The psychologist explained the reasons for the fear of men

Traumatic experiences and mental characteristics can lead to the development of androphobia — fear of men. Olga Umanova, a clinical psychologist at the Be Healthy Center, told Izvestia about this on March 24.

According to the expert, androphobia refers to specific phobias and is accompanied by pronounced physiological reactions similar to a panic attack. Unlike natural alertness, such fear arises without logical grounds and cannot be controlled.

The expert explained that with androphobia, a person is aware of the irrationality of fear, but cannot overcome it. The condition is accompanied by symptoms such as palpitations, sweating, a feeling of lack of air and trembling. At the same time, behavior is often built around avoiding contact.

"Androphobia in women is most often traumatic in nature. Personal experience of violence, humiliation, aggression from men, watching domestic violence in childhood, the so—called "secondary trauma," the psychologist noted.

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Family attitudes and individual characteristics of the nervous system can also have an impact. In men, this condition is less common and may be associated with bullying, violence, or internal conflicts.

The psychologist added that it is important to distinguish androphobia from post-traumatic stress disorder. In the first case, fear is directed at a certain category of people, whereas in PTSD it is associated with a specific event and its reminders.

The expert emphasized that androphobia can be corrected. The main method used is cognitive behavioral therapy with gradual reduction of fear through safe interaction with triggers. If there is a traumatic experience, additional approaches are used to study it.

"It should be understood that androphobia therapy is not about "convincing yourself" or "pulling yourself together." This is a careful restoration of a sense of security, trust in oneself and the world. Androphobia is a curable condition. With timely help, a person not only "copes with fear," but regains the freedom to choose where to work, with whom to communicate, and how to build relationships," the doctor added.

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Maria Galkina, a practicing psychologist and cognitive behavioral therapist, reported on February 13 that signs of a Friday the 13th phobia may include tachycardia, lack of air, trembling, nausea, darkening of the eyes, and a person's refusal to perform important tasks on that day. According to the expert, paraskavedekatriaphobia (fear of Friday the 13th) and triskaidekaphobia (fear of the number 13) do not imply a biological or objective threat — these are classic examples of fear formed by culture.

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