Lithicaphobia: symptoms, causes and treatment

We live in a society whose relationships are regulated by rights and duties. As human beings we are provided with legal guarantees that safeguard our physical, mental, social and economic integrity in situations of injustice.

Most states have judicial mechanisms aimed at restoring the balance between two parties when either of them has committed a fault or crime against the other, including civil and criminal penalties.

All of us can resort to this system when we perceive ourselves as victims of harm, and we also have the obligation to respond to him when we have committed an infraction among those contemplated in the empire of law law.

Lithicaphobia consists of an irrational fear of situations of this type (contentious), and that it is much more frequent than it might seem. We proceed, then, to address its fundamental aspects.

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

What is lithicaphobia?

Lithicaphobia (known as litigophobia) is a term in which two words of classical origin converge, but from disparate origins. The first of them comes from the Latin "litigium", which in turn stems from the root "lis" (dispute or lawsuit), and the second (phobos) is a Hellenic heritage (fear or aversion). Thus, lithicaphobia describes a situational-type phobia, which is limited to the moment in which one is part of the defense or the accusation in a trial.

The truth is problems of a legal nature are very stressful situations for most people, even though they do not have an anxiety disorder. The knowledge of having been prosecuted in an investigation or legal case always triggers mixed reactions, both for the victim and for the perpetrator. Thus, the former may fear not feeling recognized as a victim, and the latter may be subject to an excessively harsh court ruling.

For this reason it is difficult to draw a line that clearly distinguishes the point at which anxiety, which arises reasonably in a context like this, becomes a psychopathological phenomenon. In any case dimensions related to the interference on daily life must be considered (damage in relevant areas) and the intensity or scope (disproportionate expectation with respect to the consequences that are anticipated as a result of the process).

In the following lines we will delve into this specific phobia, placing special emphasis on the way in which it is expressed and its possible causes. At the end, a brief review of the therapeutic application strategies will be made.

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

Symptoms

Fear of litigation can be expressed in various ways. Below are some of its most common symptoms. People who suffer from this anxiety disorder tend to experience more than one of them. Their anguish is precipitated by situations that are related to ordinary, civil and criminal disputes (from previous hearings to the last appeal); in which he appears as part of any of the agents involved.

1. Anticipatory anxiety before a trial

One of the common symptoms is anticipatory anxiety. These are concerns that extend from the very notification of the injunction (or the forced imposition of a lawsuit) until the moment in which the cause ends. Throughout this period, the person imagines what the future of events will be like, adding dramatic overtones to his situation (content of the ruling, severity in the application of the law, etc.) and exacerbating fear for the future imminent.

The symptoms tend to worsen as time passes and the scheduled day to appear in court approaches.. In this period negative thoughts of an automatic type may arise ("they are going to destroy my life" for example), hyperactivation of the autonomic nervous system (acceleration of heart rate and breathing, sweating, muscle tension, diffuse pain, etc.) and avoidance behaviors (unsuccessful efforts to stop thinking or to do activities that take the problem out of the mind, for example example).

2. fear of being accused

Another common symptom is the irresistible fear of being accused by another person of a crime or misdemeanor, which which translates into an attitude of condescension even when there is an obvious violation of the rights. assumes an attitude that denies any potential offense to a third party, which inhibits the expression of opinions or acts that could evolve into tensions that warrant judicial mediation. Thus, courtesy would become excessive and would clearly transcend the lower limits of assertiveness (passivity).

3. Fear of participating as a witness in a civil or criminal proceeding

People with a diagnosis of lithicaphobia have an intense fear of participating in a legal process such as witnesses, despite the fact that they do not position themselves in favor of any of the parties (neither as an accusation nor as defending). For this reason they tend to withdraw from the scene in which an illegal situation that they have witnessed occurs, so that they are not called upon to testify in court. This attitude means that the victim may lose a valuable legal resource. in claiming their own rights.

This fear may be motivated both by the investigation of the magistrates and by the fear that the accused party decides to take revenge in some way on all the people who contributed to the process of accusation. In other cases, it is possible that it is feared that a mere participation ends up degenerating into a situation of personal involvement, despite the fact that there is no evidence that could support this idea.

4. Uncertainty about one's ability as part of a jury

One of the most distressing situations for someone with lithicaphobia is be claimed to be part of a popular jury. If this (random) circumstance occurs, they can try to invoke any legal loophole that allows them to evade the task entrusted, because they perceive that they do not have sufficient critical capacity to decide on the innocence or guilt of a third. They are also suspicious that the defendants may try to take revenge later.

