Cancer phobia, also known as carcinophobia, is a common

phobia A phobia is an anxiety disorder defined by a persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation. Phobias typically result in a rapid onset of fear and are usually present for more than six months. Those affected go to great lengths to avo ...

and an

anxiety disorder Anxiety disorders are a cluster of mental disorders characterized by significant and uncontrollable feelings of anxiety and fear such that a person's social, occupational, and personal function are significantly impaired. Anxiety may cause physi ...

characterized by the chronic fear of developing

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

. It can manifest in tremendous feelings of sadness,

fear Fear is an intensely unpleasant emotion in response to perceiving or recognizing a danger or threat. Fear causes physiological changes that may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the threat. Fear ...

panic Panic is a sudden sensation of fear, which is so strong as to dominate or prevent reason and logical thinking, replacing it with overwhelming feelings of anxiety and frantic agitation consistent with an animalistic fight-or-flight reactio ...

, and distress. In some cases, the phobia can be so extreme that it prevents the individual from living a normal life.

Signs and symptoms

People living with carcinophobia frequently suffer from depression. Sufferers may become reclusive and obsessive over their health. They may feel overwhelmed and fail to carry out their usual functions. The fear is associated with lack of future planning, and an overall poor quality of life.

Causes

Cancer survivors are also susceptible to developing a debilitating fear of recurrence due to their previous experience with the disease. Half of all cancer survivors report a moderate to high fear of recurrence. Cancer phobia can also appear in people suffering from

Hypochondria Hypochondriasis or hypochondria is a condition in which a person is excessively and unduly worried about having a serious illness. An old concept, the meaning of hypochondria has repeatedly changed. It has been claimed that this debilitating cond ...

PTSD Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on a ...

is also a common cause of the phobia. Anyone can have the phobia.Traumatic events that can lead to this phobia include: •Having been previously infected with Cancer. •A loved one suffering from Cancer. •A loved one dying from Cancer.

Treatment

Cognitive behavioral therapy Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a psycho-social intervention that aims to reduce symptoms of various mental health conditions, primarily depression and anxiety disorders. CBT focuses on challenging and changing cognitive distortions (suc ...

(CBT) is used for a wide variety of fears and phobias, including carcinophobia. It helps patients to increase awareness of their disorder, and provides ways for patients to cope with their emotions.

References

* Phobias {{DEFAULTSORT:Cancer Phobia