• On Good Things Utah this morning – What does it mean to ‘monophobia’? I’m willing to bet that you know at least one person who has this often primal fear. I remember after my baby daddy left me, shortly after I had my daughter. I was angry, very angry. But, more than that, I realized I had a serious existential dread about me. I genuinely believed that my chances of having a spouse were over. It was rough. I’ve been that person who cried at night for a spouse I thought would never come. I also was that person who would get angry just looking at happy couples in the mall. It sucks to know, but it’s true. I was kind of a ball of rage and fear. While most peoples’ experiences might not be as extreme as mine, the truth is that the fear of being single is a very common feeling. That’s why it may be a good idea to talk about what this is, per therapists.
    • According to WebMD, monophobia “is the fear of being isolated, lonely, or alone.” Other names for monophobia are autophobia, isolophobia, or eremophobia. Full disclosure, I actually learned about the term “monophobia” from a person who reached out to me from Choosing Therapy. They basically explained that the fear I spoke about in another article was called monophobia, and it’s actually a clinical diagnosis. In psychology, phobias don’t just mean discomfort or feeling angry or sad. It’s a bit deeper than that. According to Harvard Health, “A phobia is an anxiety disorder defined by a persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation.” They are long-term, lasting at least six months, and they involve a pervasive concern that you might experience a certain fear. A person with these specific phobias doesn’t just hate being alone, they feel fear or have anxiety even thinking about it. The thought of it can give them panic attacks and causes them to obsess over getting someone — anyone! They can get very clingy, very quickly.
    • Some symptoms of monophobia, according to WebMD, include:
      • Intense feelings of fear triggered by a specific event or situation (like being alone)
      • Intense anxiety that is disproportionate to the danger or threat
      • Recognition that the fear isn’t warranted or is disproportionate
      • Avoidance of the situation
      • Extreme distress
      • A fear that impacts the person’s ability to go to school, work, or have a social life
      • Fear that has persisted for longer than six months
      • A fear that is not the result of another disorder
      • People with monophobia may also experience physical symptoms like sweating, shaking, chills, difficulty breathing, a choking sensation, tachycardia, chest pains, nausea, dry mouth, dizziness, or confusion. We hope you tune in as our hosts dive into this Hot Topic and so much more this morning on GTU!