Motephobia (phobia of moths): what is it, causes, symptoms and treatment

The world is full of living beings. For many years, much of the world stage was dominated by different animals and insects. The truth is that the insertion of living beings has direct effects on the lives of human beings. Likewise, the emotions that arise in this kind of interaction can range from astonishment, anger, uncertainty, sadness or fear, among others.

When we start to think of moths as flying insects that circulate in different spaces, although may seem insignificant, there are people who have an intense and lasting fear of these insects. If the necessary help is not available, this can have unfavorable consequences in the development of daily activities. In this Psychology-Online article, we will talk about the motephobia (phobia of moths): what is it, causes, symptoms and treatment.

Index

1. What is motophobia
2. Causes of motephobia
3. Symptoms of motephobia
4. Treatment of motophobia

Motephobia is a

How do I know if I have motephobia? Given its peculiarities, it is important that the following diagnostic criteria are met in order to identify it:

• Immediate fear and/or anxiety about moths.
• Avoid situations or places where there are moths.
• Disproportionate fear and/or anxiety regarding the real danger posed by moths.
• Duration of six months or more.
• The alteration cannot be explained by the presence of other mental disorders or due to the intake of drugs or toxic substances
• Deterioration of work, social and family relationships due to fear and/or anxiety.

One of the pillars to locate adequate methods to deal with moth phobia is understand the origins of this clinical picture. The importance of this point is that it allows the elaboration of effective strategies to solve the inconveniences generated by motephobia.

So why are people afraid of butterflies? In the following items, we will talk about the main causes of motephobia:

• Environmental factors: past traumatic situations. In general, these moments are usually linked to the presence of fears towards different objects, animals and/or people. In this way, the persistence of fears can lead to motephobia. Likewise, it is important to bear in mind that if a close person suffers from motephobia, it is It is possible that the individual replicates this clinical condition and incorporates the behavior patterns into his life daily.
• Genetic factors: it may happen that one of the parents has a certain genetic predisposition to feel with greater emotional intensity various situations related to the fear. For this reason, one of the aspects to take into account lies in understanding that there are various neuronal connections of the cerebral cortex that produce fear responses due to the processing of stimuli from the Exterior.

When it comes to accurately detecting the fear of moths, it is important to know the physical and behavioral manifestations of people with this clinical diagnosis. Next, we will describe the most relevant symptoms of motephobia:

• Anxiety.
• Distress.
• Fear.
• Excessive sweating.
• Palpitations.
• tremors.
• Nausea and/or vomiting.
• Shortness of breath.
• Shortness of breath.
• Incrise of cardiac frecuency.
• Catastrophic thoughts linked to death.
• Avoidance of outdoor places.

The presence of any of these symptoms in isolation does not necessarily indicate a motephobia picture. It is essential that the diagnosis be carried out by a specialized health professional who evaluates the characteristics of each person according to factors such as age, sex or pre-existing diseases, among others.

Beyond the difficulties that motephobia entails, there are Effective methods to overcome moth phobiayes In this section, we will explain the most important treatments for motephobia:

psychological therapy

The therapy allows working on the emotions, thoughts and behaviors that give rise to the patient's symptoms. On the one hand, the cognitive behavioral therapy provides resources to deal with situations of stress and/or anxiety in a more pleasant way according to the needs of each individual.

On the other hand, psychological therapy allows find the source of the symptoms and enables the person to adopt coherent strategies to deal with situations that are conflicting.

psychiatric medication

The administration of psychotropic drugs is only used in the most severe cases of motephobia, that is, when fear interferes with the development of the person's daily life. The drugs modify the neuronal connections and reduce the intensity of the symptoms, however, the psychiatric medication must be taken under the supervision of a professional of mental health.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Motephobia (phobia of moths): what is it, causes, symptoms and treatment, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.

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• Delgado Reyes, A.C., Sánchez López, J.V. (2019). Fears, phobias and their treatments. Electronic Journal of Psychology Iztacala, 22 (2), 798-833.
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