature that comes to mind is the shark.

It is one of the deadliest and most effective predators in the aquatic environment, which has thrived for millions of years. There are many legends and myths that tell us about its powerful jaws and its fame as a man-eater, something that has permeated our society and has made us fear it.

But although it is not strange that there is concern and fear in the presence of these creatures (after all, they are large predators), for some the mere possibility that there may be something that reminds them or even their viewing in photographs can lead to the appearance of crisis of anxiety. We are talking about Selacophobia or extreme fear of sharks.

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Selacophobia as a specific phobia

Receives the name of selacophobia the phobia or panic to sharks or sharks. As a phobia that supposes the existence of an irrational or excessive fear in relation to the potential danger that the appearance or existence of a specific stimulus can suppose. This fear generates a high level of anxiety that tends to cause physiological, cognitive and emotional symptoms.

Symptoms

The fear generated by the possible presence of the stimulus, or of any element associated with it, can lead to tachycardia, hyperventilation, hypersweating and in some cases it could generate anxiety crises (in which thoughts of losing control of one's body, of dying or having a seizure cardiac).

Likewise, this fear and/or the anticipation that the stimulus may appear generates the need to escape the stimulus that makes you think of sharks, or to avoid at all costs any situation or environment in which there may be a risk of the feared stimulus appearing.

In the case of selacophobia, the fear of sharks is part of the specific phobias linked to animals, and in fact could be considered a subspecification of the ichthyophobia or phobia of fish. Thus, the subject with this problem is going to feel intense fear at the sight of sharks, both if it is directly in nature as if it is from movies or even through Photographs.

It should be borne in mind that it is a phobia that has to do with animals and in this case a dangerous one, so the existence of some concern in their presence may be natural. However, the phobic reaction in the case of selacophobia is excessive or remains in situations where there is no real danger that sharks may appear.

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Affectation generated by selacophobia

Although on a day-to-day basis and for most people contact with sharks is not frequent, selacophobia can have important repercussions on the daily life of the person, especially with regard to enjoying leisure in aquatic areas or when hindering the development of certain professions.

The fear of this type of animal causes us to avoid not only the sharks themselves (which are difficult to find on a day-to-day basis), but this fear can generalized and include associated stimuli, such as movements of fins on the surface of the water, jaws or teeth that resemble those of a shark or even the vision or the idea of ​​walking along the coast, going to the beach, bathing or sunbathing near the water or even in some cases seeing bathers or even a board of surfing.

At a professional level, subjects such as marine biologists or lifeguards can see their abilities severely limited due to the fear of having to deal with sharks. Also surfers and swimmers they may end up developing a generalized fear of water by association with the risk of being attacked.

In this sense, a phobia that can appear as associated with selacophobia or ichthyophobia is thalassophobia, or phobia of the ocean or swimming in large bodies of water. In this case, the link would be given by the fact that it would be in this context that it would be possible the real contact with sharks, which makes it very significant and anxiety-producing for the subject with selachophobia. Likewise, the presence of panic towards sharks can contribute to increasing the fear generated by large bodies of water for subjects with thalassophobia.

Causes of fear of sharks

The causes of selacophobia are not completely known, although there are multiple hypotheses and ideas about it, and it is considered that there is no single original cause but that this fear comes from a host of factors.

One of the hypotheses being considered in this regard is Seligman's preparation theory, which stipulates that some phobias have a phylogenetically inherited component that makes it easier for us to fear certain stimuli.

This theory is usually associated with the fear of spiders, snakes or insects, since our ancestors had to learn that some of these creatures were dangerous and could make them sick. death. Those who avoided them would probably have a better chance of survival, so the tendency to avoid them could easily be transmitted.

The same goes for sharks. Although they are not as aggressive as literature and cinema in which they are drawn and the number of deaths they cause is relatively low, the truth is that they are really powerful predators with lethal potential. When our ancestors began to navigate the seas and oceans, meeting these animals could mean death, so fear may have spread in the same way.

Another factor to take into account is the way in which they attack their prey: usually sharks they attack below, from the depths, so that many of their prey cannot see the coming stroke. The surprise and uncertainty of being stalked can increase the level of fear generated by approaching environments where these animals may exist.

In addition to this, another possible explanation or factor to take into account is the existence of some traumatic event that has to do with sharks. Among them can be found having suffered an attack or having witnessed one, having seen a death caused by a shark or the circumstantial association of one of these beings with a moment of great pain or suffering.

In this sense the role of cinema should also be taken into account (in fact there was an upturn in this type of phobia because of the Jaws movies) and fictional literature, where the figure of these beings like murderers who seek to devour human flesh (an exaggerated and erroneous figure, since most of them do not attack human beings except for mistake).

Exposure to this type of film and documents can cause a learning or association between the shark and the death or pain, which can be fixed in a cognitive scheme that awakens with some type of stressful event.

Treatment

Selacophobia is a condition that can fortunately be successfully treated in therapy. As a general rule, phobias are usually treated by exposure therapy or systematic desensitization, which are based on exposure to the phobic stimulus until the anxiety is reduced by itself or through habituation to carry out a behavior incompatible with it.

Both techniques suppose that the subject confronts the phobic stimulus, albeit gradually, and seeks not so much to eliminate the anxiety and fear as well as the achievement of the capacity to manage it successfully (something that in the long run can lead to its disappearance).

For this, a hierarchy of stimuli is established that generate different levels of anxiety, which are are negotiated between therapist and patient and are then ordered based on the level of anxiety generated by each one of them. they. Little by little and starting with those that generate medium anxiety, the subject will face increasingly anxiogenic stimuli (To pass from one stimulus to another, the subject must notify at least two consecutive occasions of the reduction of anxiety to minimal or non-existent levels).

This type of exposure can be complex to carry out in vivo, something that could complicate treatment. Even so, it is possible to make exposures to situations such as walking along the beach, swimming or sailing in the sea or even going to an aquarium to see these animals.

In addition to this, today technological development has allowed the generation of immersive and interactive environments through the use of virtual reality, which can greatly help to treat selacophobia or other phobias whose phobic stimulus is difficult to access. Sometimes imaginative exposure is also used, and sometimes hypnosis is even useful.

Another type of relevant therapy in these cases is cognitive behavioral therapy, specifically cognitive restructuring. Through this, the set of maladaptive or dysfunctional cognitions, fears, expectations and beliefs that can generate or maintain fear can be treated.

Those situations that may have created fear should also be dealt with, especially if we are facing a traumatic event experienced by the subject. Information regarding the danger of sharks and existing myths regarding them should also be discussed.

Relaxation techniques can be helpful to learn to control anxiety levels, as well as being able to be used as an incompatible response to anxiety in systematic desensitization. Finally, if necessary, the use of anxiolytic drugs can be used to reduce anxiety in situations that generate excessive levels of anxiety.

Bibliographic references:

• American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Fifth edition. DSM-V. Massón, Barcelona.