The fear of contracting certain diseases can be considered "normal" and common among people. These types of fears are adaptive, as they protect us from danger or harm. In this article, we'll explore one of them. luiphobia: phobia of getting syphilis .
Syphilis is a very common sexually transmitted disease (STD), so it's logical to fear it; however, when this fear becomes pathological, a phobia appears. We'll learn about the characteristics of this phobia, how it appears, and how it can be treated.
Luiphobia: a specific phobia
Luiphobia consists of a persistent, abnormal, and unjustified fear of contracting syphilis. Syphilis is a very common sexually transmitted disease (STD) , which is spread through vaginal, anal, and oral sex. Syphilis causes sores in the genital area (called chancres).
Since the feared stimulus or situation can be identified and specified (in this case, syphilis), luiphobia is considered a specific phobia (in addition to its symptoms, typical of a specific phobia, as we will see below).
People with luiphobia fear the disease even when they are not at risk of becoming infected. ; This can affect your emotional and sex life (and your life in general), as well as decrease your quality of life.
Syphilis
Luiphobia can make the sufferer believe that they have actually contracted the disease they fear.
In this case, fear appears before syphilis, a chronic sexually transmitted disease (STD) that in its first phase produces chancres (open wounds) on the skin and that, if left untreated, can end up affecting the nervous system, causing mental illness and triggering death.
Currently, there are penicillin-based treatments for syphilis, and a person with syphilis can recover when the disease is treated in the early stages .
On the other hand, it is recommended to adopt preventive behaviors to avoid contracting syphilis; In this case, take precautions during sexual intercourse to avoid contracting syphilis and other STDs (use of condoms during genital, oral and anal intercourse, as this significantly reduces the risks).
- You may be interested in: ” Hypochondria: causes, symptoms and possible treatments “
Other phobias of getting sick
Luiphobia is one of many phobias related to contracting a particular disease. Other cases of phobias of certain diseases include, for example, leprophobia (phobia of Hansen's disease), carcinophobia (phobia of cancer), and dermatophobia (phobia of skin diseases).
Symptoms
The symptoms of luiphobia correspond to the symptoms of a specific phobia (defined in the DSM-5). These are as follows.
1. Accused and persistent fear
This fear is excessive or irrational and is triggered by the presence or anticipation of a specific object or situation (in this case, an irrational fear of contracting syphilis).
2. Anxiety
Exposure to phobic stimulation (situations that lead to initiating or maintaining sexual relations, for example, or having unprotected sex) almost always causes an immediate anxiety response , which can take the form of a situational distress crisis or more or less related to a particular situation.
In children, anxiety can result in crying, tantrums, inhibition, or hugging. In this case, it's understood that luiphobia is very rare in children.
3. Prevention
Phobic situations are avoided or endured at the cost of intense anxiety or discomfort.
4. Interference with normal routine
Avoidance behaviors, anxious anticipation, or discomfort caused by feared situations strongly interfere with the person's normal routine , in work (or academic) or social relationships, or cause clinically significant discomfort.
5. Duration
Symptoms of luiphobia last at least 6 months to be diagnosed.
6. Not explained by other disorders
Anxiety, anxiety attacks, or phobic avoidance behaviors associated with specific objects or situations cannot be better explained by the presence of another mental disorder .
Causes
The causes of luiphobia are the same as those that cause specific phobias, although depending on the type of phobia, they can vary.
In the case of luiphobia, it may have appeared due to classical conditioning (by associating risky behavior with the appearance of syphilis), or also due to traumatic experiences (direct conditioning), if the person already suffered from syphilis.
On the other hand, luiphobia may also have been “inherited”, that is, it may have been acquired through observation (vicarious conditioning) (for example, that the person knows someone in the environment with syphilis) or through information conditioning processes (That the person in question has heard news of syphilis epidemics or has been informed about new cases of syphilis, with the suffering and discomfort that this disease entails).
Treatment
The psychological treatment of luiphobia would be the same as for a specific phobia; Thus, live exposure is used as the treatment par excellence (behavioral treatment). In this case, exposure would be to situations that could trigger the contraction of syphilis, or the maintenance of sexual relations, approaches, etc., without escape behaviors (with exceptions).
You can also apply variations of exposure therapy: exposure in imagination or exposure through virtual reality.
Moreover, cognitive-behavioral therapy can be used , with the aim of eliminating cognitive distortions associated with the phobia, as well as dysfunctional beliefs and the meaning attributed to syphilis and other behaviors of the person.
At the pharmacological level, anxiolytics can be used (to reduce anxiety), although it is not advisable to use them in exposures in the case of behavioral treatment, since the therapeutic effect is reduced (the person does not face the situation in a “natural” way). However, they can be used as a complement to other psychological therapies (as well as some antidepressants).
References:
- Caballo, V. (2002). Manual for cognitive-behavioral treatment of psychological disorders. Vol. 1 and 2. Madrid. 1st Century (chapters 8-16, 18-XNUMX).
- Belloch, A.; Sandín, BY Ramos, F. (2010). Manual of Psychopathology. Volumes I and II. Madrid: McGraw-Hill.
- American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. Fifth Edition DSM-5 Masson, Barcelona.