View source for Medicine:Aquaphobia

{{short description|Persistent and abnormal fear of water}}
{{Infobox medical condition
 |name          =
 |synonym       =
 |alt           =
 |caption       =
 |pronounce     =
 |specialty     = psychology
 |symptoms      = Aversion to water
}}
'''Aquaphobia''' ({{ety|la|aqua|water|grc|φόβος (phóbos)|fear}}) is an irrational fear of water.<ref>{{cite book|title=Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary|date=2011|publisher=Elsevier|pages=122}}</ref>

Aquaphobia is considered a specific phobia of natural environment type in the [[Medicine:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders|Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1288423302 |title=Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders : DSM-5-TR |date=2022 |others=Michael B. First, American Psychiatric Association |isbn=978-0-89042-575-6 |edition=Fifth edition, text revision |location=Washington, DC |pages=224–229 |oclc=1288423302}}</ref> A specific phobia is an intense fear of something that poses little or no actual danger.<ref>{{cite web |title=Anxiety disorders |url=https://www.womenshealth.gov/mental-health/mental-health-conditions/anxiety-disorders |website=Office on Women's Health |publisher=US Department of Health and Human Services |access-date=20 November 2019 |archive-date=18 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230118203025/https://www.womenshealth.gov/mental-health/mental-health-conditions/anxiety-disorders |url-status=live }} {{PD-notice}}</ref>

==Etymology==
The correct [[Social:Greek language|Greek]]-derived term for "water-fear" is ''hydrophobia'', from ὕδωρ (''hudōr''), "water"<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Du%28%2Fdwr ὕδωρ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509062255/https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Du%28%2Fdwr |date=2021-05-09 }}, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', on Perseus</ref> and φόβος (''phobos''), "fear".<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dfo%2Fbos φόβος] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225023745/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dfo%2Fbos |date=2021-02-25 }}, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', on Perseus</ref> However, this word has long been used in many languages, including English, to refer specifically to a symptom of later-stage [[Medicine:Rabies|rabies]], which manifests itself in humans as difficulty in swallowing, fear when presented with liquids to drink, and an inability to quench one's thirst. Therefore, fear or aversion to water in general is referred to as ''aquaphobia''.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mehta |first1=Neil |last2=Espinel |first2=Zelde |date=2021-04-01 |title=Aquaphobia: A Case Report on the Unique Presentation of a Specific Phobia |url=https://www.ajgponline.org/article/S1064-7481(21)00212-8/abstract |journal=The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry |language=English |volume=29 |issue=4 |pages=S139–S140 |doi=10.1016/j.jagp.2021.01.139 |s2cid=233574398 |issn=1064-7481 |access-date=2022-03-16 |archive-date=2023-01-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230118203048/https://www.ajgponline.org/article/S1064-7481%2821%2900212-8/fulltext |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Prevalence==
A study of epidemiological data from 22 low, lower-middle, upper-middle and high-income countries revealed "fear of still water or weather events" had a prevalence of 2.3%, across all countries; in the US the prevalence was 4.3%.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Wardenaar|first1=K. J.|last2=Lim|first2=C. C. W.|last3=Al-Hamzawi|first3=A. O.|last4=Alonso|first4=J.|last5=Andrade|first5=L. H.|last6=Benjet|first6=C.|last7=Bunting|first7=B.|last8=de Girolamo|first8=G.|last9=Demyttenaere|first9=K.|last10=Florescu|first10=S. E.|last11=Gureje|first11=O.|date=2017|title=The cross-national epidemiology of specific phobia in the World Mental Health Surveys|journal=Psychological Medicine|volume=47|issue=10|pages=1744–1760|doi=10.1017/S0033291717000174|issn=1469-8978|pmc=5674525|pmid=28222820}}</ref> In an article on anxiety disorders, Lindal and Stefansson suggest that aquaphobia may affect as many as 1.8% of the general Icelandic population, or almost one in fifty people.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Líndal|first1=E.|last2=Stefánsson|first2=J. G.|date=1993|title=The lifetime prevalence of anxiety disorders in Iceland as estimated by the US National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule|journal=Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica|volume=88|issue=1|pages=29–34|doi=10.1111/j.1600-0447.1993.tb03410.x|issn=0001-690X|pmid=8372693|s2cid=42323599}}</ref> In America, 46% of American adults are afraid of deep water in pools and 64% are afraid of deep open waters.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Aboo Bakar|first=Rofiza|title=Aquaphobia: Causes, Symptoms and Ways of Overcoming It for Future Well-being|url=http://www.iarjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/IARJSS2017_1_82-88.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222015331/http://www.iarjournal.com:80/wp-content/uploads/IARJSS2017_1_82-88.pdf |archive-date=2019-12-22 }}</ref>

==Manifestation for aquaphobia==
Specific phobias are a type of anxiety disorder in which a person may feel extremely anxious or have a panic attack when exposed to the object of fear. Specific phobias are a common mental disorder.<ref>{{cite web |title=Phobia - simple/specific |url=https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000956.htm |website=MedlinePlus |access-date=20 November 2019 |archive-date=3 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191003015719/https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000956.htm |url-status=live }} {{PD-notice}}</ref>

Psychologists indicate that aquaphobia manifests itself in people through a combination of experiential and genetic factors.<ref name="hall">[https://web.archive.org/web/19970724113159/http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/1997/297_bump.html Lynne L. Hall, ''Fighting Phobias, the Things That Go Bump in the Mind'', FDA Consumer Magazine, Volume 31 No. 2, March 1997]</ref> Five common causes of aquaphobia: instinctive fear of drowning, experienced an incident of personal horror, has an overprotective parent/parent with aquaphobia, psychological difficulty adjusting to water and lack of trust in water.<ref name=":0"/>

In the case of a 37 year old media professor, he noted that his fear initially presented itself as a "severe pain, accompanied by a tightness of his forehead," and a choking sensation, discrete panic attacks and a reduction in his intake of fluids.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ajinkya|title=Cognitive Hypnotherapy for Panic disorder with Aquaphobia|journal=Sleep and Hypnosis|volume=17}}</ref>

== Signs and symptoms ==
Physical responses include nausea, dizziness, numbness, shortness of breath, increased heart rate, sweating and shivering.<ref name=":0"/>

In addition the signs and symptoms above, some general signs and symptoms one may display in reaction to a specific phobia may include:
* Physical Symptoms: trembling, hot flushes or chills, pain or tightness in chest, butterflies in stomach, feeling faint, dry mouth, ringing in ears, confusion<ref>{{Cite web |title=Phobias |url=https://medlineplus.gov/phobias.html |access-date=2023-03-07 |website=medlineplus.gov}}</ref>
* Psychological Symptoms: feeling fear of losing control, fainting, dread and dying.<ref>{{Cite web|last=National Health Service|title=Symptoms - Phobias|date=15 February 2021 |url=https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/phobias/symptoms/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506092115/https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/phobias/symptoms/ |archive-date=2021-05-06 }}</ref>

== Treatment and case studies ==
A few treatment options include:
* [[Unsolved:Hypnosis|Hypnosis]] and [[Philosophy:Systematic desensitization|systematic desensitization]] - 28-year-old female, aquaphobia from childhood, hypnosis and systematic desensitization in an 8-week 5-session program, 2-month and 1-year follow up.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=PhD|first=Frank DePiano|date=1985-02-28|title=Hypnosis in the Treatment of Aquaphobia|url=https://doi.org/10.1300/J294v03n01_11|journal=Psychotherapy in Private Practice|volume=3|issue=1|pages=93–97|doi=10.1300/J294v03n01_11|issn=0731-7158|access-date=2021-06-07|archive-date=2023-01-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230118203023/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J294v03n01_11|url-status=live}}</ref> 37-year-old male, 10 years of extreme aquaphobia (could not even drink water), 6 sessions of hypnotherapy, therapy was successful, no relapse and 6 month follow up.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ajinkya|first=Shaunak|title=CASE REPORT: Cognitive Hypnotherapy for Panic Disorder with Aquaphobia|url=http://www.sleepandhypnosis.org/ing/Pdf/83b027c2c1c74d36b4197b3028eb3cd8.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180410022208/http://www.sleepandhypnosis.org/ing/Pdf/83b027c2c1c74d36b4197b3028eb3cd8.pdf |archive-date=2018-04-10 }}</ref>
* [[Medicine:Cognitive behavioral therapy|Cognitive Behavioral Therapy]] 
* [[Philosophy:Exposure therapy|Exposure therapy]] 
* Medication

==See also==
* [[Medicine:List of phobias|List of phobias]]
* [[Earth:Thalassophobia|Thalassophobia]] – fear of the sea

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Water]]

{{Sourceattribution|Aquaphobia|1}}