The Mophobia Is the irrational, persistent and unjustified fear of moths. Its erratic and unpredictable flight, its size, the colors of its wings, the hair that some species possess or the unpleasant touch felt when touching them, are some of the reasons that most fear those who undergo this aversion to this lepidóptero.
But is there a moth phobia or is it a simple fear or disgust that many people feel about this insect?
Investigating, we find in a well-known portal, where the users count their fatal outcomes that have lived, the following anonymous:
"Today, and always, I have phobias to the moths (to the big ones). I had to be locked in my room, since I have two flitting in the kitchen and in the hallway. I have not eaten and my parents do not answer the phone. I do not know if I'll leave here."
This is a clear example of a person who has a real phobia (not disgusted) by this flying insect, where the girl is affected her daily tasks (such as eating in this case) and is unable to face her fear despite That you can stay without lunch or dinner.
Although the phobia is less curious, what caught my attention were the comments-responses of other users to the publication of the girl, where they took away the importance of the fact or simply made fun of.
"How can you be so silly... It's flippant..."
"Does it fit through your mouth? It is poisonous? Then you do not have to worry."
"You must be my old roommate that every time a moth came in, she would flee into the room, what a bummer it was."
"Your parents (who know you well) will be tired of calling you for bullshit like this."
"The day you have to call them for something really important, they will pass from you.."
As you can see, with certain phobias, society does not give it the same importance as if they would give to others more common as can be the claustrophobia , Aerophobia or School phobia .
Therefore, in this article we will develop the problem that causes this disorder so that the victims as the rest of the world can understand the consequences, causes and possible treatments.
Characteristics of mophobia
Methodophobia is a type of specific phobia based on repulsion or extreme fear towards moths and other similar butterflies. Although a high percentage of readers feel disgusted by moths, in the case of mophobia fear is out of the ordinary and unjustified.
The structure of the animal, the hairs that some species possess, the size, their eyes and the way of looking, the touch and above all the unpredictable and erratic flight are the observations that most emphasize those who suffer this disorder.
This fear is also called lepidopterophobia, which derives from the order of lepidopteran insects, which include moths, butterflies, sphinxes or pigeons. In turn, it is a sub-phobia that is included within the zoophobia, irrational fear of animals. The Entomophobia or Arachnophobia Are other examples of specific phobias included in this group.
symptom
Depending on the degree of panic, people with mophobia will experience one or more types of symptoms, varying in severity depending on the individual's characteristics (mental state and level of fear).
The most outstanding and most usual are:
- Panic attacks
- High heart rate
- Sickness
- Dizziness
- Tingling sensation
- Difficulty breathing
- Choking sensation
- Difficulty speaking and thinking clearly
- Numbness
- Excessive sweating
- Shaking chills
- Chest pain
- Lost of control
- Instant and temporary paralysis
- Inability to distinguish between the real and the non-real
- Fear
- Anxiety
Causes
In this section happens the same as with the symptoms, since depending on individual, the reasons for panic to moths vary. Keep in mind that phobias can develop without any specific cause or that may appear at a specific point in your life. No one is safe from being able to suffer at any time a phobia of anything.
Why? Usually because phobias develop from a trauma, something to which you are constantly exposed by the dangers of life.
In any case, people usually present these traumatic events during childhood, leading to a fear of moths (which is the case that concerns us) for a lifetime.
Keep in mind that in the early years of a person, he experiences without any fear or modesty and one of children's favorite activities is playing with insects. If in one of those days in which the child engages in bothering the moth, it could respond by creating panic in the infant and marking it for life.
Another cause has more to do with induction. If a person had an allergic reaction with a moth or butterfly, this will trigger a new traumatic event that can hardly be forgotten. Outcome? They will avoid the moth at all costs for fear of having an allergic reaction as experienced previously.
On the other hand, there was a sociological theory that associated phobia with femininity. The effeminate women and men were more likely to suffer this disorder simply because they did not have the courage to confront the insect. Of course, this theory is not currently under consideration within the scientific community.
Treatment
Once we are sure that the panic that an individual suffers from moths is a phobia that conditions his life, the next step will be to take professional treatment to try to deal with this problem. Some of the most common techniques among psychologists who deal with these fears are:
Cognitive-behavioral therapy
Its basis is the restructuring of negative thinking about what is afraid. In this case the thoughts, emotions and behaviors towards the moths will be modified through the biofeedback, tolerance to the anguish or Relaxation techniques .
Exposure Therapy
This technique Of awareness is the exposure of the affected to their fear gradually. The purpose is to tolerate the presence of the moths and become familiar with them. It needs a lot of perseverance, but if done well it will help the patient learn to control their fears.
Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP)
This technique Is to try to get to the root of fear. Once discovered, through a combination of psychotherapy, personal development and communication will try to modify the behaviors or skills of the affected to make that irrational fear derive in calm and relaxation.
Medicines
This option is rarely dispatched. It is only recommended in extreme cases in which the patient suffers from anxiety, has severe reactions or suffers from severe panic attacks. With the Antidepressants , Anxiolytics or Anticonvulsants Is intended to calm the sensation of danger in the individual, but is exposed to possible side effects of the intake of these drugs.
Curiosities
There is a community called I Hate Butteflies that gathers all those people who fear, hate or seem to be creepy moths and of course those individuals who have motephobia. With their initiative, they encourage their users to share their traumas, terrible stories and other events that are not pleasant with Lepidoptera.
Australian actress Nicole Kidman suffers from mophobia. In some interview she confessed that her fear conditioned her so much that if she saw one of these bugs on the outside she was unable to leave the house.
In the United States, 40% of phobias come from fear of 'bugs', which comes to mean bugs. The moths occupy the first positions next to other insects like the spiders, Cockroaches , Grasshoppers or scorpions.
Not all cultures have panic or disgust toward moths. In certain parts of Australia, this insect is part of the Aboriginal diet. Specifically the Infused Agrotis .
He Attacus atlas Is the largest lepidopteran in the world. The wingspan reaches in some cases 30 cm. It lives in China, Southeast Asia and Malayan archipelago.
Described the problem, could you tell us experiences of real panic that you have experienced with moths or butterflies?