Going to the seaside and enjoying a cup of tea on a bench is one of the most peaceful moments in the world for many people. However, for two percent of people, this peaceful activity is no different from a nightmare because they have thalassophobia. People with thalassophobia, which we can translate as the fear of the ocean, are afraid of large bodies of water, but this is a little different from the fears we know.
If you are not a good swimmer, of course the ocean scares you, but people with thalassophobia leave the ocean, sea, lake; Even when they see a slightly larger-than-normal swimming pool, they become anxious and may even have a panic attack. Because even if it sounds simple, this is actually a kind of anxiety disorder. Good but why? Let’s examine in detail what is thalassophobia and what are its causes.
For those who don’t know; What is thalassophobia?
Thalassophobia, which can be translated into Turkish as fear of the ocean, is a kind of anxiety disorder, in which the person is afraid of large bodies of water. People with thalassophobia feel anxiety when they are near an ocean, sea, lake, large swimming pool, and even when they only see them in a movie or photograph in the later stages. When untreated, people with thalassophobia may experience panic attacks when they see a large body of water.
Test yourself: what are the symptoms of thalassophobia?
- Unrest
- Anxiety
- inability to concentrate
- state of irritability
- tension in the muscles
- Sweating
- Blushing
- Increase in heart rate
- Shake
- Shortness of breath
- chest pain
- Don’t feel like the world is coming to an end
- loss of control
- Nausea
- hot flashes
- sleep deprivation
The symptoms of thalassophobia are generally similar to other types of anxiety. However, the trigger that produces the symptoms in this phobia is large bodies of water. You may have thalassophobia if you experience these symptoms when you see an ocean, sea, lake, pool, watch a movie, or even just think about it.
Thalassophobia can turn into a panic attack in the later stages:
When people with thalassophobia see large bodies of water, they show similar symptoms to people with other types of anxiety, and this is considered normal for thalassophobia. However, if thalassophobia is at an advanced stage, it can come to the point of having a panic attack. Panic attack symptoms are similar to anxiety disorder symptoms, but they are experienced much more severely and the person experiences a severe fear of death.
Not every fear of the ocean may be thalassophobia:
You might be worried because the symptoms of thalassophobia are a bit harsh, but don’t worry, it doesn’t necessarily mean that every person who is afraid of large bodies of water has this phobia. If you are not a good swimmer, you may be afraid of a choppy sea, if you are going to sail on a boat for the first time, this may cause anxiety for you, or you may be under the influence of a movie you watched two days ago and experience a temporary state of anxiety. These are perfectly normal.
A situation where a simple state of fear turns into a disturbing anxiety disorder is when the anxiety is high even when the trigger is mild. If just sitting on the beach, looking at a large body of water, seeing a photo of a deep ocean, thinking about the choppy sea, or even just hearing such a word from someone causes you anxiety, you may have thalassophobia.
There are some criteria for the diagnosis of thalassophobia:
- The fact that the trigger is always a cause for concern.
- The trigger is causing more anxiety than usual.
- The trigger causes avoidance.
- The trigger comes to the point where it disrupts the normal flow of life.
- The response to the trigger cannot be explained by another health condition.
- This situation has been going on for more than 6 months.
When you go to a specialist psychologist or psychiatrist and talk about your fear of the ocean, they will give you a series of tests. The test results and the information obtained during the examination are evaluated based on the criteria we have listed. If the situation you live in meets these criteria, only then can you be diagnosed with thalassophobia.
If you say you are afraid of water, here are the causes of thalassophobia:
The basic condition that causes thalassophobia, which is a type of anxiety disorder, that is, the fear of the ocean, is, as we can all guess, past traumas. If you’ve ever been in danger of drowning, saw something in the water that would frighten you, your boat sank, or you experienced a disaster such as a tsunami or flood, these traumas may have caused thalassophobia.
Thalassophobia, which is about two percent of people living in the world, can be caused by genetic or biological factors, although it is not very common. However, these effects have been seen in a limited number of people. Similar to trauma, environmental factors can also cause this fear. In other words, you may have thalassophobia due to the traumas you have heard from the environment that did not happen to you.
Pay attention to the movies you watch:
It would be useful to reconsider the movies you’ve watched, thinking about what will happen to this movie. Because movies such as Jaws, Deep Blue Sea, Open Water, which for a while had a deep fear of the ocean, may have caused thalassophobia. So if one day you hear that a man who has never seen a lake, let alone the ocean, has thalassophobia, you might think that he is a strict movie watcher.
When should you go to the doctor?
In fact, evolutionarily, we all both love and fear water. Because water gives us both life and takes our life. Therefore, it is normal to be worried when you see a large body of water, especially if you are not used to it. However, things change when this situation reaches a point where it affects your daily life.
Thalassophobia, a type of anxiety disorder, is not considered a disease. This is the case with many types of anxiety. In order for this condition to be considered a disease, it must come to a point that will affect the daily life of the person. We all fear death, that’s normal. But if you wake up from your sleep with the fear of death or leave the house out of fear, this is not normal.
So, is it possible to treat thalassophobia?
Of course its possible. Talk to a specialist psychologist or psychiatrist about your fear of the ocean. Depending on the level of anxiety you experience, thalassophobia can be treated with therapy, medication, natural methods or modern methods such as virtual reality. But do not try to self-diagnose and treat yourself with hearsay information.
We answered questions such as what is the fear of the ocean, that is, thalassophobia, which causes anxiety even when seeing a pool, and what are the reasons. What we describe is for informational purposes only. As with all health issues, remember that you should get the most accurate and specific information about your fears from a specialist physician.
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