Last Updated on February 17, 2023 by Mike Robinson
What is Pediophobia?
Pediophobia is a type of specific phobia characterized by an excessive and irrational fear of dolls. The people who suffer from this disorder do not only fear the dolls that in their design contain some element related to terror; they also fear all the dolls in a general way. Therefore, any doll, regardless of its qualities, can generate high feelings of fear.
It is currently argued that pediophobia is a rare mental illness. In actuality, it is not one of the phobias that plague society the most. However, this particular type of specific phobia is a disorder that is clearly defined and has treatments that are effective. This article reviews the characteristics, symptoms, causes, and primary treatments of pediophobia in order to review the information that is currently available about this psychopathology.
Characteristics of Pediophobia
Pediophobia is a type of anxiety disorder that is diagnosed as a specific phobia. It is a type of specific phobia that is not as common as spider phobia or blood phobia, for example.
But some people can develop a fear of dolls, which is similar to other types of specific phobias. People with pediophobia fear dolls in a totally irrational way, especially when they see certain parts of the doll, like the wrists. This causes an intense and unpleasant anxiety response.
Also, people with pediophobia never touch dolls because they make them feel scared, anxious, and uncomfortable. Most of the time, a person with pediophobia doesn’t have to change much because they can find ways to hide their fears and stay away from dolls.
Currently, effective treatments allow one to reverse the phobic fear and, therefore, overcome this type of specific phobia.
What is the Fear of Dolls?
To talk about pediophobia, the person’s fear must make the individual act in a certain way. In fact, “pediophobia” is not always a good way to describe a fear of dolls. To connect a fear of dolls to pediophobia, the person must show a phobic fear that has certain characteristics.
1. Intense levels of fear
The dolls do not pose any risk to people, so most fears about these objects can be interpreted as excessive. However, in the delimitation of the fear of dolls, certain appreciations can be made.
In the first place, there are certain dolls related to movies or horror events that can present in their own aspect frightening elements that can generate more or less high responses of fear.
In the case of pediophobia, this would not be an important element. The subject with this alteration fears all dolls equally and experiences elevated feelings of anxiety when exposed to dolls, regardless of their appearance or expression.
2. Irrational fear
The fear of pediophobia is also characterized as irrational. The subject with this disorder is aware that his fear of dolls is unfounded and incongruous. However, the person can not do anything to manage their fear of the dolls because it is processed through irrational thoughts.
3. The fear is uncontrollable.
The person with this disorder is unable to control and manage their feelings of fear. Fear appears totally uncontrollable whenever they are in the presence of a doll.
4. Consistent fear
The phobic fear of pediophobia is not subject to temporary factors. This is not experienced only at certain stages of life, so if it is not treated properly, a person with pediophobia will fear the dolls all their lives.
Symptoms of Pediophobia
Most of the symptoms of pediophobia are related to anxiety. When the person is exposed to dolls, they show strong signs of anxiety.
Most of the time, people with pedophobia have physical symptoms because of their fear. The person experiencing this fear goes through a series of physical changes. Here is a list of the most common symptoms:
- Elevated heart rates
- Increased respiratory rate.
- Muscle tension
- Excessive sweating
- Headaches and/or stomach pain
- Dizziness, nausea, or vomiting.
- Dream state like feelings
- Dry mouth.
- Body tremors
Additionally, pediophobia brings on cognitive symptoms, including having many negative and irrational thoughts about dolls and one’s ability to deal with them.
Lastly, in order to talk about pediophobia, the person must act differently because of their fear of dolls. Avoidance is a very common symptom, which means staying away from dolls at all costs.
Causes of Pediophobia
The specific cause of pediophobia consists of several factors that can feed back into the development of psychopathology rather than a single cause. The ones that seem to be most important are direct, vicarious, and informative conditioning. But genes, personality traits, and people’s thinking may also play a big role.
Treatment Options
In the treatment of pediophobia, psychotherapy has been much more effective than pharmacotherapy, so psychology sessions are usually advised.
Also Read: Chordophobia: Characteristics, Consequences, and Associated Social Factors
Specifically, cognitive behavioral treatment has very high efficacy rates and is considered today to be the best therapeutic tool to overcome phobic fears.
These treatments base their intervention on exposure. Through gradual and controlled exposure, the therapist will expose the subject to dolls to get used to them and overcome their fear of the dolls.
