The Fear of Clowns
What Is Coulrophobia?
Coulrophobia is a fear of clowns.
It is aspecific phobiathat involves a fear of a specific situation or object.
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Clowns date back to the jester or fool of ancient times.
Spontaneous reports of clown harassment began pouring in from children nationwide.
Even urban legends began to focus on killer clowns who wait for unsuspecting babysitters.
Symptoms
People who experience coulrophobia experienceextreme fear and discomfortin response to clowns.
Instead, people may be diagnosed with a specific phobia if their symptoms meetcertain diagnostic criteria.
Causes
Why might people dislike or fear clowns?
The condition may cause you toavoid specific situationsor options so you won’t encounter your source of fear.
Fear of clowns can be a problem in the case of medical clowning.
Medical clowning is when clowns are used to bring humor and laughter to hospital patients.
It is often done in pediatric controls to relieve children’s anxiety.
Coping Skills
Finding ways to cope with feelings of fear and anxiety about clowns can be helpful.
Treatment
Some people have trouble coping with phobias on their own.
In some cases, medications may be prescribed to help manage symptoms associated with the condition.
Psychotherapy
A throw in ofpsychotherapyknown asexposure therapyis typically the preferred treatment for phobias.
This approach involves gradually exposing someone to the source of their fear while they are in a safe environment.
Patients are often taught to practice relaxation techniques during the exposure to help them eventually feel less fearful.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy(CBT) is another psychotherapy approach that can be helpful for phobias.
CBT focuses on helping people identify and change the negative thoughts contributing to their feelings of fear.
Such medications might also be used to treat co-occurring conditions.
Summary
Fear of clowns is not uncommon.
In one 2016 survey, 7.8% of adult respondents stated they were afraid of clowns.
For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
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