People who suffer from button phobia to a more intense degree may have many limitations in their daily life and, therefore, many problems at the family, social, relationship and even work level. Since it is a specific phobia, that is, an anxiety disorder.
Next, in this Psychology-Online article, we will see the different warning signs that you may be suffering from this phobia. We will see the name, symptoms, causes and treatment of button phobia.
Button phobia or koumpounophobia
The koumpounophobia (koumpounophobia) is the name of button phobia, which consists of a irrational fear of buttons. It is rare, in fact, there are many people who do not know it and it can occur to different degrees.
It is important not to confuse phobia with aversion:
- Aversion is another feeling of disgust or contempt.
- The phobia causes symptoms related to anxiety.
Unlike the second, the first would not initially produce too many problems in daily life of the person who suffers from it.
Causes of button phobia
The causes of button phobia are similar to those for others:
Genetics
It is believed that there are some genes that make a person more predisposed to developing a phobia. Furthermore, the fact that a family member has suffered from this phobia increases the chances that you will also suffer from it.
Atmosphere
having suffered a traumatic moment with a button such as having swallowed it as a child or not being able to button his pants one day because the button broke and having been the source of ridicule from classmates can be the trigger for this phobia.
Also, although less frequently, parents who insist on being careful with buttons can cause the child to end up developing a phobia of them.
Symptoms of button phobia
Phobias are and present symptoms of anxiety, which we can classify into:
- Cognitive symptoms. Cognitive symptoms refer to the person’s thoughts and feelings. Anticipating that the button is going to fall off, or that a child may accidentally swallow it and choke, are examples of symptoms. Likewise, a feeling of fear or anxiety in the presence of a button are also alarm signs.
- Physiological symptoms. The physiological symptoms are those of anxiety, that is, tachycardia, rapid breathing, dizziness, nausea, tremors, sweating, among others.
- Behavioral symptoms. They are those symptoms that are reflected in the person’s behavior. For example, the fact that the patient avoids wearing clothes with buttons or having his children wear them are behavioral anxiety symptoms of koumpounophobia.
Treatment of koumpounophobia
As with other phobias, there is a treatment for button phobia. This would go through four steps or techniques:
Cognitive restructuring
Work on the person’s cognitive symptoms, make them see the unreality of what they think and make them adapt new thoughts more in line with reality It is part of cognitive behavioral therapy.
Exposure
One thing you fear is the most effective way to overcome a fear. It would be done that the person faces a stimulus that is less scary and once the fear of that stimulus is overcome, the person would begin to face the next stimulus that scares them less. This would be done successively until you reach the stimulus that scares you the most of all. For example, the stimulus that may cause the least fear is seeing another person wearing a button and the one that causes the most fear is seeing a piece of clothing completely held up by buttons.
Exposure should not end unless anxiety has been reduced to zero, otherwise the level of fear may increase. If it is complex to carry out the presentation live, that is, to confront the situations in a real way, it can be done in an imagined way or even with virtual reality.
Relaxation
In order that the exposure does not generate too many physiological symptoms in the patient, they will be practiced to reduce the heart rate or the rate of breathing. It is important that these techniques do not distract the patient’s attention from the stimulus he fears. At the end of the article, you will find a guided relaxation that will help you get started in this practice.
Values
The person will be made to see how being so focused on their phobia is making them leave aside the things that really matter to them, such as family, friends or even themselves, since it is a way of causing themselves discomfort or anguish. thus doing the opposite of a self care.
It is important to carry out this treatment from the hand of a professional in order to avoid the consequences mentioned above: that fear increases even more.
This article is merely informative, at 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 Button phobia: name, symptoms, causes and treatmentwe recommend that you enter our category.
Bibliography
- Brito, G., & Cullen, M. (2020). Mindfulness and emotional balance. EDITORIAL SIRIO SA.
- Chumpitaz Watanave, HA, & Segovia Chacón, MF (2018). Development of technological support for treatment for patients suffering from social phobia and agoraphobia using Virtual Reality scenarios.
- Sosa Castilla, C., & Capafons, J. (2007). Treating…specific phobias. Pyramid, Madrid.