Index
Demophobia: meaningFear of crowds: symptomsDifference between demophobia and agoraphobia Demophobia: the causes How to overcome demophobia
Everyday life can lead us to experience situations in which we find ourselves immersed in the crowd : it can be the daily commute we make to go to work by public transport (such as the subway or bus), or if we decide to go shopping in a very busy shopping centre.
We can then find ourselves in the midst of a multitude of people in the event of major events such as a concert or a match in the stadium, when we travel, go to see a film at the cinema or attend an event in our city square.
But if it is completely normal for someone to be among other people, for someone else situations like these can cause great discomfort, so great as to become a real phobia of the crowd . What is the fear of being around people called and what does it specifically consist of?
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Demophobia: meaning
What meaning to give to fear of crowds? The phobia of being in a crowd is termed demophobia . Its etymology comes from the Greek demos (people) and phobos (fear).
But what is demophobia exactly? It is a fear that we can frequently find in people with panic disorder, agoraphobia or other anxiety disorders . It is also possible to find the fear of crowds together with that of contamination, as can happen in the case of covid anxiety or obsessive compulsive disorder .
The term demophobia also has synonyms: enochlophobia and oclophobia , whose etymology is the one that literally translates precisely with fear of the crowd (from ochlos “crowd” ). The only difference between oclophobia and demophobia is in fact the literal translation, but the meaning remains unchanged.
Regardless of what the fear of crowds is called, the demophobic person experiences many of the symptoms that also occur in other types of phobias and on which it is also possible to intervene with psychological work, to avoid harmful consequences for mental health . Let’s take a closer look at the symptoms of demophobia.
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Fear of crowds: symptoms
People who are afraid of crowds can have physical and psychological symptoms . Although specific tests on enochlophobia have not been developed, tools such as the Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS) can be used , which is also used in the diagnosis of agoraphobia.
Symptoms experienced by people who are afraid of crowds include:
- nausea and dizziness
- anxiety tremor
- tachycardia and muscle tension
- possible panic attacks
- stomach ache and sweating
- emotions of sadness and anger
- fear of dying .
As happens in other phobic disorders, the most frequent behavior assumed by a demophobic subject is that of avoidance , a defense mechanism that leads him to escape situations in which it is possible to find himself in the midst of large crowds.
Difference between demophobia and agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is the fear of open spaces but, in agoraphobia, unlike demophobia, it is not the fear of being in a crowd that triggers the phobic reaction, but rather the anxiety that derives from the thought of being in a situation from which it is difficult to get away and for which, in the event of anxiety attacks , one cannot find the help one needs or fears the judgment of others.
However, both phobias can overlap and, if we find the fear of crowds and “places where you can’t escape” present at the same time, demophobia should be considered a specific symptom of agoraphobia.
But reasons can also be hidden behind demophobia. Being afraid of crowds can take on the meaning of fearing judgment from others , for example when you have to give a speech in front of a large audience. In these cases we can trace thoughts such as “the crowd scares me” to one of the possible manifestations of social anxiety .
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Demophobia: the causes
As mentioned, it is possible to trace the phobia of being in the crowd to various causes. In many cases demophobia is a secondary symptom to other problems and often we are dealing with anxiety disorders.
At the origin there may be traumatic experiences that the person has lived and which have triggered the fear of “being crushed” by an agitated or out of control crowd (think of a street demonstration, a concert or an event in the stadium).
Crowd phobia can in fact derive from an experience of anxiety experienced among other people (think for example of a panic attack), which can bring out the fear of losing control or that of revealing one’s fragility to others.
Furthermore, the collective experience of the coronavirus has in some cases also made people who have experienced covid anxiety vulnerable to demophobia , leading them to avoid what has been defined, in the most intense periods of the pandemic, gatherings.
The fear of going out, of walking in places full of people and crowds is a phobia that even some celebrities experience. Famous is the case of the demophobia of Vaporidis, who shared this problem in various newspapers declaring
“I just can’t stand being at parties or dangerous occasions. People scare me: I suffer from demophobia.”.
How to overcome demophobia
How is demophobia treated? In some cases, it may be necessary to turn to psychology and seek the help of an expert , such as a Unobravo online psychologist , to learn how to deal with fear of crowds .
But what advantage can psychological treatment give to those who find themselves thinking “I’m afraid of crowds, I certainly suffer from demophobia”?
If not properly managed and treated, demophobia can become persistent and , in some cases, lead to experiencing conditions of voluntary isolation (think of the fear of crowds in children or adolescents, who run the risk of avoiding any opportunity to share spaces such as classrooms, sports centers or urban gardens).
One of the psychotherapeutic approaches of choice for treating irrational fear of crowds is cognitive behavioral therapy , which uses the techniques of:
- exposure
- cognitive restructuring
- relaxation.
Through gradual exposure , the person who is afraid of crowds can learn to manage the anxiety they experience through approaching the phobic stimulus, which will gradually help them reduce their avoidance of the situations that cause this fear.
With cognitive restructuring , then, we will intervene on the recognition of one’s thoughts so that, step by step, those who maintain the problem can be “challenged” in favor of an ever greater autonomy in managing the phobia.
Relaxation techniques are also a very useful approach to the treatment of demophobia . Relaxation can be pursued by practicing diaphragmatic breathing or progressive muscle relaxation, which the therapist himself can teach the patient so that he gradually becomes autonomous and can carry them out on his own. Mindfulness exercises for anxiety can also be very useful .
As with other phobias, it is essential to learn to recognize the signs of the problem, not underestimate them and act in time, to prevent them, as in the case of the phobia of being in a crowd, from becoming disabling and significantly compromising the life of the person experience them.
