Monophobia, also called autophobia, isolophobia or eremophobia, is an extreme and persistent fear of being alone or isolated, distinct from ordinary loneliness. People with the condition can feel extreme anxiety, panic attacks, obsessive thoughts of impending doom, and physical symptoms such as a racing heart, heart palpitations, nausea and chest pain at the prospect of being alone, and the fear can affect relationships, social life and career. It is often linked to earlier experiences of childhood abandonment or trauma, and can also be a learned behavior picked up from a parent or close friend who has the same fear. There is no cure, but the condition can be managed through psychotherapy, sometimes combined with medication.
Facts
Classification
Type of Phenomenon Diagnostic ChapterAnxiety or Fear-Related Disorders 2 Sources
1. Monophobia (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia Monophobia lead paragraph (w-bbfill-psych-diag-0926, keyword classification against phenomenon-kind enum definitions, hand-checked)View the Source 2. ICD-11 Browser (WHO)
World Health Organization
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