For some people, insects can cause serious distress. This level of discomfort may come from a phobia. A phobia is an anxiety disorder caused by excessive fear of an object or a situation. People can have phobias on many different things, but many individuals have phobias of certain types of bugs. Here are some of the bug-related phobias.
Entomophobia (The Fear of Bugs)
Summer camps can sometimes cause people to develop entomophobia for bugs like ticks and bed bugs. Typical symptoms of entomophobia are an overwhelming itch under your skin or anxiety about going outside due to insects. Many people fear ticks and contracting Lyme disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control, roughly 300,000 Americans contract the disease every year. A common treatment for entomophobia is exposure therapy. Exposure therapy forces people to visualize, talk about or see the thing they fear, which causes it to become more familiar in their day-to-day life. Cognitive-behavioral therapy can also help treat this phobia, where they will ask the individual to write down their thoughts and slowly replace them with more agreeable thoughts. Reducing exposure to ticks can help soothe anxiety. You can help this reduction by covering your skin with long sleeves, during peak times – or have your house fumigated for bugs and ticks.
Myrmecophobia (Fear of Ants)
The fear of ants to many is known as “irrational,” but there are many individuals who suffer from this anxiety disorder. Myrmecophobia can cause a panic attack, dizziness, dry mouth and even headaches for many people.
Katsaridaphobia (Fear of Cockroaches)
The fear of cockroaches can come from many different aspects of the insect, such as the things they eat, their longevity or their ability to spread diseases. This fear for many people derives from a form of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), where they fear a cockroach could be near them at any given minute of the day. Common symptoms for this phobia are nausea, high heart rate and panic attacks.
Orthopterophobia (Fear of Crickets)
Many individuals suffer from a crippling fear of crickets or locusts. You’ll experience very similar symptoms as you would with many other phobias. These fears all stem back to entomophobia, which encompasses all bugs.
To help yourself from dealing with any unneeded anxiety or distress, have a professional pest control company take care of your home. This will keep you feeling safe in your own space. For pest prevention, give Dustin Pest Control a call.