PODOPHOBIA: SYMPTOMS, CAUSES, TREATMENTS - ARTE - 2024

The podofobia is the irrational fear of feet, including feelings of disgust, rejection and repulsion. Podophobes can feel rejection both by the feet of others and by their own and by the neglected or injured, as well as by the aesthetic and well cared for.

Although for many the feet are erogenous parts of the body, and for most they are just one more part, for podophobes the human foot is a sign of disgust, fear and rejection. This is a very limiting fear, since the person cannot get rid of their feet and their presence generates constant phobic anxiety.

This difficulty can lead the person with podophobia to neglect their own feet, out of fear or reluctance to touch them, which can lead to fungi, infections or other affectations. And, extensively, it reduces the quality of their interpersonal relationships, since it is difficult for those who do not suffer from the condition to understand it.

This phobia is of a generalized type or, what is the same, its presence is constant in the life of the individual, since the phobic stimulus never disappears. The person can avoid it, for example, wearing socks even for bathing and not going to public places, such as beaches, so as not to see any feet, but the feared object is always there.

In the following lines, the components of podophobia will be explained in detail, namely, its symptoms, the causes, and the most appropriate treatment. This, in order to fully understand the condition. Additionally, a guide for the differential diagnosis with similar phobias will be offered and its specific course will be explained.

Symptoms of podophobia

Podophobia, like any other phobia, is characterized by a strong and persistent fear, which is excessive and irrational and which occurs in the presence, image or thoughts associated with human feet. But this is not necessarily the most common way this phobia is experienced.

It is more common, on the other hand, that the affected person feels a deep rejection, repulsion or disgust to see the feet of any person and in any situation. However, this repulsion has the same qualities of persistence over time, excess of affectation and difficulty or impossibility of eliminating the phobia through reason.

It is also required that the person be able to accuse this fear and understand it as excessive and irrational. It is natural for almost anyone to feel rejection or disgust at ugly, misshapen, or diseased feet; but the rejection of the podophobic occurs even with healthy and clean feet and the repulsion is greater than normal before sick feet.

The person with podophobia may also feel disgust when others touch their feet or look at them. Some of the physical signs that can be felt are shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, sweating, trembling, nausea, dizziness, among others. In some cases, the person may associate death or dying with the feet.

Podophobia can present with forms of social phobia, while the individual can avoid social situations or go out to the public so as not to expose themselves to the possible embarrassment of someone evaluating their feet in the same way that they do. Thus, social situations could generate high levels of anxiety and even panic attacks.

This phobia is not as common in children, but when it occurs the indicators are crying, vomiting or vomiting gags and high levels of frustration. As in the case of other phobias, for podophobia to be diagnosed in children under 18 years of age, it must have been active in the last six months.

Finally, this picture already described about podophobia leads the subject to experience great discomfort, which is clinically significant and reduces the quality of their life, their relationships and their social responsibilities, in addition to the possibility of suffering from foot diseases for the little care in them.

Causes

The literature on phobias as specific as podophobia is minimal, but its causes can be assumed to operate the same as in any other phobia. Some research clarifies that there are possible identifiers of phobia in the genes, but it is not conclusive information. Psychological causes provide greater utility.

It is common for podophobia to have its origin in readings about foot diseases, made their medical judgment, which lead to irrational fears and that grow as the readings progress. It can also be due to suffering or having suffered from a disease in the feet, that deform, cause pain or alter your skin or smell.

On the other hand, it is less likely that it can occur due to a traumatic event, unless it is a displaced cause that, due to its characteristics, are difficult to associate with the picture. An example of a related traumatic event would be an adult who remembers being continually kicked by a family member or caregiver.

It would be more common, on the other hand, for the phobia to develop by learning or modeling, while in the home or family nucleus there is someone with podophobia or another similar phobia, such as bromidophobia (fear of body odors), autodysomophobia (fear of smelling bad) or dermatophobia (fear of skin diseases).

Another cause would imply that the person previously has a social phobia, and part or all of the social anxiety derives from rejection on one's own feet, as an excuse to avoid leaving home and control the greatest fear. This could be verified by carrying out a biographical analysis of the patient and his relationship with his fears.

