Hodophobia Explained

Hodophobia
Synonyms:Fear of travel
Field:Psychiatry
Symptoms:intense, persistent anxiety with thoughts of travel and/or during travels
Duration:persistent, typically lasting for 6 months or more
Differential:Separation anxiety, Posttraumatic stress disorder, Major depressive disorder
Treatment:Exposure Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Hodophobia is an irrational fear, or phobia, of travel.[1] [2]

Hodophobia should not be confused with travel aversion.[3] [4]

Acute anxiety provoked by travel can be treated with anti-anxiety medication.[5] [6] The condition can be treated with exposure therapy, which works better when combined with cognitive behavioral therapy.

Signs and symptoms

People with fear of traveling experience intense, persistent fear or anxiety when they think about traveling and/or during travel.[7] They will avoid travel if they can, and the fear, anxiety, and avoidance cause significant distress and impair their ability to function.[8]

Related phobias

Cause

The causes of hodophobia and the mechanisms by which it is maintained are often complex, as with many phobias.[9]

Diagnosis

The diagnosis is clinical. 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.[10]

Classification

Hodophobia is a specific phobia as classified in the DSM-5.[11]

Management

Acute anxiety caused by travel can be treated with anti-anxiety medication. The condition can also be treated with exposure therapy which works better when combined with cognitive behavioral therapy.[12] Relaxation techniques and education can also be helpful in combination with other approaches.[13]

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.[14] He used the term "Reiseangst" for it, which means "travel anxiety" or "fear of travel" in the German language.[15] However Freud's anxiety was not a "true" phobia.[15]

See also

Other travel-related disorders include:

Notes and References

  1. multiple sources
    • Book: Sutherland . Stuart . Macmillan Dictionary of Psychology . 978-0-333-55313-8 . 189–190 . 7 June 2018 . 1991-06-18 .
    • Book: Comer . Ronald J. . Abnormal psychology . limited . 2010 . Worth Publishers . New York . 978-1-4292-1631-9 . 138 . 7th .
    • Web site: Oxford Dictionary: Hodophobia . 7 June 2018 . 14 July 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170714122642/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/explore/phobias-list/ . dead .
    • Web site: FreeDictionary.com: definition of Hodophobia . FreeDictionary.com . 7 June 2018 . 8 March 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120308165114/https://www.thefreedictionary.com/hodophobia . live .
    • Web site: CommonPhobias: Hodophobia . 7 June 2018 . 2 October 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111002214030/http://common-phobias.com/Hodo/phobia.htm . dead .
    • Web site: HealthCentral: Hodophobia . 7 June 2018 . 12 June 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180612141016/https://www.healthcentral.com/article/hodophobia-the-fear-of-traveling . dead .
    • Web site: Psychologenie - list of specific phobias . psychologenie.com . 21 June 2018 . 21 June 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180621115904/https://psychologenie.com/list-of-all-phobias-their-meanings . dead .
  2. Web site: healthcentral: Hodophobia - The fear of traveling . healthcentral.com . 21 June 2018 . 12 June 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180612141016/https://www.healthcentral.com/article/hodophobia-the-fear-of-traveling . dead .
  3. Web site: WebMD_The Fear Factor: Phobias . WebMD . 21 June 2018 . 24 January 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170124191753/https://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/features/fear-factor-phobias . live .
  4. Web site: EscapeTheIvoryTower: The difference between fear and aversion. EscapeTheIvoryTower.com. 21 June 2018. 23 October 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121023041149/http://www.escapetheivorytower.com/2012/07/the-difference-between-fear-and-aversion/. dead.
  5. Web site: Huffington Post: You Won't Believe What Could Cure Your Fear of Flying . Huffington Post . 21 June 2018 . 2014-01-06 . 2014-01-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140110081505/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-greenberg/you-wont-believe-what-cou_b_4537567.html . live .
  6. Web site: PsychologyToday: Anti-Anxiety Medication and Flying . Psychology Today . 21 June 2018 . 24 September 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200924184236/https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/conquer-fear-flying/201407/anti-anxiety-medication-and-flying . live .
  7. Book: Singh H, Awayz H, Murali T . An Unusual Case of Phobia: Hodophobia . 2017 . International Journal of Indian Psychology . 978-1-365-84231-3 . ISSN:2349-3429 (p) . Volume 4, Issue 2, No. 95 . 2018-06-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180625103747/http://www.ijip.in/Archive/v4i2/18.01.169.20170402.pdf . 2018-06-25 . dead .
  8. Web site: HealthCentral: Hodophobia . 7 June 2018 . 12 June 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180612141016/https://www.healthcentral.com/article/hodophobia-the-fear-of-traveling . dead .
  9. Web site: Bozman . Edward . CommonPhobias - Hodophobia . Common-Phobias.com . 9 July 2018 . 2 October 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111002214030/http://common-phobias.com/Hodo/phobia.htm . dead .
  10. Web site: From Fear To There: What is hodophobia? . fromfeartothere.com . 21 June 2018 . 21 June 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180621144005/https://www.fromfeartothere.com/what-is-hodophobia/ . dead .
    • Web site: CommonPhobias: Hodophobia . 7 June 2018 . 2 October 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111002214030/http://common-phobias.com/Hodo/phobia.htm . dead . *Web site: Theravive: Specific Phobia DSM-5 300.29 . Theravive.com . 21 June 2018 . 3 August 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140803115604/https://www.theravive.com/therapedia/specific-phobia-dsm--5-300.29-(icd--10--cm-multiple-codes) . dead . *Web site: UPenn: Specific Phobias . www.med.upenn.edu . 21 June 2018 . 2 September 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080902074721/https://www.med.upenn.edu/ctsa/phobias_symptoms.html . live .
  11. Web site: Psycom - specific phobias . psycom.net . 21 June 2018 . 21 June 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180621115847/https://www.psycom.net/anxiety-specific-phobias/ . dead .
  12. Web site: Calm Clinic - Introduction to Travel Anxiety: Causes and Cures . www.calmclinic.com . 21 June 2018 . 23 December 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101223230637/https://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety/types/travel . dead .
  13. Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic, Volumes 16-18, p. 73
  14. Paul C. Vitz, Sigmund Freud's Christian Unconscious, . 25