Lutraphobia (A complete guide)

This article will brief about Lutraphobia. Then it will focus on the symptoms and causes f Lutraphobia.

Later it will highlight the Treatments for Lutraphobia, both psychotherapies, and medications.

LUTRAPHOBIA:

Lutraphobia refers to the fear of otters. It creates extreme anxiety and even panic attacks in the presence of otters or even with a mere thought of it.

People suffering from Lutraphobia believe that otters are extremely dangerous, and they try their best to avoid seeing them at any cost.

People suffering from Lutraphobia try to make efforts in order to not make any contact with otters and therefore, they even try to arrange their living environment in a city rather in a rural area where contact with otters is possible.

Though this will help in reducing anxiety in the short-term, in the long term it might worsen the case.

People with Lutraphobia are likely to experience a full-blown panic attack because of the intense fear of otters.

During these attacks, they can have an increased rate of breathing, muscle tension, increased blood pressure, feelings of nausea, sweating, etc. 

SYMPTOMS OF LUTRAPHOBIA:

The symptoms of Lutraphobia is similar to every other phobia, people with Lutraphobia have anxiety and panic attacks as the most prominent symptoms of their condition.

And it depends on the severity of the panic attacks they might even need to get hospitalized, this totally depends on person to person and will be dependent on many factors.

Some common symptoms are:

• Anxiety when seeing otters and even while having thoughts of otters
• Breathlessness
• Sweating, Muscle tension
• Agitation, Irritability

CAUSES OF LUTRAPHOBIA:

There are no definite causes of Lutraphobia that have been found so far, although genetic as well as environmental factors play an important role in this condition.

If someone has a family history of anxiety disorders or panic disorders then he is more likely to develop Lutrophobia this maybe because of the genetic predisposition to develop mental illness.

If environmental factors play the role in this then there are chances that the person suffering from Lutraphobia has some sort of traumatic event in the past or had heard some horror stories from the parents or grandparents which include otters.

The consensus among most mental health professionals is that both genetics and environmental factors play very significant roles in the development of Lutraphobia.

LUTRAPHOBIA TREATMENTS:

Like there are no definite causes of Lutraphobia, similarly, there are no particular treatments of Lutraphobia.

Still, there are different treatments that help in recovering from this disorder-

Psychotherapies:

• Exposure Therapy:

Exposure therapy is one of the most common therapies used for treating phobias. It works by slowly and gradually exposing the patient to their fear for a particular time until their anxiety provokes.

First, the therapist shows the photos of the otters and eventually shows the real otter as far as it is safe and effective to do so.

This helps in desensitizing the patient to the fear of otter by repeatedly exposing them to it.

• CBT:

Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is another common form of treatment that is often used to help people suffering from anxiety disorders like GAD and OCD and it may also be effective in treating patients with Lutraphobia as well.

It works by challenging the absolutes a person has and eventually it restructures overall thinking pattern which eventually leads in helping to let go of the fear of otters.

• Other therapies that can be helpful are Mindful based stress reduction (MBSR), Yoga techniques, Exercises, Relaxation techniques to name a few.

Medications:

• Antidepressant Drugs:

Antidepressants like Paxil, Zoloft, and Lexapro, don’t only help people suffering from depression but also helps people suffering from anxiety disorders as well.

These drugs help in reducing the symptoms of Lutraphobia and helps in getting good night sleep.

These drugs can be taken on a daily basis but should be consulted with a psychiatrist before starting or stopping any drug.

• Anti-anxiety Drugs:

Anti-anxiety medications like Xanax, Valium, and Klonopin are very helpful in preventing panic attacks as Lutraphobia also has symptoms like panic attacks.

These drugs are not typically taken on a daily basis and one should talk to the psychiatrist first before taking any medication. 

CONCLUSION:

This blog gave a brief idea on Lutraphobia. Then it focused on the symptoms and causes of Lutraphobia.

Later it highlighted the Treatments for Lutraphobia, both psychotherapies, and medications.

Please feel free to comment below or leave a suggestion, we would appreciate that.

CITATIONS:

Psychtimes.com