Hodophobia

Hodophobia is an irrational fear, or phobia, of travel.[2][3]

Hodophobia
Other namesFear of travel
SpecialtyPsychiatry
Symptomsintense, persistent anxiety with thoughts of travel and/or during travels[1]
Durationpersistent, typically lasting for 6 months or more[1]
Differential diagnosisSeparation anxiety, Posttraumatic stress disorder, Major depressive disorder[1]
TreatmentExposure Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy[1]

Hodophobia should not be confused with travel aversion.[4][5]

Acute anxiety provoked by travel can be treated with anti-anxiety medication.[6][7] The condition can be treated with exposure therapy, which works better when combined with cognitive behavioral therapy.[6][7]

Signs and symptoms

People with fear of traveling experience intense, persistent fear or anxiety when they think about traveling and/or during travel.[8][9] They will avoid travel if they can, and the fear, anxiety, and avoidance cause significant distress and impair their ability to function.[8][9]

Cause

The causes of hodophobia and the mechanisms by which it is maintained are often complex, as with many phobias.[8][10]

Diagnosis

The diagnosis is clinical.[8] It is often difficult to determine if the specific phobia of hodophobia should be the primary diagnosis, or if it is a symptom of a generalized anxiety disorder or another anxiety disorder.[8][11]

Classification

Hodophobia is a specific phobia as classified in the DSM-5.[12]

Management

Acute anxiety caused by travel can be treated with anti-anxiety medication.[6][7] The condition can also be treated with exposure therapy which works better when combined with cognitive behavioral therapy.[6][7][13] Relaxation techniques and education can also be helpful in combination with other approaches.[9][13][14]

Society and culture

Sigmund Freud, the famous neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, confessed in a number of letters that he suffered from fear of travel.[15] He used the term "Reiseangst" for it, which means "travel anxiety" or "fear of travel" in the German language.[16] However Freud's anxiety was not a "true" phobia.[16]

See also

Other travel-related disorders include:

References
  1. American Psychiatric Association (2013), Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.), Arlington: American Psychiatric Publishing, pp. 217–221, 938, ISBN 978-0890425558
  2. multiple sources
  3. "healthcentral: Hodophobia - The fear of traveling". healthcentral.com. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  4. "WebMD_The Fear Factor: Phobias". WebMD. Archived from the original on 24 January 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  5. "EscapeTheIvoryTower: The difference between fear and aversion". EscapeTheIvoryTower.com. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  6. "Huffington Post: You Won't Believe What Could Cure Your Fear of Flying". Huffington Post. 2014-01-06. Archived from the original on 2014-01-10. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  7. "PsychologyToday: Anti-Anxiety Medication and Flying". Psychology Today. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  8. Singh H, Awayz H, Murali T (2017). An Unusual Case of Phobia: Hodophobia (PDF) (Volume 4, Issue 2, No. 95 ed.). International Journal of Indian Psychology. pp. ISSN:2349-3429 (p). ISBN 978-1-365-84231-3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-06-25. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
  9. "HealthCentral: Hodophobia". Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  10. Bozman, Edward. "CommonPhobias - Hodophobia". Common-Phobias.com. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  11. "From Fear To There: What is hodophobia?". fromfeartothere.com. Archived from the original on 21 June 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  13. "Psycom - specific phobias". psycom.net. Archived from the original on 21 June 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  14. "Calm Clinic - Introduction to Travel Anxiety: Causes and Cures". www.calmclinic.com. Archived from the original on 23 December 2010. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  15. Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic, Volumes 16-18, p. 73 Archived 2020-08-12 at the Wayback Machine
  16. Paul C. Vitz, Sigmund Freud's Christian Unconscious, . 25 Archived 2018-11-19 at the Wayback Machine
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