However, it must be remembered that in most cases the person will not be able to remember a single event or situation that explains their phobia. In her life experience, the phobia seems to have been around forever or its origin is uncertain and the person cannot specify it. Finding a cause is ideal, but not required for treatment.

Course

There is no precise information about the course of this phobia, but it is known that it is less common for it to start during childhood. Due to its atypical nature, starting in childhood, it would be understood that its prognosis is less encouraging and would require therapy to resolve. Otherwise, it could extend into adult life.

Podophobia is more likely to begin in adolescence or early adulthood. This may be related to the sexual awakening of this vital period, as the foot is a part of the body that is exposed to the public but has an intimate character, often associated with the sexual.

As in most bodily phobias, it affects mostly women, although its course is identical in both genders. When it begins in adolescence, its evolution can be positive if corrective measures are applied in a short time. In adulthood, an intervention is less positive, especially the longer it has been present.

If the person manages to find a system that allows a certain level of functioning but without facing the phobia, it can be exacerbated in the future. For example, if you get a partner who accepts your phobia and manages to keep footwear at all times without causing fungus or infections.

Differential diagnosis

A brief review will now be made of different types of phobia that bear similarities to podophobia and, as such, can confuse both those who suffer from its symptoms and those who have the responsibility to diagnose it. This, although in some cases two or more different phobias may coexist.

Dermatophobia

Dermatophobia, as already indicated, is the fear of skin diseases or even the skin itself. Although the person with podophobia usually concentrates their fear of the feet in its visible part, which is their skin, and may fear its diseases, the phobia is reduced only to the skin of the foot and not to any other.

Bromidrophobia

Bromidophobia, which is the fear of body odors, and autodysomophobia, which is the fear of smelling bad, can have foot odors as their center, but they also attend to other body odors. The person with podophobia may feel disgusted by the odors of their feet, but they are not interested or generate anxiety other odors in their body.

Chirophobia

Chirophobia is the irrational fear of hands. Except for the fact that there is usually no disgust or rejection of the hands, it is almost identical to podophobia, except that instead of fearing the feet, the hands are feared. In these cases, they will also avoid using or washing their hands and keep them covered with gloves or other clothing.

Ablutophobia

Ablutophobia is the fear of bathing, washing or cleaning, while aigiophobia is the fear of beaches or bathing in them. Although the person with podophobia will avoid washing their feet or going to places like the beach as much as possible, they do not do it out of fear of these events, but rather out of fear or rejection of seeing their feet or those of others in these situations.

Sexophobia

Sexophobia is the irrational fear of sex, penetration, orgasm or other forms of sexual contact, but also of being seen naked. The person with podophobia can avoid all forms of sexual contact even without fear of it, just by avoiding showing their feet or seeing others.

Haphephobia

Within this same line, is haphephobia, which is the excessive fear of touching other people or being touched. But this fear is usually not associated with a specific part of the body or refers to being touched by someone of the opposite sex. While the haphephobic may fear that his foot will be touched, he is afraid of being touched elsewhere.

Treatment of podophobia

It is necessary to talk about the treatment of podophobia, very similar to other phobias. For example, it is known that anti-anxiety medication can be helpful, but it is always recommended to use it after trying psychotherapeutic care or, at the very least, working with both simultaneously.

Among the extra-therapeutic recommendations is that the person make receiving pedicures a routine of his life, both to guarantee the health and aesthetics of his feet, and to get used to exposing them, seeing them and taking care of them. This event could help the subject to rationalize their condition little by little.

Hypnotherapy is usually recommended, as well, which is very useful in helping to discover the cause or causes of the onset of the phobia. In addition, it allows the person to expose themselves to the feared stimulus in a less hostile context, which can help them to see it in its correct perspective.

As far as psychotherapy is concerned, systematic desensitization is presented as one of the most effective means of reducing anxiety symptoms in a short time. But it is recommended to incorporate a cognitive model as well, to understand the inappropriate thoughts that have originated or sustain the phobia.

While one of the characteristics of phobias is that they are irrational, thought distortions are easily maintained. Therefore, it is always wise to seek the attention of a professional if it is known that you have a phobia and that it is reducing the quality of life or has already begun to affect routines.

References

¹ APA (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition.