Athephobia (fear of ruins): symptoms, causes and treatment

In the field of anxiety disorders, we know that there are many rare phobias; Surely, many of them we do not even know. Perhaps it is the case of the phobia that we will discuss in this article: athephobia, which consists of the phobia of ruins.

Here we will see what it consists of, what are its predominant symptoms, its causes and possible treatments framed in psychotherapy that we can use to combat it.

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

Athephobia: what is it?

Athephobia is a type of specific phobia, which consists of an intense, irrational and disproportionate fear of ruins.

When we talk about ruins, we mean remains of human architecture. That is, to structures that have collapsed over time, either partially or totally, as a result of depopulation, wars, natural disasters... The ruins do not have to cause fear, although they can acquire a mysterious or "ghostly" air, especially due to the evening.

In scary, horror or suspense movies, for example, ruins are often used as an element to generate some tension

on the viewer. If, in addition, the scenes where ruins appear are set at night, this generates more concern or fear.

disproportionate fear

Still, the ruins are not something that can harm anyone (unless they are actually in a state where that certain structures could fall), and it is for this reason that, by itself, it is not something that "should give fear".

In athephobia, however, there is this intense fear of them. It is important to remember, in this regard, that phobias are usually generated towards objects or situations that do not have to be scary (or that if they do, they do not generate symptoms as intense as in phobias).

Precisely for this reason they are phobias, because they are disproportionate fears of a specific object or situation; Phobias also generate interference in the life of the individual, and cause discomfort, in addition to other symptoms that we will see throughout the article.

• You may be interested in: "The 7 types of anxiety (characteristics, causes and symptoms)"

Symptoms

What are the most frequent symptoms associated with athephobia, beyond discomfort and interference in daily life? Let's meet them.

1. Intense fear or anxiety

The main symptom of athephobia is an intense, irrational and disproportionate fear of ruins. These can be of different types: very old or not so old, big or small...

Fear appears in the presence of the ruins, or in some cases it is only enough to imagine them to feel it. This fear is actually about a feeling of anxiety and anguish generated by the phobic object, and can be of different intensities.

2. Avoidance

The second typical symptom of specific phobias is avoidance of the phobic object or stimulus. Thus, in the case of athephobia, people avoid being in contact with ruins, or near them. You also avoid seeing them on television, in movies, newspapers...

It may be that the person, instead of avoiding them, "confronts them", resisting seeing them or being close to them, although, yes, with high anxiety.

3. psychophysiological symptoms

Psychophysiological symptoms also appear in athephobia, as occurs with most phobias, at the idea of ​​seeing ruins or in the presence of them.

These symptoms translate into various reactions and physical sensations, such as: fast heart rate, sweating, chest tightness, migraines, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, choking, agitation, rapid breathing, feeling of "losing control", fear of dying, etc.

Many times, these symptoms feed back on themselves, and they also feed back on catastrophic thoughts as well. associated with phobias, in this case, of the type: “I will hurt myself”, “something will fall on me”, “there will be someone hidden who will hurt me”. harm”, etc.

Misinterpretation of symptoms

In addition, what often happens in athephobia is that the person feels "something" that makes them uncomfortable at the idea of ​​ruin (or a small fear) and that ends up interpreting these physical (or cognitive) sensations in a very catastrophic way, in a that this "wrong" interpretation of the symptoms ends up generating the symptoms of the phobia.

That is, this whole process ends up becoming a kind of totally maladaptive feedback loop for the person, because the objective reality (phobic object) will not really hurt you (in fact, this is what phobias consist of).

Causes

The most probable and frequent cause of athephobia is a potentially traumatic event or situation experienced in some ruins. For example: getting lost in them, being scared in them, getting hurt when something fell, having been very scared in them for "X" reason, etc.

However, a traumatic event is not the only probable cause of athephobia; This may also have developed as a result of hearing negative stories lived in ruins (for example through television, from friends, relatives, books...). That is to say, phobias can also be acquired through vicarious or verbal conditioning.

Watching movies where very negative things happen in ruins (for example, murders, accidents...) may also be related to the origin of athephobia; if we add to this a certain individual vulnerability (because we are very sensitive, for example, or because we have "inherited" a certain biological predisposition to anxiety disorders in general or to specific phobias in particular), this may facilitate and explain their appearance.

Treatment

In psychotherapy, the treatment of athephobia, like that of most specific phobias, is usually of two types: exposure therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy.

1. exposure therapy

In exposure therapy, the patient is exposed to the phobic stimulus or situation, gradually and through a hierarchy of items (from least to most anxiogenic, in order). This list of items is prepared jointly with the patient.

In the specific case of athephobia, one can opt for the following: start by seeing ruins through photographs, films, etc., and little by little expose the patient to live ruins.

That is, accompany him to visit some ruins (although later on he can -and should- do it alone); The first few times, for example, you should get closer to "X" place, and little by little get closer until you touch the ruins and stay in them without anxiety (this will be the objective).

In exposure therapy, the patient must "resist" the anxiety that appears before the phobic object., and learn to combat it (for example through a state of relaxation, more typical of Systematic Desensitization). The objective is that finally the psychophysiological symptoms are "disassociated" from the phobic stimulus, and, in the case of athephobia, that these do not appear before the ruins.

2. cognitive behavioral therapy

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is another treatment that we can apply in cases of athephobia. In her, Priority will be given to providing the patient with the necessary resources and strategies to deal with the phobia.

More specifically, he will be trained in relaxation techniques, breathing, etc., that is, in different coping techniques that he can use to reduce anxiety when it appears.

In addition, CBT also works with the patient's dysfunctional thoughts associated with the phobic stimulus (for example "I will hurt myself in a ruin", "I will not be able to escape from it..."), helping the patient to replace them with more realistic and adaptive ones (for example "I don't have to hurt myself", "the ruins are not dangerous", etc.).

Bibliographic references:

• American Psychiatric Association –APA- (2014). DSM-5. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Madrid: Pan American.
• Belloch, A., Sandin, B. and Ramos, F. (2010). Manual of Psychopathology. Volume I and II. Madrid: McGraw-Hill.
• Horse (2002). Manual for the cognitive-behavioral treatment of psychological disorders. Vol. 1 and 2. Madrid. 21st century (Chapters 1-8, 16-18).