It is a well-known motto that the years pass for all people. As time passes, human beings age and certain activities can no longer be carried out in the same way as before. Time is a factor that cannot be stopped and its passage has varied effects depending on each person.
On the one hand, there are people who give a certain value to the passage of time, given that they achieve greater maturation with respect to certain events that they go through in their lives. In these cases, the passage of time can represent an opportunity. However, there are other people who have a great fear of the passage of time. This generates a series of consequences, both physical and mental, that affect their social relationships and daily activities.
Given this, it is essential to know accurate data that allows us to act efficiently in the face of this problem. If you want to know more about this, in this Psychology-Online article, we will provide you with information about the Chronophobia (fear of the passage of time): what it is, symptoms, causes and treatment.
What is chronophobia
When we refer to the term chronophobia, we are referring to an anxiety disorder characterized by a irrational and exacerbated fear over time. This disorder is classified within the group of specific phobias determined by the DSM-V. According to this manual, specific phobias such as chronophobia must meet the following qualities to be diagnosed:
- Fear and/or anxiety regarding a specific situation related to time.
- Avoidance of the specific situation.
- Disproportionate fear and/or anxiety to the real danger that time represents.
- The duration is six months or more.
- Deterioration of relationships social, work and family.
Symptoms of chronophobia
Chronophobia has a series of demonstrationsboth physical and psychological, that must be taken into account for your diagnosis. Next, we will present the most relevant symptoms of chronophobia:
It should be noted that the presence of any of these symptoms does not necessarily imply that a person suffers from chronophobia. Given this, it is important that the diagnosis be carried out by a professional that evaluates the patient’s characteristics and supervises the patient’s clinical evolution.
Causes of chronophobia
When we are faced with a person diagnosed with chronophobia, it is essential to be able to locate the possible causes that give rise to this clinical condition, since this will allow us to decide the most appropriate treatment for each person. In this way, below, we will describe the most common causes of chronophobia:
Factors environmental
Throughout life, people go through experiences that leave certain memories that last over time. Given this, it is possible that a person who suffers from this fear has experienced some situation in the past in which the passage of time has negative consequences, both for the body and the mind.
This can be reflected in the imitation of behavioral traits of significant people in the environment who have instilled this fear.
Genetic factors
There are certain sectors linked to the processing of information coming from the environment in which fear predominates. Although there is not enough evidence to support this, it is possible that people who suffer from chronophobia present certain alterations in neuronal functioning and in hormones such as cortisol and aldosterone. If these hormones have very high levels, this can be harmful to health. Therefore, in this article, we tell you.
Treatment of chronophobia
If you are wondering how to treat chronophobia, despite the difficulties it entails in everyday life, there are currently treatments available that have proven to be effective in addressing this problem. In the following items, we will see how to overcome chronophobia.
Psychological therapy
The objective of therapy is to help the patient solve certain problems that represent inconveniences in daily life.
- Short-term therapies: They focus on solving problems in a limited period of sessions in which strategies are incorporated that allow the person to face situations of stress or anxiety. In this sense, it appears as the most prominent approach, given that it works on the person’s emotions, thoughts and behaviors.
- Long-term therapies: An attempt is made to locate the origin of a person’s problems. This results in the patient being able to think or act differently in anxiety situations.
Psychiatric medication
In cases in which chronophobia is severe, the administration of certain psychotropic drugs can be an alternative that produces modifications in the neuronal connections that are linked to emotions such as fear. However, the provision of medications must be supervised by a health professional working in conjunction with a psychologist.
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.
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References
- American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V). Arlington: Panamericana Medical Publishing.
Bibliography
- Lee, P. (2020). Chronophobia. About time in art in the 60s. Murcia: Center for Documentation and Advanced Studies of Contemporary Art.
- Malishev, M. (2011). Between chronomania and chronophobia. Science Ergo Sum, 18 (1), 109-110.