Index
When someone else drives the car, in a sense, you give them full control of the vehicle.
Fearing a car trip is common and is known as amaxophobia. This phobia is associated with a partial or total loss of control.
Amaxophobia is a type of fear in which a person develops an unreasonable fear of an accident or death while driving a vehicle or traveling in a vehicle.
Amaxophobia is also known as motor phobia. These people are always thinking about getting trapped inside a vehicle.
Therefore, they always seek to avoid taking a walk as part of their routine, whether it is going to a friend’s house or to work.
This can limit your options and opportunities in life.
Causes of amaxophobia
There can be several reasons that can cause amaxophobia, such as a bad experience or a traumatic event.
Amaxophobia can affect people of any age group, including children and adults.
Amaxophobia can be caused by a previous traumatic event, bad experience.
Any incident while driving a car or other vehicle can trigger a panic attack in such people.
Reading about a car accident in a newspaper can also create fear for driving.
Greater exposure to the gory images of people injured or killed in the accident can add to the fear. Like adults, it is commonly found in children.
They have negative feelings associated with car travel, which can be the result of a traumatic experience from the past that can act as a potential trigger.
Symptoms
While some people may feel fearful only after boarding a car, some may fear photos or images of cars and some in extreme fear at the mere mention of cars.
Some common symptoms of amaxophobia are as follows:
- Discomfort.
- Short of breath.
- Lost of control.
- Excessive sweating
- Sickness.
- Delirium.
- Confusion.
- Dizziness.
- Dry mouth.
- Fast heartbeat
- Tremors
- Confusion.
Constant exposure to fear can make amaxophobia symptoms worse and you may even start to fear death.
Diagnosis of amaxophobia
Any type of phobia cannot be detected by laboratory tests. A medical expert needs to conduct a clinical interview of the person under certain guidelines to diagnose amaxophobia.
The doctor considers the medical and psychiatric history and symptoms to detect the presence of amaxophobia.
The standard diagnostic criteria defined for amaxophobia are as follows:
- A fear or panic as a result of certain situations.
- An immediate panic attack when exposed to some fear.
- An irrational fear of any object is a situation that is beyond the person’s control.
- Tendency to avoid certain situations that trigger panic.
- A persistent fear of situations for a duration of more than six months.
Treatment
Amaxophobia can be treated with various therapies and medications.
Behavioral therapy is an effective treatment option that tries to make sure that the person’s behavior remains normal in the face of their fears.
The doctor talks to the person about the fear so that they can face the situation without any panic. Treatment works when the person affected by amaxophobia can get rid of negative thoughts.
Psychotherapy is also a preferred treatment option for amaxophobia, in which the skilled physician discusses the fear and prepares you to face the fears.
Some medications, including antidepressants, are also used in conjunction with appropriate therapies to treat the symptoms of amaxophobia.
Risk factors for amaxophobia
The following factors can increase the risk of developing amaxophobia:
- Children under the age of 10 are at higher risk of developing amaxophobia.
- Those people who tend to have an abnormal fear of any other situation, this attitude and sensitivity to situations can also make it an easy candidate for amaxophobia.
- There is a high risk of developing amaxophobia if you have someone in the family who suffers from this phobia.
- Facing a traumatic situation can sometimes result in fear of those situations.
Complications
It can be extremely difficult for a person suffering from amaxophobia to behave or act normally.
Someone looking from afar may not realize the seriousness of the situation, but the person suffering from fear struggles to lead a normal life.
Among the complications of amaxophobia are:
- People who suffer from amaxophobia tend to isolate themselves from society. It makes them feel more alone and it also affects their performance in school or in their workplace.
- When the person is alone, he begins to develop depression , he can also start using drugs due to depression.
- Fear can sometimes escalate to extreme levels leading to suicidal thoughts.
Prevention of amaxophobia
If there are children in your home, they can easily develop the same amaxophobia, their behavior should be observed.
Therefore, it is essential to treat amaxophobia as soon as possible to avoid major problems.
