Atomosophobia is a clear example that we humans can develop extreme fears of very unlikely phenomena. This mental alteration is based on the fear of atomic explosions, something that the vast majority of the population has never experienced and will never experience.

Let’s see what are the symptoms and causes of atomosophobia , as well as the possible psychological treatments associated with this disorder.

What is atomosophobia?

Atomosophobia, or nuclear blast phobia, is a type of anxiety disorder that belongs to the group of specific phobias.

In it, what produces an intense fear is the expectation of a nuclear explosion in a nearby place. This means that the symptoms of the disorder do not only manifest themselves if one of these explosions is witnessed, but they can appear in practically any context, as long as the intrusive ideas related to this kind of catastrophe are in the focus of the person’s attention.

It must be taken into account that phobias are disorders because there is a fear of something that should not be feared with such intensity , since it does not pose a danger. In the case of nuclear explosions it is clear that these are dangerous, but in this case the problem lies in a question of probability: what should not be feared is the risk of an imminent and nearby nuclear explosion, since it is most likely not to happen.

Causes

As with all phobias, there is no single, specific cause that is the same in every case. Instead, there are a variety of situations that can lead to the development of these disorders and cause their symptoms to persist.

Exposure to a traumatic experience related to real or imagined nuclear explosions is one of the causes. This association between the experience and an emotional state of strong anxiety can be made in the most elaborate ways.

For example, living up close to a collapsed house, which resembles a bomb explosion, or seeing someone you love die of cancer, in which case the most anxious element of the nuclear explosion would be the radiation it would leave behind.

It must be taken into account that phobias are based on the mechanics of fear and anxiety that in most cases are useful for survival , but that in certain cases can degenerate and give way to psychopathology.

That means that these anxiety disorders are not something that can be controlled through rationality, but they start from the emotional facet that has been surfacing for millions of years in the core of the functioning of the nervous system and without whose existence we could not understand the human mind.

Symptoms

As for the symptoms, these are the usual ones in any kind of phobia, and all of them have to do with a strong anxiety response to a real or imagined stimulus.

On the one hand there are the physiological symptoms . These are increased blood pressure and respiratory rate, tremors, cold sweats, nausea and the possibility of losing consciousness.

On the other hand, there is the psychological component, in which obsessive ideas based on the image of the nuclear explosion stand out, and the impossibility of directing attention towards anything else while the crisis lasts, as well as the feeling of fear.

Finally, we have the purely behavioural part, in which the behaviours of escape and avoidance of the phobic stimulus stand out.

Treatment

Fortunately, phobias have a good prognosis if they are treated with the help of psychology professionals.

In this sense, the most common techniques for treating this type of disorder in which we find atomosophobia are systematic desensitization and exposure. Both are based on the idea of exposing the person to the phobic stimulus in a controlled situation, under the supervision of the psychotherapist, and going from the easiest situations to the most difficult ones.

In the case of atomosophobia, as it is not possible to find the phobic stimulus in real life, the most useful thing is to take advantage of forms of virtual reality based on a three-dimensional graphic engine.

On the other hand, in a parallel way, psychological intervention routes can be used that appeal to the cognitive component and mental schemes. For this purpose, cognitive restructuring is used, linked in this case to the improvement of self-esteem and self-efficacy.

Bibliographic references:

  • Cavallo, V. (1998). International Handbook of Cognitive and Behavioural Treatments for Psychological Disorders. Pergamon.
  • Myers, K. M., Davis, M.(2007). “Mechanisms of fear extinction. Molecular Psychiatry. 12 (2): pp. 120 – 150.