Phalacrophobia or fear of baldness: symptoms, causes and treatments

An irrational fear can be motivated or aroused by any stimulus, even a word or symbol. These fears are sometimes completely incomprehensible, but other times they have a more reasonable basis, as in the case of phalacrophobia or fear of baldness.

All we feel fear facing mutilation or the loss of any of the body parts. It is an atavistic fear and is part of the instinctive survival equipment. Although hair is not a vital component for health, it is part of the anatomy and that is why phalacrophobia makes some sense.

What doesn’t make sense is carrying those fears at an excessive level. Phallacrophobia is considered a disorder precisely because it takes the fear of baldness to an extreme point. Sometimes even just thinking about that possibility triggers intense states of anxiety.

Defining phalacrophobia

Phallacrophobia is defined as an exaggerated fear of baldness.. Exposure to any stimulus related to hair loss causes an intense state of anxiety in which no reason is paid attention to.

In this disorder, just recreating the possibility of going bald in your imagination triggers panic. Likewise, there is a variant in which terror is triggered by seeing a bald person. It is an uncontrollable reaction which causes great discomfort to those who suffer from it.

This type of phobia It is present in both men and women, despite the fact that alopecia is more common in men. Those who suffer from this irrational fear are excessively sensitive to any comment about their hair.

Symptoms and causes

The fear is so high that people with phalacrophobia present a set of physiological responses when they come into contact with the object of their fear. There is tachycardia, tremors, dizziness, hyperintonation and it can lead to an anxiety crisis.

Those affected by this problem continually check their hair and feel very afraid when they see it falling out. In addition, They strive to maintain good hair health, sometimes with measures that are absurd because of how exaggerated they are.

The causes

Some psychological approaches point out that this phobia derives from fears associated with baldness. In particular, the fear of losing hair and thereby reducing attractiveness or presenting signs of old age. In some cases, it is also related to the fear of losing masculinity.

However, these explanations account for the possible reasons, but do not explain the exaggerated and out of control fear. Psychoanalysis, for its part, points out that this, like other phobias, arises from unconscious associations that do not necessarily have to do with appearance, attractiveness or youth.

On a psychoanalytic level, a displacement mechanism operates within phobias, also known as metonymy. So, What really scares a person is something else.some sexual desire that you consider inconvenient or an aggressive impulse that you consciously reject.

Since he does not admit that desire or rejection, he encapsulates them and sends them to the bottom of his mental sphere. One way to do this is by displacing the fear towards another object, in this case, the hair.. In this way, the phobia is formed and it plays the role of continuing to cover up the desire or impulse that is unconsciously rejected.

How to treat phalacrophobia

The most used treatment to treat all types of phobias is systematic desensitization. It consists of exposing the affected person to what causes exaggerated fear, gradually and with support. The person comes into contact with what they are afraid of, with the help of the psychologist and gradually.

Another frequently applied treatment is cognitive restructuring.. It has to do with rethinking and deconstructing the beliefs that are behind irrational fear. In the case of phalacrophobia, ideas associated with loss of attractiveness, aging or overestimation of personal appearance.

Psychoanalysis also treats phobias, but it does so within the context of a deeper analysis that shelters the early experiences of childhood. It involves a much longer intervention that requires a high commitment on the part of the affected person.

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