Hodophobia
Hodophobia is an irrational fear, or phobia, of travel.[2] Hodophobia is also referred to as travel phobia or fear of travel.[3] Hodophobia should not to be confused with travel aversion.[4][5]
Hodophobia | |
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Other names | Fear of travel |
Specialty | Psychiatry |
Symptoms | intense, persistent anxiety with thoughts of travel and/or during travels[1] |
Duration | persistent, typically lasting for 6 months or more[1] |
Differential diagnosis | Separation anxiety, Posttraumatic stress disorder, Major depressive disorder[1] |
Treatment | Exposure Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy[1] |
Acute anxiety provoked by travel can be treated with anti-anxiety medication.[6][7] The condition can be treated with exposure therapy, which works better when combined with cognitive behavioral therapy.[6][7]
Signs and symptoms
People with fear of traveling experience intense, persistent fear or anxiety when they think about traveling and/or during travel.[8][9] They will avoid travel if they can, and the fear, anxiety, and avoidance cause significant distress and impair their ability to function.[8][9]
Related Phobias
- Fear of flying
- Driving phobia
- Fear of trains
- Thalassophobia - phobia of sea travel
- Agoraphobia - fear of leaving safe places
Cause
The causes of hodophobia and the mechanisms by which it is maintained are often complex, as with many phobias.[8][10]
Diagnosis
The diagnosis is clinical.[8] It is often difficult to determine if the specific phobia of hodophobia should be the primary diagnosis, or if it is a symptom of a generalized anxiety disorder or another anxiety disorder.[8][11]
Classification
Hodophobia is a specific phobia as classified in the DSM-5.[12]
Management
Acute anxiety caused by travel can be treated with anti-anxiety medication.[6][7] The condition can also be treated with exposure therapy which works better when combined with cognitive behavioral therapy.[6][7][13] Relaxation techniques and education can also be helpful in combination with other approaches.[9][13][14]
Society and culture
Sigmund Freud, the famous neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, confessed in a number of letters that he suffered from fear of travel.[15] He used the term "Reiseangst" for it, which means "travel anxiety" or "fear of travel" in the German language.[16] However Freud's anxiety was not a "true" phobia.[16]
See also
Other travel-related disorders include:
- Travel aversion - a strong dislike of travel
- Travel sickness in humans
- Transport tetany in animals
References
- American Psychiatric Association (2013), Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.), Arlington: American Psychiatric Publishing, pp. 217–221, 938, ISBN 978-0890425558
- multiple sources
- Sutherland, Stuart (1991-06-18). Macmillan Dictionary of Psychology. pp. 189–190. ISBN 978-0-333-55313-8. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- Comer, Ronald J. (2010). Abnormal psychology (7th ed.). New York: Worth Publishers. p. 138. ISBN 978-1-4292-1631-9.
- "Oxford Dictionary: Hodophobia". Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- "FreeDictionary.com: definition of Hodophobia". FreeDictionary.com. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- "CommonPhobias: Hodophobia". Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- "HealthCentral: Hodophobia". Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- "Psychologenie - list of specific phobias". psychologenie.com. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
- "healthcentral: Hodophobia - The fear of traveling". healthcentral.com. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
- "WebMD_The Fear Factor: Phobias". WebMD. WebMD. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
- "EscapeTheIvoryTower: The difference between fear and aversion". EscapeTheIvoryTower.com. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
- "Huffington Post: You Won't Believe What Could Cure Your Fear of Flying". Huffington Post. Huffington Post. 2014-01-06. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
- "PsychologyToday: Anti-Anxiety Medication and Flying". Psychology Today. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
- Singh H, Awayz H, Murali T (2017). An Unusual Case of Phobia: Hodophobia (PDF) (Volume 4, Issue 2, No. 95 ed.). International Journal of Indian Psychology. pp. ISSN:2349-3429 (p). ISBN 978-1-365-84231-3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-06-25. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
- "HealthCentral: Hodophobia". Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- Bozman, Edward. "CommonPhobias - Hodophobia". Common-Phobias.com. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- "From Fear To There: What is hodophobia?". fromfeartothere.com. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
-
- "CommonPhobias: Hodophobia". Retrieved 7 June 2018. *"Theravive: Specific Phobia DSM-5 300.29". Theravive.com. Retrieved 21 June 2018. *"UPenn: Specific Phobias". www.med.upenn.edu. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
- "Psycom - specific phobias". psycom.net. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
- "Calm Clinic - Introduction to Travel Anxiety: Causes and Cures". www.calmclinic.com. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
- Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic, Volumes 16-18, p. 73
- Paul C. Vitz, Sigmund Freud's Christian Unconscious, . 25
External links
Classification | |
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External resources |