Read more about this disease, some with Classification – Types – Signs and symptoms – Genetics – Pathophysiology – Diagnosis – Screening – Prevention – Treatment and management – Cures and much more, some including pictures and video when available.
Nyctophobia is a limiting and disabling disease characterized by a frenzied fear of the darkness. It is triggered by the mind’s disfigured perceptivity of what would or could happen when in a dark environment. Despite its pervasive nature, there is a lack of etiological studies on it. The fear of darkness (nyctophobia) is a psychologically-impacted feeling of being disposed from comfort to a fear-evoking state. The fear of darkness or night has several non-clinical terminologies–lygophobia, scotophobia and achluophobia. Nyctophobia is a phobia generally related to children but, according to J. Adrian Williams’ article titled, Indirect Hypnotic Therapy of Nyctophobia: A Case Report, many clinics with pediatric patients have a great chance of having adults who have nyctophobia. The same article states that “the phobia has been known to be extremely disruptive to adult patients and… incapacitating”[1].
Nyctophobia is a fear suffered by both adults and children. It is most common among pediatric patients. Nyctophobic patients are frightened by thoughts of darkness. They assume a quicker response to darkness than do most people. For most adult patients, the fear has been with them since childhood. Adults who developed the phobia in childhood may suffer from any retrospective reference or mental-recall of past events in the dark. The lack of analytical and interpretive studies on nyctophobia allows only a limited understanding of the phobia. There is little known information about the pathological background and emotional aspects of nyctophobia. Television shows and movies are two of the known factors that cause children to develop a fear of darkness. Telling scary stories, especially while in the dark, is one other factor that may cause kids to develop the phobia.
There are several different reactions observed in people who have nyctophobia. James G. Hollandsworth’s Physiology and Behavior Therapy states that for a person to be diagnosed with a phobia they must have 4-12 symptoms. The different possible conventional symptoms many of the phobias have in correlation include “dyspnea (“air hunger”), palpitation (rapid beating of the heart), chest pain or discomfort, choking or smothering sensations, dizziness or vertigo, feelings of unreality, paresthesia (tingling in the hands and feet), hot or cold flashes, sweating, faintness, trembling or shaking, and a fear of dying, going crazy, or doing something uncontrollable.” [2] These few symptoms all categorically fall in as either a physical, emotional, and/or mental reactions. Those who suffer from nyctophobia generally experience fast heart-beating, sweating, hard time breathing and overwhelming fright. The extremity of the symptoms depends on how severe the subject’s case of nyctophobia is. Nyctophobia, like many other phobias, causes a mental derangement leading to one’s inability to cope with things during night times. Anticipation of darkness for nyctophobic patients may affect their entire day. Depression is a possible side-affect for someone with nyctophobia. There have been few tests and experimentations; although, the few credible experiments have put some light on what nyctophobia really is.
Nyctophobics, depending on the severity of the phobia, may experience neurological or psychological side affects. Severe nyctophobia can be characterized by extreme trembling or quivering. When experiencing fear the body has an autonomic physiological reaction. These types of reactions are the body’s uncontrolled physical response to any phobic and fear stimulants. The human body takes an important approach—the avoidant response, to anything that may injure any sensitive part. A great example of such reactions is shivering, which may happen at a time when it isn’t cold or when there is no wind blowing. The body experiences confusion and becomes extra-sensitive to any breeze of air. The flow of blood to the heart is increased causing the heart to beat faster. Certain people are only afraid of being in a dark environment alone and are only able to do so for a certain amount of time; the exact time has not yet been clinically defined by any studies. Patients with such tolerance of darkness, of being able to remain in a dark environment without exerting any of the listed symptomatic reactions, are not subjects suffering from nyctophobia.
There are not any clinically-approved methods of measuring the severity of nyctophobia— although; there are two simple degrees–severe and non severe, under which any phobia can be labeled. A non-severe case of nyctophobia is when the patient is able to stay alone in a dark environment. A “severe case” of nyctophobia occurs when the subject is extremely fearful of darkness that even treating the phobia through an exposure-to-stimulant method would not be a proper approach for treatment. A person with a severe case of nyctophobia could experience continual thoughts to commit suicide and is likely to have other desires that are likely to result in personal injury.
[tubepress mode=’tag’, tagValue=’Nyctophobia’]