Testophobia is a term composed of the word “test”, which comes from English and means proof, and phobia, whose origin is the Greek word phobos, which means fear. Therefore, its meaning is clear: it is an irrational, persistent and very intense fear of testing/evaluations.
Do you have it or do you know someone who is suffering? In this article, we’ll discuss this topic, including your symptoms and the most common forms of intervention.
- Although it does not have a clinical category of its own.
- It is very important because it is a specific phobia.
- In many cases this prevents the person from advancing in their personal life and career.
- It usually occurs in early adulthood.
- But it can also affect children.
This affects not only students, but also competitors, athletes, people who are going to get a driver’s license, actors, professionals who have to give a course or talk, etc.
That is, it can affect anyone who anticipates an external evaluation, we will know you better to know how to deal with this phobia.
“Fear is always willing to see things worse than they really are. “Titus Livio?
The reaction triggered before or at the time of evaluation is an anxiety attack, which can be severe, so the symptoms of testophobia are the same as those of an anxiety attack, and may even trigger a panic attack by activating the sympathetic nervous system. causing involuntary motor reactions.
The most common and characteristic symptoms include dizziness, tachycardia, sweating, shortness of breath, palpitations, increased blood pressure, gastrointestinal problems, severe discomfort that can make you think you have a stroke or heart attack, or even die. There are also actions to Avoid testing.
These symptoms are not only triggered in the place of the test, since any element related to the evaluation makes them appear, the environment in which the test will be carried out, the place of preparation, the participants, the equipment to be used, etc. .
A phobia is an intense fear that responds to the anticipation of danger, even if it is unlikely or insignificant in objective terms, in this case failure or continuous failures in similar evaluation situations can increase fear.
This can also happen because the person is afraid to fail, or because expectations are too high in their environment. It usually occurs in adulthood, although it comes from childhood, and even some cases can occur at this stage.
“No one has reached the summit accompanied by fear. “Siro Publiro?
Phobias are treated. It is possible to use different strategies that help the person reduce the fear, anxiety and discomfort they trigger whenever they need to deal with the situation that causes them.
The most commonly used method of exposure is to deal with the repeatedly feared stimulus in a controlled manner, until the intensity of fear decreases and the person can control it.
Usually this exposure is progressive, looking to break with associations that are the basis of fear. One of these stimuli could be, for example, the class in which the tests are performed or the tests themselves, if they are special.
In phobias, anxiety and fear play an important role, so if we learn to relax we will have lower voltage spikes.
The exhibition will focus on fear of exposure, but tools will need to be incorporated to help the person work with elements associated with their own phobia.