Phobias in children are an overly expressed pathological fear that occurs upon contact with a certain object or getting into a specific situation, and also when waiting for the listed events. Emotional stress, high levels of anxiety, autonomic disorders, and avoidant behavior are observed. The diagnosis is established on the basis of anamnesis and conversation with the patient. Cognitive behavioral therapy is considered the most effective method. If necessary, antidepressants and tranquilizers are used, which play a secondary role compared to psychotherapy.
Appointments can be made by phone. 8(969)060-93-93.
general information
Fear is a normal emotional reaction that occurs in response to a threat to life, health, and well-being. When this reaction occurs, physiological mechanisms are activated that prepare the body for “saving” actions (flight, fight). Normal fear appears when there is a real danger, does not paralyze a person, but forces him to act, and disappears after the threat is eliminated.
A child’s phobia is much more pronounced, long-lasting, inadequate, and inappropriate to the circumstances. At the same time, the baby himself understands that his experiences are illogical, inappropriate and do not correlate with the level of threat, which may be minimal or completely absent. But attempts at resistance and logical reasoning do not affect the perception of a frightening object.
The exact prevalence of phobic disorders in the pediatric population has not been established, since patients with mild manifestations often do not see doctors. Phobias subsequently disappear as they grow older, and the question of how to get rid of the problem becomes irrelevant.
Clinically significant disorders that significantly affect behavior and worsen the quality of life of patients are observed in 1-1.5% of children. The peak incidence occurs in preschool and primary school age; girls are affected more often than boys.
Problems with conception
When both partners are healthy, but pregnancy still does not occur, perhaps the problem lies in psychological health.
If you have problems conceiving, many doctors advise you to “let go of the situation,” believing that the problem is in your head. A perinatal psychologist helps to identify negative psychological factors: stress, internal conflict, depressive feelings and work through them.
He does this with the help of psychodiagnostics: a woman’s relationship with her own body is examined, the type of psychosomatic response is established, internal conflicts are examined, the level of stress is diagnosed, the motivation for pregnancy is examined, and much more.
And based on the diagnostic results, you can see what problem will need to be worked on.
Specialist help may also be needed in case of perinatal loss, as well as when using IVF.
Causes
The characteristic basis for the development of phobias is anxiety, suspiciousness, excessive impressionability, and a tendency to fantasize. The following are considered as external provoking factors:
- Parenting style. Unfavorable options are total control, directiveness, overprotection, and increased anxiety of parents.
- Video production. Children are more impressionable than adults and react more sharply to watching television programs and feature films, including scenes of persecution, murder, violence, and terror.
- Sudden fear. Pathological fear occurs after experiencing acute stress: a fall from a great height, a car accident, a dog attack.
- Mental disorders. Phobias can be part of the clinical picture of schizophrenia, OCD, anxiety disorder and bipolar disorder.
Classification
Depending on the severity of symptoms, phobias can be mild or severe. In the first case, the patient retains the ability to partially control behavior; emotional and vegetative reactions are not clearly expressed, invisible or hardly noticeable from the outside. In the second, horror, panic, inhibition or, on the contrary, motor agitation are observed. Breathing and heartbeat become more frequent, pallor, cold sweat, discomfort in the abdomen and other disturbances are possible. The child avoids frightening situations by all means. Taking into account the content, the following types of phobias are distinguished:
- Spatial: agoraphobia, claustrophobia, fear of heights and depth.
- Social phobia: fear of public speaking, blushing, other phobic disorders associated with social interactions.
- Sexual: romance, dating, intimacy, consequences of masturbation. Occurs during puberty.
- Deaths: thanatophobia. It is realized through images and ideas about mortal danger in the child’s mind. There may be fear of real animals or fictional creatures, being buried alive, etc.
- Damage: fear of self-harm, harm to others.
- Diseases: nosophobia. They can be associated with almost any disease; the first place in prevalence is occupied by anxiety about oncology. The plot largely depends on the child’s personal experience (contacts with sick or dying relatives).
- Contrasting: committing an obscene, indecent, socially disapproved act.
- Phobophobia: fear of fear, fear of repetition of previously occurring phobic situations.
Independent measures to influence fear
To a mild extent, the problem can be dealt with on your own. To do this you need:
- Accept your fear. Recognizing that there is a problem is the first step to solving it.
- Tell your partner about your fear. Close people should know about the fears that pregnant women have, helping them find peace and happiness. A loving person will definitely support you. He must attend courses to prepare for motherhood together with the woman. Understanding that there is support, it is easier for the client to overcome her thoughts and overcome fears during conception, pregnancy and childbirth.
- Accept responsibility by trusting fate. The fear of becoming a bad mother is unjustified. After childbirth, a woman’s maternal instinct awakens, making it clear how to care for the baby.
- Do yoga, meditation. Exercises help reduce anxiety and teach you how to control your body and mind.
- Find a hobby. Doing what you love, going shopping, helps take your mind off your thoughts.
- View all information about childbirth. It must convey a positive message. Sometimes fear is associated with ignorance, lack of understanding of what is happening. Studying the topic and communicating with an experienced obstetrician-gynecologist will help dispel myths.
- Play sports, walk a lot. We are not talking about professional sports; light, gentle training on a fitball and long walks in the fresh air are needed. Training the pelvic muscles reduces the pain threshold during childbirth.
Symptoms
In children of the younger age group, phobias are rarely observed due to the lack of sufficiently formed critical thinking, the inability to identify patterns and assess their own condition. In older preschool age, obsessive fears come to the fore and have a significant impact on behavior and emotional state without analyzing what is happening.
