How to Treat Entomophobia

Entomophobia is a fear of insects or other arthropods, from the Greek "ent" meaning insects and "phobia" meaning fear. Like all phobias, this fear must be intense, irrational and persistent in order to be considered a true clinical phobia. To diagnose entomophobia, the fear must also be out of proportion to the real or perceived threat from the insect and not the result of another mental disorder.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Differentiate between entomophobia and delusions of parasitosis. Delusions of parasitosis is an imaginary insect infestation that can lead to cleansing rituals. This has a pathology more similar to obsessive compulsive disorders and is distinct from a true phobia.
2. Realize that entomophobia is becoming more common as fewer people have first-hand experience with insects and are less physically or mentally prepared for encountering them. The choice of insects as the phobic object may be logical because some of them represent a real danger. On the other hand, it may be symbolic or random.
3. Find out more about the specific phobic object. Many insects are completely harmless to humans and some basic education may reduce the extent of the phobia.
4. Seek professional help. The underlying cause of a clinical phobia will seldom resolve itself. Desensitization therapy, more formally known as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most common treatment and is successful 75 percent of the time, according to National Institute of Mental Health. Other treatments include insight, implosion and supportive therapy, drugs, hypnotic regression, modeling and reframing.

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