Autophobia

Autophobia is a specific phobia or a morbid fear or dread of oneself, or of being alone, isolated, abandoned and ignored, associated with severe anxiety. It is not recognized as its own individual phobic disorder in major mental health diagnostic publications, but it may still be classified and diagnosed as a situational-type specific phobia in the DSM-5 or as a specific phobia in the ICD-11. People with autophobia struggle both in solitude, with a fear of being unable to handle challenges alone, and in company, with a fear of abandonment even when others are physically present. Autophobia is not to be confused with agoraphobia, self-hatred or social anxiety, though it can be closely related to them, and it is generally considered part of the same cluster of anxiety and hyperventilation disorders as agoraphobia, often present alongside them though it can also stand alone. It typically develops from and is associated with personal trauma, anxiety, depression or other disorders.