All About Anthropophobia, the Fear of People, and How to Overcome it with Psychological Therapy & Counselling

What is Anthropophobia?

Anthropophobia is the Fear of People and, like all other fears and phobias, can be a cause of significant anxiety and stress if you suffer from it.

It is also possible that your Anthropophobia could also be Social Anxiety, a phobia in which people worry about being negatively judged by their peer groups.

There may be a number of reasons why you developed Anthropophobia such as:

• Negative experiences with People in the past.
• Social or cultural conditioning.
• Androphobia the fear of men.
• Gynophobia the fear of women.
• Gelotophobia the fear of being laughed at.

Additionally, there is no scientific evidence that Anthropophobia is the result of any kind of biological fault or chemical imbalance in spite of the traction that biomedical models of mental illness are given in the media.

On the contrary, Anthropophobia is much more likely to be the result of your own, subjective evaluation (meaning-making) of what happened to you and is therefore a psychosocial phenomenon.

Anthropophobia Symptoms & Behaviours

All phobias, including Anthropophobia, create feelings of anxiety because phobic objects or situations are always perceived as a threat.

Consequently, the symptoms of Anthropophobia are both specific and generic and may include:

• Fear or anxiety about being in the presence of people.
• Panic attacks or anxiety attacks in situations where people are present or anticipated to be present.
• Avoidance of situations that may involve people, such as social events or work-related activities.
• Physical symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, sweating, trembling, and shortness of breath when mixing with people.
• Feeling of helplessness or being out of control in the presence of people.
• Intrusive thoughts or nightmares related to social situations.
• Depression, irritability, or other mood changes related to people.

You may have all, some or even different symptoms to these listed here and this is due to the subjective nature of Anthropophobia.

However, it is important to be aware that your symptoms WILL subside over time and rarely last for more that 20 to 30 minutes.

What Causes Anthropophobia?

It’s possible that your Anthropophobia may be the result of traumatic events or adverse situations that you experienced in your earlier developmental years.

However, because a Fear of People is by no means universal, the most likely explanation for your Anthropophobia is your subjective evaluation of earlier experiences around which you have developed a set of beliefs.

Counselling and Therapy for Anthropophobia

We offer a number of different types of therapy and counselling for Anthropophobia the Fear of People.

Choosing the most suitable therapy depends on a number of different considerations including factors such as:

• How long you have had the problem.
• Your personal preferences.
• How your problem is affecting you today.

You can read more about the different types of therapy for Anthropophobia on the following links:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Anthropophobia
• Counselling for Anthropophobia
• Pluralistic Therapy for the Fear of People

Although all therapies use slightly different approaches, the one thing they all have in common is the relationship that is formed between the client and therapist.

Furthermore, research also suggests that the therapy relationship may be the most important factor in achieving a good therapy outcome.

Arrange your FREE initial consultation here.

If you’d like to find out more about overcoming Anthropophobia or recovering from related mental health problems then why not arrange a free initial consultation with us.

During this consultation we will discuss your particular phobia and the different types of mental health counselling we offer without you having to commit to any counselling going forward.

The consultation lasts around 50 minutes and is a great opportunity to meet with either Paul or Joan and decide if you would like to proceed with any support.