It is necessary to take into account that the formation of a popular jury is carried out by public draw in the years peers, and that assigns this responsibility for a period of up to twenty-four months (which are experienced with an overwhelming anxiety).

5. Reluctance to file complaints

In lithicphobia, an evident refusal to process complaints is usually appreciated in the event of events in which the subject has felt harmed, for the intense fear of participating in a process that would expose them to great affective tension and that can last several years. Such a way of proceeding leaves you helpless in legal terms, since you will not obtain any retribution for the grievance received. The situation worsens in the case of an objective vital risk (intentional crimes of physical violence, for example).

This is a classic avoidance mechanism in specific phobias, which can be associated with beliefs regarding the uselessness of the legal system or fear to the demand imposing a situation of open lack of protection (that the police or other types of devices are not articulated to protect the person complaining). In any case, it has important consequences, since the person is deprived of the resources available in any system democracy to resolve conflict situations for which agreements are not reached (by mediation or during the hearing previous).

6. Distorted thoughts about procedural consequences

At the moment in which people with lithicphobia have not been able to avoid their participation in a trial, the fear shifts towards its potential consequences. One of the concerns that most frequently arises is about the economic availability to hire a good lawyer, as well as to cover the costs of the process in the event that it concludes unfavorably. These types of thoughts, which are articulated over many months of tension, become significantly separated from the reality of the trial itself.

In this way, there may be fears that a civil case will somehow evolve into a criminal proceeding, or that the defense itself will arouse suspicion in the judge and turn against oneself. In serious cases, a fear of imprisonment emerges, despite the fact that the offense committed is very minor and a sanction of equivalent magnitude corresponds to it.

7. Anguish at double victimization

When you have been the victim of a particularly serious crime, which has caused considerable emotional damage, there may be a tenacious fear that the judicial process implies a double victimization. This concept alludes to the damage resulting from the fact that the system does not believe or does not recognize the magnitude of the damages, which downplays or even diverts responsibility for the event from those who have suffered the direct consequences of the same.

This fear is common in cases of harassment, abuse and rape; and it is not limited only to the legal system, but also extends to the health system or any body responsible for ensuring the care of those who are going through a situation of this type. In some cases It is a factor that prevents reporting facts that progressively erode self-image and self-esteem, interacting with the rest of those that have been previously reviewed.

Causes

The causes of lithicaphobia are varied, and result from the confluence of a set of environmental and personality factors. Among the first, it is worth highlighting the possibility that a very adverse legal situation has been experienced personally (or in the family), with very harmful consequences for those who suffer from this specific phobia or for their relatives (extreme financial penalty, deprivation of liberty, etc.), especially during the childhood.

In other cases it is possible that the phobic fear is secondarily associated with the potential consequences that could be derived from a lawsuit. Thus, fear would be the result of a feeling of vulnerability to which it is considered that the system cannot respond adequately.

Finally, lithicphobia is more common among people who have difficulties tolerating uncertainty, since it is of processes in which a certain margin of unpredictability must be recognized and which tend to last for a long time. It is therefore a very aversive experience for those who present these traits, which is why they tend to deliberately avoid it.

Treatment

Lithicaphobia has an effective cognitive-behavioral treatment. Since the characteristics of the phobic stimulus make it difficult to develop an exposure in vivo, it is advisable to design a program in imagination through which a series of scenes related to what is feared are presented (having previously ordered them according to the level of anxiety that the patient attributes to them), so that a progressive habituation can take place (from the mildest to the most serious). For this, some relaxation technique is also usually taught.

The approach to irrational beliefs linked to judicial contexts it is usually also important, since the person may harbor thoughts that do not conform to the reality of the facts they are facing. Aligning what is expected with what could actually happen is a necessary step to alleviate feelings of unease. The combination of these two procedures is more effective than each of them separately.

Bibliographic references:

• Carpenter, J.K., Andrews, L.A., Witcraft. S.M., Powers, M.B., Smits, J.A. and Hoffman, S.G. (2019). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety and Related Disorders: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trials. Depression and Anxiety, 35(6), 502-514.
• Kakzkurkin, A.N. and Foa, E.B. (2015). Cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders: an update on the empirical evidence. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 17(3), 337-346.