Quadrophobia (A complete guide)

This article will give a brief idea about Quadrophobia. Then it will focus on the causes and symptoms of Quadrophobia.

Then it will highlight the treatment of Quadrophobia, both psychotherapies, and medications.

What is Quadrophobia?

Quadrophobia is an irrational and extreme fear of things that may come in fours, like a four leaf clover. Quadrophobia may also be considered an extension of Obsessive compulsive disorder, especially if the person has the need to engage in some specific behavior related to the things that come in fours. Someone with quadrophobia may choose to leave any situation like this.

It is also known as Tetraphobia, in fact, it is worldwide known as Tetraphobia only and very rare people know it’s another name that is Quadrophobia.

This type of fear basically emerges from superstitious beliefs. These beliefs have been found often in East Asian countries which are China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.

Chinese people specifically try not to use number during holidays and some instances have been found where they try not to buy or rent any apartment which starts or ends with number 4.

Quadrophobia has been derived from Latin quattuor which means 4.

Phobias are a type of anxiety disorder that can disturb a person’s life miserably.

It includes panic like condition in which people suffering from this disorder experience a high amount of anxiety or panic-like condition from the mere thought or sight of number 4.

People suffering from Quadrophobia try their best in order to make themselves safe. They try to avoid number 4 at any cost.

In Korea, Quadrophobia is not that important but they surely try to avoid floor number 4 and in hospitals in Korea floor number 4 is often left out.

And sometimes people name the 4th floor to just ‘F’.

CAUSES OF QUADROPHOBIA:

There is no particular cause that has been found so far for Quadrophobia, but environmental factors and genetic factors are responsible for it as it is for almost all other phobias. 

If a person’s family history has had some anxiety or phobic disorder or as a matter of fact any mental disorder, it is more likely for the individual to develop Quadrophobia.

Environmental factors might include childhood experiences of horror stories by parents and grandparents of number 4.

The spiritual meaning behind has been told to the child and thus the fear may develop with time to a phobia.

Quadrophobia is a very subjective and cultural fear which affects a specific population of a certain region, the rest of the people are quite okay with number 4.

SYMPTOMS OF QUADROPHOBIA:

The symptoms depend on the severity of the phobia and the most common symptom would be panic attacks. 

Some of the common symptoms are:

• Severe anxiety with a mere thought of number 4
• Muscle tension, body aches
• Breathlessness, choking sensations
• High blood pressure
• Sweating, nausea, fainting
• Obsessively worrying about number 4
• Lack of concentration
• Avoidance of places where they have to face their fear of number 4

There are chances that a person suffering from Quadrophobia makes a conscious choice of their living standards and particularly choosing a lifestyle where they don’t have to be in the places with the 4th floor or the fourth-row building or apartment number 4.

These individuals have high chances of developing OCD as well.

TREATMENT FOR QUADROPHOBIA:

There is no particular treatment that has been found for this phobia but a mixture of treatments that have been found helpful for the people suffering from phobia and anxiety can be helpful for Quadrophobia as well.

Though first, these people have to be sure that they want the help as for them it’s not their fear, it’s their beliefs.

Psychotherapies:

• Talk Therapy:

Talk therapy seems very simple and easy but it’s quite opposite. A person is about to talk about his weaknesses, it’s not easy at all.

But it sure does wonders to the client as once he lets out all the emotions, it becomes easy for him to focus on the bright side of life.

• Exposure Therapy:

Although exposure therapy is one of the best therapy for anxiety and phobias it’s a bit tricky in this case.

In this case, the therapist might start with the imagination of number 4, then the therapist may try to make the person write number 4 and ultimately taking the client to a number 4 room until his anxiety provokes.

This way the individual slowly desensitizes with the fear.

• Relaxation Therapy:

Relaxation Therapy, on the other hand, can be very helpful with these patients as it helps in calming down the racing of thoughts.

JPMR helps a person in focusing on his breathing and his one muscle at a time, which helps the client in letting go of the negative thoughts of number 4 and the focus stays on himself only.

This helps in the long run with acceptance.

• Mindfulness:

Mindfulness might be a good choice for the patients with the fear of number 4 or lonely, as the main purpose of mindfulness is to accept everything and being in the present.

It makes sure that a person’s senses are widened and opened. This will again help the client with acceptance.

• CBT:

CBT is one of the best Therapy which focuses and challenges the negative automatic thoughts and it has proven to be helpful with all kinds of anxiety and phobias and it can be helpful with Quadrophobia as well. 

Medications:

• Antidepressants:

These medicines are not only used for the patients suffering from depression or have a comorbidity of depression, but it also helps with the patients suffering from anxiety and phobias as well.

• Anti-anxiety medicines:

These medicines help the client in controlling the symptoms of anxiety but it cannot cure the phobia.

To get a cure from phobia one has to mix the treatment of medications with psychotherapy.

Although one must not take any medication without consulting with the Doctor.

CONCLUSION:

This blog has briefly been described Quadrophobia. Then it has focused on the causes and symptoms of Quadrophobia.

Then it has highlighted the treatment of Quadrophobia, both psychotherapies, and medications.

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FAQ:

CITATIONS:

phobia.wikia.org