Many people experience a strong aversion or rejection of insects and can develop irrational fear. One of the most common phobias of insects is apiphobia, fear of bees, wasps or bumblebees. In these people, simply seeing a nearby nest can trigger a number of very unpleasant symptoms.
Despite being a very peaceful animal with humans and fundamental in the nature cycle, bees trigger panic in many people, it is estimated that about 3% of the population suffers from apiphobia. Then we’ll talk about the symptoms, causes and consequences of that fear.
- Apiphobia.
- Or excessive fear of bees.
- Is also known as melisophobia.
- By its Greek name (limonism).
- As the name suggests.
- It is an anxiety disorder.
- Especially a phobia.
- Does this type of disorder occur when.
- In the face of a stimulus?In this case.
- Wasps.
- Bees or drones?the person feels a very intense or irrational fear.
In addition to this feeling of fear, the person experiences discomfort and anxiety. Among the most physiological symptoms, the most common are dizziness, lightheadedness, increased heart rate, hyperventilation or shortness of breath, nausea, tremors, headache, fainting, etc.
On the other hand, there are also cognitive symptoms, that is, those that affect the person’s thinking, among them, an apiphobia person would show lack of concentration, intrusive thoughts about the possibility of more bees appearing, thoughts of death or distorted thoughts. about the situation.
Finally, as with most anxiety disorders, there are two main behavioral symptoms: avoidance and flight, fairly natural behaviors in the face of a threatening situation, so the person with bee phobia will try at all costs to avoid being in danger. your presence If this is not possible, as soon as you notice any signs of it, your answer will be to flee.
When talking about phobias two possible causes are usually taken into account, on the one hand, the existence of a traumatic experience with bees or a loved one, it is common to be bitten by these insects and, being painful stings, it is an experience that no one wants to repeat.
In fact, compared to other animal phobias, apiphobia is a less irrational fear, as tingling can pose a health risk; however, the severity of a bee attack is determined by whether the person is allergic or if there have been multiple stings simultaneously.
On the other hand, phobias are also caused by learning by power. I mean, if when we were little we had someone close to us with a phobia of bees, that person is likely to convey that fear to us. Or, we simply learn the behavior to avoid and react to the appearance of these insects. In addition, these people would have increased our fear, constantly alerting us to the dangers (real or not) of these animals.
Animal phobias often appear in childhood. At this stage of life, there should be no greater consequences, apart from the discomfort it generates in the child, animal phobias tend to disappear over the years, however, if it does not go away, fear will persist or increase and can affect the person. daily life.
In this sense, it is important to highlight the difference between being afraid of bees (or something similar) and having a phobia, an anxiety disorder, when it comes to a phobia, fear actually limits a person’s life, for example, this fear can determine where they will buy a house or make them move from their current place of residence. You can stop going to specific places, even if you wish, for fear of finding bees. And you may even experience symptoms of anxiety when looking for an area full of flowers, as they may be nearby.
With this in mind, apiphobia can have mild to severe consequences, depending on the level of impact on a person’s life, however, it is an anxiety disorder that needs to be treated and resolved for the person to have a better quality of life. .
In the case of phobias, cognitive behavioral therapy is the most effective treatment; in particular, three intervention strategies are generally applied: relaxation, modification of fluoric and irrational thoughts and desensitization techniques or systematic exposure.
As an anxiety disorder, it is essential that the person learns and acquires the necessary resources to manage the stimulus or relax during a panic attack, for this he will learn techniques of progressive muscle relaxation or endogenous relaxation, these tools will also be useful when initiating systematic desensitization.
Whether by the latter technique or strategy, exposure to scary stimuli will be gradual, so work will begin with images, for example. Gradually, the person will approach the actual stimulus until they are able to do so without feeling extreme anxiety.
In short, an irrational or very intense fear of bees is a phobia and, as such, should be treated in collaboration with a psychologist, this will allow the person to improve their quality of life and perform activities that previously could not out of fear.