RUPOPHOBIA: SYMPTOMS, CAUSES, TREATMENT - ARTE - 2024

The rupofobia is a psychological disorder that is characterized by an irrational, excessive and unjustified fear of dirt. It constitutes an anxiety disorder and is part of the diagnostic group of specific phobias.

People suffering from this psychopathology have high anxiety responses when exposed to dirt. The anxiety generated in these situations is explained by the fear they have towards dirty items.

Ruphophobia usually significantly affects a person's life. Mainly because the fear of dirt forces him to be permanently cleaning the areas in which he is.

Likewise, as many of the spaces in which people move do not guarantee a state of zero dirt, the manifestations of anxiety tend to appear frequently.

In this way, rupophobia constitutes a disorder that can be much more harmful than it seems at first glance. In fact, treating those who suffer from this disorder correctly is essential for their well-being.

Characteristics of rupophobia

The main axis of rupophobia lies in the fear of the elements that are in a dirty state. In this way, the anxiety alterations of this disorder are caused by the fear of dirt itself.

Dirt is not an element that causes anxiety responses in people. In fact, few individuals experience feelings of fear when exposed to dirty spaces.

However, in the same way that it happens with any other element, there are people who have a greater tolerance to dirt and subjects who present a greater rejection of it.

In this sense, the simple fact of experiencing fear, dread, discomfort or discomfort in dirty spaces does not imply the presence of rupophobia. In order to talk about this disorder, it is necessary for the person to experience a phobic fear of dirt.

Symptoms

Fear experiences automatically cause an increase in tension and anxiety in the person. When fear is not phobic and is adaptive, the anxiety disorders experienced are transitory.

However, when the fear meets the requirements discussed above, anxiety symptoms increase, both in intensity and severity. Thus, the typical symptoms of rupphobia are anxiety disorders caused by fear of dirt.

The fear experienced in the disorder is serious, which is why the anxiety symptoms are also serious. Specifically, it affects the three psychological planes of the person: physical, cognitive and behavioral.

Physical symptoms

Physical symptoms are the most well-studied manifestations of anxiety. These occur in any anxiety disorder and cause significant alterations. In fact, physical symptoms are the main axis of discomfort caused by anxiety, and generate the most intense manifestations of anxiety disorders.

In the case of rupophobia, the physical signs can vary markedly in each case. There is no single anxiety response, and symptoms can be slightly variable. However, in most cases one of the following physical manifestations is experienced:

1. Increased heart rate
2. Increased respiratory rate.
3. Tachycardia
4. Palpitations
5. Increased sweating
6. Stomach aches.
7. Headaches.
8. Muscle tension.
9. Feeling of suffocation
10. Pupillary dilation.
11. Depersonalization.
12. Feeling dizzy
13. Nausea and vomiting
14. Dry mouth.
15. Shaking chills.

Cognitive symptoms

The cognitive symptoms of rupophobia encompass all those thoughts about a person's fears of dirt.

These thoughts play a fundamental role in the development and maintenance of the disorder. Likewise, they can increase physical symptoms and, therefore, feelings of discomfort.

In fact, the relationship between physical symptoms and cognitive symptoms is two-way. That is, thoughts about the fear of dirt provoke physical symptoms and these increase phobic cognitions.

The thoughts that a person with rupphobia can develop can be multiple and very diverse. In general, cognitions about the negative properties of dirt and the few personal capacities to cope with them are supported as the main ones of the disorder.

Behavioral symptoms

Finally, as already mentioned, the fear of dirt, and the resulting physical and cognitive symptoms, cause a serious impact on the person. This affectation is widely reflected in behavior, which is modulated by fear of dirt.

The predominant behavioral symptoms in rupophobia are avoidance and escape. That is, the individual incorporates avoidance behaviors and escapes from dirty situations into their behavior.

Causes

Ruphophobia is a type of specific phobia that is quite rare in society, which is why it provides little research on its etiology. However, the study of specific phobias reveals that they all share important characteristics and, probably, have similar causes.

In this sense, today it is concluded that there is no single cause for specific phobias, but rather different factors that feed back into their development. The main causes of rupphobia seem to be:

Classical conditioning

Having been exposed to dirty situations that have been experienced or interpreted as traumatic, can motivate the development of rupphobia.

Vicarious / Verbal Conditioning

Receiving information (especially during childhood) about the negative components of dirt can also play an important role in the development of the disorder.

Cognitive factors

Certain elements on the personality and thoughts of the individual can favor the development and maintenance of rupphobia. The main ones are: unrealistic beliefs about the harm that can be received, attentional bias towards threats and low perceptions of self-efficacy.

Treatment

The main treatment for all specific phobias is psychotherapy. Specifically, cognitive behavioral treatment constitutes the intervention with the highest rates of efficacy for the disorder.

In this treatment, a psychotherapist will try to expose the individual to his feared stimuli. The exposure is carried out gradually and allows the person to get used to dirt and, therefore, to overcome the fear of it.

Other techniques that often accompany treatment are relaxation (to decrease anxiety symptoms) and cognitive techniques (to correct dysfunctional thoughts about dirt).

References

1. American Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 4th edition. Washington: APA.
2. Barlow, DH (1988). Anxiety and its disorders: the nature and treatment of anxiety and panic. New York, Guilford.
3. Barlow D. and Nathan, P. (2010) The Oxford Handbook of Clinical Psychology. Oxford University Press.
4. Caballo, V. (2011) Manual of psychopathology and psychological disorders. Madrid: Ed. Piramide.
5. Capafons-Bonet, JI (2001). Effective psychological treatments for specific phobias. Psicothema, 13 (3), 447-452.
6. Spitzer, RL, Gibbon, M., Skodol, AE, Williams, JBW, First, MB (1996). DSM-IV Casebook. Barcelona: Masson