We have a hard time understanding some phobias, while for others we show more empathy. This is the case of carcinophobia or fear of cancer, a phobic disorder that must be overcome because it makes the life of the person who suffers it hell. But who is not afraid of cancer? Discover in our dictionary of phobias what carcinophobia or fear of cancer is.
What is carcinophobia?
Carcinophobia is the fear of cancer or the fear of having cancer, a quite logical fear because it is a very common disease that can lead to death. However, when that fear becomes excessive and unfounded, the phobic disorder appears which must be treated as soon as possible.
The fear of cancer is a phobia that is closely related to hypochondria. Any physical discomfort triggers an episode of anxiety due to the fear of suffering from cancer. A simple headache and the gear of carcinophobia start to turn your life into hell.
Symptoms of fear of cancer
Any symptom is likely to be an indication of cancer for the person suffering from carcinophobia. From a headache to a blemish on the skin, to a cold that takes a little longer to heal. Continuous visits to the medical center to check that everything is fine (or bad) are the most common activity of people with carcinophobia.
From there we move on to all the anxiety symptoms that any physical incident triggers. The fear of having cancer worsens the previous symptoms with anxiety attacks, panic attacks, anguish or a feeling of unreality. Distorted, coming to believe that you have cancer, become the usual before any aid.
Know the causes of this phobia
There are several causes for the development of carcinophobia. The most frequent is by conditioning after having lived through a traumatic experience. If one or more family members have died of cancer, fear of this disease is more likely to become a problem.
As with all phobias, carcinophobia also arises from an anxiety disorder. Anxiety multiplies fears and sees danger in any situation and more when we talk about diseases. If the person also has a tendency to hypochondria, the phobia finds the ideal situation to develop.
Treatment of carcinophobia
All phobias can be overcome and the best option is always psychological therapy. The difficult thing in this case is to detect the phobia, since the background is a logical fear that most of us suffer to a greater or lesser extent. Cognitive restructuring, which is part of cognitive, is the most effective therapy for carcinophobia.
It is about transforming the distorted thinking that leads you to panic in the face of any health incident. Not everything causes cancer and not all symptoms are cancer. For this reason, it is also convenient to have an in-depth discussion with an oncology professional to banish some myths that are created around this disease.