Introduction
Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is one of the longest words found in the dictionary. Phobia means uncontrollable, irrational, and lasting fear of a certain object, situation, or activity. The American Psychiatric Association does not officially recognize a phobia of long words. This long word is considered a social phobia.
What Is Fear of Long Words?
Fears or phobias are common among a few individuals. These are real, and the human mind can develop them. Another name for fear of long words is Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia. This type of phobia is considered a very playful act, but in reality, it does exist. The word given for fear of long words itself is too long. It can be divided into parts.
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Hippopoto and monstro are prefixes that indicate huge (like hippopotamus) and scary ( monstrous).
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Sesquippedalis is a Latin word that means a foot and a half long. This also shows that it has many syllables. It means a long word. Hence sometimes fear of long words is also called sesquipedalophobia.
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A phobia is an irrational fear.
Fear of long words may vary from one to another. Some may fear words that are multisyllabic, some may fear long words that are obscure, and others may fear very common words that are moderately lengthy.
This phobia makes an individual avoid events and groups. The presence of fear can contribute to panic attacks and result in the diagnosis of panic disorders. This type of phobia has affected 3 to 15% of the population. It is also related to other phobias such as bibliophobia (fear of books), metrophobia (fear of poetry), logophobia (fear of words), and mythophobia (fear of legends).
What Are the Causes of Fear of Long Words?
Most specific phobias are due to registering or recording events by the parts of the brain as dangerous or deadly. The body reacts as if the same way events are repeatedly happening. The individual feels like a prisoner at the thought and sight of a long word because of anxiety and panic. The phobia is not present from birth but develops later in life because of an unpleasant event.
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Past Experiences: If an individual has faced an embarrassing moment regarding words in childhood, this creates trauma that may lead to fear of long words.
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Functioning of The Brain: Alterations in brain function can lead to phobias development.
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Learned Behavior: The negative environment around an individual may be responsible for the fear to develop.
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Genes: A history present in the family of any fear, mental health conditions, or anxiety may double the risk of phobia development.
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Disabilities of Learning: Some of the conditions like dyslexia, which are considered to be learning disabilities, may contribute to the development of a phobia.
What Are the Symptoms of Fear of Long Words?
Long words do not cause physical effects but can lower self-esteem and cause depression and avoidance. Along with these, it brings about fear and anxiety. Symptoms of fear of long-word phobia include,
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Difficulty in breathing.
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They avoid reading.
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They cry.
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Shivering noticed.
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Experience dryness of the mouth.
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Sweating is seen.
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Pain in the head.
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Tension in the muscle.
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Increased heart rate.
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Feeling nausea and fainting.
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They feel like running away.
When individuals with this phobia encounter long words, they mentally lock up, limit writing and reading, and brush through textbooks and scholarly works. Children may lose interest in studies because of phobia.
What Are the Impacts of Fear of Long Words?
This type of phobia impacts an individual’s daily functioning and quality of life. Individuals affected with phobias may experience difficulty in the workplace, where they are exposed to these long words.
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Young individuals may develop social phobia and anxiety if this phobia is present.
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When these young individuals grow to adulthood may experience cutting of career opportunities.
How to Diagnose Fear of Long Words?
Technically when considered, it is not a disease that can be diagnosed. Generally, individuals affected by this condition never seek help. If symptoms are severe and they cannot bear them, then they seek help. A mental health professional checks all medical, family, and social history. He will ask questions about symptoms. Once he is confirmed about the condition may diagnose it as a phobia.
To get diagnosed, it should have symptoms for at least 6 months [according to DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)].
What Are the Treatments for Fear of the Long Word?
Some techniques must be learned to cope with the fear of the long word phobia.
Treatment options include,
Exposure Therapy:
Desensitization is used as a treatment option. This helps in changing the response to the situation to overcome the anxiety. It is an effective treatment for phobias.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy:
This therapy helps to learn and counteract anxiety. Mainly helps in the restructuring of negative thinking patterns.
Replacing Long Words:
Instead of avoiding long words, they should be replaced with words with similar meanings. Breaking long words and using computers and other gadgets that help autocorrect and dictionaries help correct spellings and phonetics.
Attend a Support Group:
Being with a support group that understands and helps in difficult situations may help overcome this type of phobia.
Self-Help Methods:
This includes,
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By getting sufficient sleep.
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Instead of avoiding fears must be faced.
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By taking deep breaths.
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Practicing meditation and yoga.
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Avoiding or limiting alcohol or caffeine.
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Consuming a healthy and balanced diet.
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Encountering fearful and anxiety-creating situations.
Medications:
Some medications may help control anxiety. Antidepressants are used to treat anxiety.
Conclusion
A phobia is an excessive and irrational fear associated with a specific event, situation, or object. Fear of long words is a type of phobia of long words. It is related to anxiety and traumatic events. It is real and actual. Hence it becomes vital to know about this type of phobia, its causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. Knowledge helps to seek assistance from a healthcare professional early. Early diagnosis helps achieve effective treatment. This, in turn, helps achieve a good quality of life.
