Last Updated on January 8, 2023 by Mike Robinson
Microphobia is an excessive and irrational fear of tiny objects. The phobia of germs is a prime example of this type of phobia. Here are the signs, causes, and treatments for microphobia. The fact that germs are so small and invisible contributes significantly to the anxiety these people experience.
Microphobia can include a fear of anything that is small in size and is not just limited to being afraid of bacteria and viruses.
Although many people with microphobia are aware of and acknowledge the irrationality of their fears, they frequently find it impossible to stop experiencing extremely high levels of anxiety or an anxiety crisis when exposed to feared stimuli or just by thinking about them.
Effects of Microphobia
A serious type of disorder like this affects the person who suffers from it and those around them.
The person suffering from microphobia may be unable to perform everyday tasks effectively, so they may need a lot of help from those who live with them. Due to the overwhelming fear, they may also decide to stop doing things they used to do.
Symptoms of Microphobia
Each case of microphobia is different since each person has different thought patterns, images, and internal dialogue associated with small objects. However, although “internal representations” vary by person, several symptoms are common in many microbes.
A person who suffers from microphobia often experiences intense fear and anxiety when they are in the presence of small things that they fear, which can lead to panic attacks or anxiety.
This phobia can be quite debilitating, as they tend to fear objects such as germs, which cannot be seen but could be anywhere. As a result, they must constantly try to avoid them.
Their fear of dirt and germs can become so intense that it could become the symptoms of another phobia called misophobia: the fear of dirt and germs.
Physiological symptoms
List of the most common microphobia symptoms:
- High levels of anxiety
- Disproportionate levels of fear
- Body chills
- Increased heart rate
- Sweating
- Feelings of losing control
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Breathing difficulties
- Social avoidance
A behavioral symptom of these people is avoidance, which is typical of all phobias.
These people avoid many things that are small in size. The fear can be so intense that the person with microphobia may not want to leave his house to avoid any risk of having contact with the things that he fears.
Cognitive symptoms
Common mental symptoms of microphobia include:
- Continuous obsessive thoughts
- Unable to think about anything not related to the feared object.
- Feelings of being disconnected from reality or oneself (derealization or depersonalization).
- Fear of fainting or passing out
Emotional symptoms are also included, such as anticipatory anxiety, which consists of persistent concern about upcoming events that involve small objects. These people also feel an incapacitating fear and a desire to escape from situations in which there may be objects that they fear.
Due to anxiety, people suffering from microphobia cannot function normally in their daily lives. They tend to be aware that their fears are completely exaggerated or unreasonable, but they cannot control them. Microphobia symptoms can coexist with those of other phobias.
Causes of microphobia
Most experts believe that the causes of this phobia are a combination of a biochemical imbalance in the brain, which can be genetic and environmental factors.
Environmental factors
An example of an environmental factor is a negative experience with whatever tiny objects are responsible for causing fear. That experience creates a link between the experience and the things that are feared.
The fear caused by microphobia may also have been learned through observation. Fear of some objects may occur after observing someone else who has a similar fear. The more you trust, respect, or look up to that person, the more likely you are to develop the same phobia they have. This would normally occur within families.
The fear of small or almost imperceptible things could reflect the fear of the unknown that most humans have.
Treatments for microphobia
Before undergoing any type of therapy, it is recommended that you go see a psychologist. They will be able to advise you on the best type of therapy that fits you based on the prognosis of the disorder.
Professionals that can help treat phobias, apart from psychologists and psychiatrists, are hypnotists and psychiatrists.
These professionals can help people suffering from microphobia deal with it and understand what causes the problem so that it can be solved.
Here are some of the recommended treatments:
Behavioral-cognitive therapies
Exposure therapy is a type of behavioral-cognitive treatment available to treat many anxiety disorders. The procedure involves gradually exposing the patient to a stressful situation and allowing them to feel anxiety.
The goal is for the person to become desensitized, which means that after a period of high exposure to the feared stimulus, they will no longer feel the emotion so strongly that it is fear. Many different kinds of phobias can be helped with this method.
In the case of microphobia, the person fearing small objects is first asked to imagine being close to the thing they are afraid of. Then they will see pictures or models of the object. Finally, they will touch areas where the objects are.
Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy is a type of therapy in which a person, with the help of a hypnosis expert, lets suggestions into their subconscious mind to change one or more behavior patterns.
When talking directly to the subconscious, it may be possible to find out what is causing the phobia and give new ideas and positive suggestions. The person with microphobia can use these new ideas to help make the changes they want.
After a few sessions of hypnotherapy, the person can usually learn to feel different emotions when they think about the things they are afraid of.
Some people don’t like it when someone messes with their thoughts. But hypnotherapy, which is also called hypnoanalysis, is thought to be safe and works very quickly. This type of therapy has been approved as a therapy method since 1958 by the American Medical Association.
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)
Neuro-linguistic programming is basically the study and practice of how each of us creates our own reality. The most basic idea behind NLP is that the words we use show how we unconsciously see our problems on the inside.
If these words and perceptions are inaccurate, they can create an underlying problem as long as we continue to use and believe them. Our attitudes are, in a sense, a self-fulfilling prophecy. A self-fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that, once made, is the reason it becomes a reality.
In this type of therapy, a neuro-linguistic therapist will analyze every word and phrase you use to describe your symptoms or concerns about your health. He or she will examine your facial expressions and body movements.
After determining the problems in your perception, the therapist will help you understand their origin. The therapist will help you reshape your thoughts and mental associations to fix or improve your preconceived notions. These preconceived notions may be preventing you from achieving the success you deserve.
Energy psychology
Energy psychology is a type of therapy that uses various techniques such as acupuncture, yoga, tai chi, prana, and energy medicine to teach people to take simple steps to make big changes in their lives.
These techniques stimulate energy points on the skin’s surface that, when paired with certain psychological procedures, can change the brain’s electrochemistry. This type of therapy is still an area of considerable controversy, but it has shown positive results when it comes to dealing with phobias.
Psychotropic drugs
In addition to all the types of therapy described above, there are psychotropic drugs that, while not “curing” this disorder, mitigate the intensity of the symptoms. It is imperative that the person combine pharmacological treatment with some type of therapy.
Doctors can prescribe serotonin reuptake inhibitors to treat the symptoms of anxiety produced by the microphobia. Some antidepressants help relieve the obsessive thoughts that phobias can cause. The medicinal compounds do not treat the disease but can reduce the intensity of the symptoms. Therefore, they should only be used in extreme cases of anxiety.
Benzodiazepines are drugs that help calm the nervous system. They can help stop or ease panic attacks and their symptoms, like feeling dizzy, having difficulty breathing, and having chest pains. They can also make the person worry less about whatever is causing fear and anxiety.
Conclusions
Microphobia is an intense fear of tiny, particle-sized objects that can cause a person significant stress and anxiety. It can make it difficult to socialize with others or perform their daily responsibilities at work and at home.
Also read Clinophobia: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments.
Do not underestimate the negative impact microphobia can have on someone who has to deal with its symptoms regularly.
