Usually that anxiety will be experienced immediately or soon after exposure.
Commonsigns and symptomsusually involve the following:
Children who experience ommetaphobia may not be able to articulate their fears.
Children may also seek to avoid situations or images that focus on the eyes.
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Is Ommetaphobia Rare?
Research has found that 3%-15% of the worldwide population experiences a specific phobia like ommetaphobia.
According toLancet Psychiatry, the most common specific phobias are fear ofheightsand fears involving animals.
Ommetaphobia is relatively rare compared to other phobias.
Dr. Sultan says that ommetaphobia is one of the least common specific phobias.
Ommetaphobia is relatively rare compared to other phobias, he says.
Does Anything Specifically Cause or Trigger Ommetaphobia?
The precise cause of ommetaphobia or other specific phobias is unknown.
Its thought that both heredity and environmental factors contribute.
This could be a personal experience or witnessing a distressing event involving eyes, he describes.
However, the exact cause can vary greatly among individuals.
For example:
How Can My Ommetaphobia Be Treated?
Experiencing a phobia like ommetaphobia can make life challenging.
You may feelashamedof how you feel.
CBT helps individuals understand and change thought patterns that lead to fear and anxiety.
Many people lack hope that they will ever get over their fear.
These are common feelings to have, and you should know that you arent alone in feeling this way.
Importantly, there is hope.
There are effective and compassionate treatments out there for ommetaphobia.
“CBT helps individuals understand and change thought patterns that lead to fear and anxiety, Dr. Sultan explains.
But medication may be used when your phobia also involves panic attacks or other forms of anxiety.
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