Many people live in contact with nature and birds. These communicate through signals and sounds that they carry out to transmit messages within large cities or fields despite being immersed in people’s routines. It is common to find birds in various places, whether in parks, streets, trees, mountains, mountains, lakes, among others.
In general terms, the vast majority of them are harmless beings that do not cause major complications for the population. However, there are people who have an exacerbated and intense fear of this type of animal that affects the development of their daily lives. Having concrete and valuable data can give us useful tools when addressing this problem. In this Psychology-Online article we will talk about Ornithophobia (fear of birds): what it is, causes, symptoms and treatment.
What is ornithophobia
Bird phobia is an anxiety disorder that causes a irrational and exacerbated fear of the presence of birds. In this sense, ornithophobia is within the group of specific phobias of the DSM-V due to the particularities presented by the clinical picture.
When establishing an appropriate diagnosis of ornithophobia, the following must be met: diagnostic criteria For its correct interpretation:
- and/or intense anxiety to birds.
- Avoid specific situations in which birds may be present.
- Fear and/or anxiety disproportionate to the real danger that birds represent.
- Duration of six months or more.
- Deterioration of work, social and family relationships in certain contexts.
- The symptoms cannot be explained by the presence of any other mental disorder.
Causes of fear of birds
Why am I afraid of birds? In order to locate the reasons for ornithophobia, it is essential to know the causes that emerge from the clinical picture. Next, we will show you the main causes of fear of birds:
Environmental factors
On the one hand, the unpleasant experiences that occurred in the past They leave marks that last over time. In cases of ornithophobia, some unpleasant situation with birds may have occurred in the past. For example, having been the victim of a bird attack or having seen a loved one involved in this difficulty.
On the other hand, if important people in the environment show a avoidant behavior When faced with birds, imitating this way of reacting can cause a phobia of birds.
Genetic factors
Genetic inheritance plays an important role in understanding human behaviors and emotions. There are various genes that are linked to the emotional processing of external stimuli. In general, people who suffer from ornithophobia have a increased neuronal sensitivity against the presence of birds, since they generate responses of fear and/or avoidance.
Symptoms of fear of birds
The fear of birds presents some both physical and emotional manifestations. In order to provide more clarity to the topic, we are going to show you the most frequent symptoms of ornithophobia:
- Respiratory difficulties.
- Excessive sweating.
- .
- Nausea.
- Tremors.
- Palpitations.
- Avoidance of places where birds could be present.
- .
- Catastrophic thoughts.
It should be noted that the presence of any of these symptoms does not necessarily imply that we are dealing with ornithophobia. It is essential that the diagnosis is carried out by a professional of mental health that evaluates the characteristics of the person, taking into account their particularities.
Treatment of ornithophobia
Beyond the difficulties that this anxiety disorder entails, fortunately there are ways to treat ornithophobia and improve the quality of life of people who suffer from it. Next, we will show you the main treatments for fear of birds.
Psychological therapy
The therapy provides a personal reflection space that provides help to people who suffer conflicts in their daily lives. On the one hand, emphasis is placed on investigating the thoughts, emotions and behaviors that cause the symptoms. In turn, this type of approach addresses the problems in a limited period of sessions and provides the patient with various tools to confront the fear of birds. The most used and effective treatment is .
On the other hand, it also works for locate the origin of the symptoms of ornithophobia through the memory of childhood experiences. When the source of the problems is understood, the symptoms are better understood and can be resolved. Specifically, the person learns to confront the fear of birds through alternative strategies.
Psychiatric medication
In the most serious cases of ornithophobia, the provision of anxiolytics is a tool that allows reduce the intensity of symptoms However, the use of psychiatric medication should only be done under the supervision of a mental health professional.
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 (5th ed.). Arlington: Panamericana Medical Publishing.
Bibliography
- Castro Beltrán, AR (2010). Theoretical references related to the treatment of anxiety disorders with relaxation techniques. Scientific information magazine, 66 (2), 1-17.
- Delgado Reyes, AC, Sánchez López, JV (2019). Fear, phobias and their treatments. Electronic Journal of Psychology Iztacala, 22 (2), 798-833.