The mental and intellectual level of development of schoolchildren allows them to understand the absurdity and inadequacy of their fears and fight what is happening. True phobias are spoken of after the child reaches 5-8 years of age. Manifestations occur in certain situations, the severity of symptoms depends on the degree of contact with a frightening stimulus and the severity of the disorder.
Behavior and emotional state change , vegetative reactions of varying severity occur. In all cases, fear, anxiety, and increased tension are observed. Younger patients scream, cry, try to run away or hide behind an adult. Older children contain anxiety and fear, figure out what to do in a difficult situation, try to resist circumstances, or find a valid reason explaining their reluctance to be in certain situations.
Autonomic disorders include nausea, dizziness, tachycardia, hyperhidrosis, and a feeling of lack of air. Stupidity or, conversely, unregulated motor activity are possible. Symptoms range from mild to severe. In some children, fears appear not only in reality, but also in dreams, which is accompanied by an unwillingness to go to bed, problems falling asleep, and awakenings at night.
For preschoolers, phobias associated with animals, fairy-tale and fantasy characters (wolves, horses, dogs, zombies, Koshchei the Immortal) are more common. Generalization is often observed; fear in children is transformed into a fear of loneliness, silence and darkness. For younger schoolchildren, thanatophobia often comes to the fore in the form of worries about a possible attack by a criminal, a natural disaster, or the outbreak of war.
In the puberty period, there is a concretization, a clearer connection with real circumstances. Social fears prevail: rejection by the group, public failure, inability to achieve what you want, condemnation by peers. Subsequently, phobias associated with intimate relationships are added to the listed experiences.
Types of fears during pregnancy
Fears during pregnancy have different directions. Highlight:
- Iatrophobia. Fear of medical personnel, medical manipulations.
- Xenophobia or horror of a new stage of life. A woman is afraid of leaving her usual channel; she will not be able to control the changes that are taking place.
- Agliophobia. Characterized by pregnant women's fears of pain. Usually they are supported by stories from friends who have gone through this stage.
- Thanatophobia. The fear of death during childbirth is reinforced by feelings of loss of strength and devastation. The woman feels that she will not have enough strength during childbirth and will die.
- Fear for the life and integrity of the baby. The expectant mother is afraid that her baby may be harmed, organ damage may occur, or the pregnancy may end in a miscarriage or stillbirth. This includes a phobia of ectopic conception and fetal pathology.
- Fear of childbirth. It seems to the woman that something will definitely go wrong, that something bad will happen. Panic completely covers the client. To dispel doubts, you need to attend courses on preparation for childbirth and motherhood.
- Dysmorphophobia. A woman is wary of the unattractiveness of her body during pregnancy and after childbirth.
- Obesophobia. The client is afraid of gaining weight.
- Fear of getting pregnant unplanned. The reason is usually a lack of money, the opinion of a partner, surrounding people, or unwillingness to bear responsibility for a child.
Fear of getting pregnant may be associated with fear of a cesarean section due to the inability to give birth on your own. Almost 40% of clients with tokophobia are wary of surgery.
All fears can be divided into two types: constructive and pathological. The first is based on the instinct of self-preservation. This is a fear of changes, problems with one’s own health, the condition of the baby, the need to control and respond in a timely manner to the current situation. Pathological fears of pregnancy in women include phobias followed by psychological distress and depression.
Diagnostics
How to treat is determined after establishing the nature and severity of the disorder. Diagnostic measures are carried out by a psychologist, psychotherapist or psychiatrist. They include a detailed interview, special scales for identifying and assessing the intensity of fear, maps of situations for identifying stimuli, and drawing tests. To get a more complete picture of what is happening, parents are also asked to fill out a questionnaire.
Cost of services
| CONSULTATIONS OF SPECIALISTS | |
| Initial consultation with a psychiatrist (60 min.) | 6,000 rub. |
| Repeated consultation | 5,000 rub. |
| Consultation with a psychiatrist-narcologist (60 min.) | 5,000 rub. |
| Consultation with a psychologist | 3,500 rub. |
| Consultation with Gromova E.V. (50 minutes) | 12,000 rub. |
| PSYCHOTHERAPY | |
| Psychotherapy (session) | 7,000 rub. |
| Psychotherapy (5 sessions) | 30,000 rub. |
| Psychotherapy (10 sessions) | 60,000 rub. |
| Group psychotherapy (3-7 people) | 3,500 rub. |
| Psychotherapy session with E.V. Gromova (50 minutes) | 12,000 rub. |
This list does not contain all prices for services provided by our clinic. The full price list can be found on the “Prices” , or by calling: 8(969)060-93-93. Initial consultation is FREE!
Treatment
The basis of treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy. For children, the behavioral aspect comes to the fore. The work is carried out through systematic desensitization with the support of not only the therapist, but also the father or mother. The importance of the cognitive element increases in children of the older age group.
The specialist explains why fear arises, eliminates the client’s incorrect beliefs, and encourages him to analyze and study his emotions and bodily manifestations. An important part of the work is learning to relax. In case of severe disorders, antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs are additionally prescribed. With timely provision of assistance and competent selection of therapeutic measures, the prognosis is favorable.
To schedule a consultation, call our operator at 8(969)060-93-93.
How to choose a perinatal psychologist
A woman needs to take a responsible approach to choosing a specialist. Pay attention to the specialist’s education, reviews of him, whether he has modern knowledge in the field of psychology, but one of the most important indicators is trust, so that you feel his support and attention, so that you feel comfortable working with him. For those who are interested in the field of perinatal psychology, we can recommend our course “Practical Perinatal Psychology. Social and psychological support of pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period."
