Do you know hydrophobia? It is about the phobia of water. Like all phobias, it consists of an irrational, disproportionate and intense fear of a stimulus; in this case, water.
In this article we will find out what this disorder consists of, in which populations it appears most frequently (detailing each of them: autism, intellectual disability and Fragile X Syndrome) and what are its symptoms, causes and treatments.
Hydrophobia: the irrational fear of water
Hydrophobia is a specific phobia (an anxiety disorder), classified as such in diagnostic reference manuals (the current DSM-5). It is about the intense fear of water (be it pool water, drinking water, the sea, etc.).
The fear and anxiety associated with water cause the person to avoid situations where they must be in contact with water (for example, showers, swimming pools, etc.). Specifically, hydrophobia is a subtype of environmental or natural phobia (remember that in the DSM-5 there are five types of phobias: animals, blood/ injection/injury, situations, environment and “other types”).
Environmental or natural phobias
Environmental or natural phobias are characterized because the phobic stimulus (that is, the object or situation that causes excessive fear and/or anxiety) is an element of the natural environment, such as: storms, lightning, water, earth, wind, etc.
Thus, other types of environmental phobias are soon: astraphobia (phobia of storms and/or lightning), acrophobia (phobia of heights), nyctophobia (phobia of the dark) and ancrophobia (or anemophobia) (phobia of wind). However, there are many more.
Who usually has hydrophobia?
Hydrophobia is a very common phobia in children with a neurodevelopmental disorder, such as an autism spectrum disorder (autism). It is also common in some syndromes (for example, the Fragile X Syndrome) and in intellectual disability (especially in childhood).
Hydrophobia, however, can appear in anyone, although it is more frequent in these groups.
one. Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
Autism spectrum disorders are neurodevelopmental disorders that affect different areas of the individual: communication, social interactions, and interests.
Thus, although we are dealing with very heterogeneous people, we generally find the following symptoms in ASD cases: alterations in language (even the absence of it), difficulties in social interactions, in communication and in the use of gestures, as well as in non-verbal language, restrictive patterns of interests, stereotypes, motor alterations, rigid behavior patterns, obsessions, etc.
Among his symptoms, hydrophobia is frequently found , although it is not very well known why.
2. X fragile syndrome
Fragile X Syndrome is considered the leading cause of hereditary intellectual disability. It is a genetic alteration caused by a mutation in the FMR1 gene, a gene highly involved in the development of brain functions.
Its main symptoms include intellectual disability (of varying severity), autistic symptoms, and symptoms of hyperactivity with or without attention deficit. On the other hand, the appearance of hydrophobia in these children is also frequent (the reason is unknown).
3. Intellectual Disability
Intellectual disability is a condition of the person, which can be caused by multiple causes and factors (for example, an autism spectrum disorder, a syndrome, anoxia at birth, cerebral palsy, etc. ).
Thus, when we talk about intellectual disability, we actually include other cases of neurodevelopmental disorders, where the appearance of hydrophobia (along with other types of phobia) is frequent.
Symptoms
The symptoms of hydrophobia are related to the intense fear of water itself. People with hydrophobia generally feel an inherent fear of water due to the possibility of drowning in it (for example, in the pool).
On the other hand, it can also happen that these people simply do not want to bathe or shower, to avoid contact with water, and even in other cases it happens that they do not want to ingest liquids. As we have seen, these symptoms are typical of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as well as of children with some other neurodevelopmental disorder or intellectual disability.
Along with the intense fear of water, cognitive, behavioral, and psychophysiological symptoms appear, as in any specific phobia.
one. Cognitive symptoms
At a cognitive level, hydrophobia may show symptoms such as: lack of concentration, attention difficulties, irrational thoughts such as "I'm going to drown," etc.
2. Behavioral symptoms
Regarding the behavioral symptoms of hydrophobia, the main one is an avoidance of situations that involve contact with water (or resistance to such situations with high anxiety; that is, rather, "it bear” these situations).
3. Psychophysiological symptoms
In relation to the psychophysiological symptoms, these can be several, and they appear in the presence or imagination of the phobic stimulus, for example a swimming pool, a glass of water, the sea, etc. (depending on the case) . The most common are those associated with a panic attack, such as:
Causes
The main cause of hydrophobia, as occurs with the vast majority of phobias, is a traumatic experience, in this case, related to waterIt could be, for example: having drowned in a pool, having swallowed a lot of water, having choked on water, having been hurt in the sea by waves, etc.
It may also happen that the person has not experienced a traumatic experience, but has witnessed, seen or heard it from other people (for example, friends, relatives...). This is extrapolated to certain images or videos (for example news of drowning people).
On the other hand, the fact of seeing how a very close person (for example, a mother) is terrified of water, can cause us to end up “inheriting” it too (by vicarious learning). .
Finally, there is a certain vulnerability/biological predisposition in some people to suffer from an anxiety disorder, which can join other causes and increase the possibility of suffering from hydrophobia.
Treatment
The treatment of choice for phobias, at a psychological level, is exposure therapy (exposing the patient to the phobic stimulus, gradually). Sometimes coping strategies are also included, or strategies that help reduce the patient's anxiety (for example, breathing techniques, relaxation techniques, etc.).
The objective, however, will always be for the patient to resist the situation as long as possible, so that his body and her mind get used to it. That is, "the body" has to learn that the negative consequences that are feared (for example, drowning) do not have to happen. It is about breaking this chain of classical conditioning, with which the patient has associated that “water=damage, drowning, anxiety”, etc.
On the other hand, cognitive behavioral therapy is also used, where an attempt is made, through psychotherapy, to refute the patient's irrational beliefs associated with water.It is about changing these dysfunctional and unrealistic thought patterns, to replace them with more realistic and positive ones.
Regarding psychotropic drugs, anxiolytics are sometimes administered, although the ideal is a multidisciplinary treatment where psychological therapy is the backbone.