What is mother-in-law phobia?

Fear of sitting down, fear of being without a mobile phone, fear of looking in the mirror, and even fear of peanut butter in food... Have you heard of these bizarre "fears"? Recently, an American website sorted out the ten most bizarre "phobias", among which mother-in-law phobia is probably the most common one. Dr. Xu Zhi from the Department of Psychiatry and Psychiatry of Zhongda Hospital Affiliated to Southeast University said that phobia of mother-in-law does exist in psychology and falls into the category of "social phobia", and such cases have actually been received in the outpatient clinic. After three months of anti-anxiety treatment, the patient completely got out of the shadow of "mother-in-law phobia".

Is there really such a disease as "mother-in-law phobia"?

A young man in Nanjing shudders when he sees his mother-in-law

Although there are often "evil mothers-in-law" or "fierce mothers-in-law" characters in TV dramas, are mothers-in-law or mothers-in-law really that scary in real life? Yesterday, the reporter randomly interviewed several married people, and the vast majority of the interviewees questioned the content of the "Top Ten". "The family relationship is very harmonious, why should we be afraid of the mother-in-law or mother-in-law?"

Dr. Xu said that he had indeed received cases of "mother-in-law phobia" in the outpatient clinic. A young man in his 30s has been married for more than three years, but every time he sees his mother-in-law, his legs tremble with fear, and he also blushes and speaks incoherently. "When he came to the outpatient clinic, the patient told me very clearly that he was not afraid of his mother-in-law in his heart, and his mother-in-law treated him very kindly. But whenever he saw his mother-in-law, his legs would still tremble."

Actually, this is what happened -

Dr. Xu told the reporter that, medically, fear of the mother-in-law is indeed a disease, "This symptom falls into the category of social phobia."

After diagnosing the man with "social phobia", Xu Zhi prescribed anti-anxiety treatment for him, and gradually reduced the patient's fear symptoms through medication, psychotherapy and other means. Three months later, the patient was finally able to completely get rid of the shadow of "mother-in-law phobia".

There are more "mobile phone phobia"

Many young people in Nanjing have contracted "diseases" due to mobile phones

Compared with "mother-in-law phobia", this "mobile phone phobia" of over-reliance on mobile phones seems to be applicable to a wider range of people. Xiao Xu, a white-collar worker in Nanjing, is one of them. Because of work, Xiao Xu often spends time browsing Weibo. He never puts down his phone even when walking on the road. "If I am without my phone, I can hardly move." But after a long time, Xiao Xu found that not only could he not live without his phone, but his memory was also obviously not as good as before, and he would lose things. "After leaving home for work, I have to go home once or twice, and I always forget this and that." Xiao Xu found that he was not the only one who had this problem. There were even more "extreme" people among his friends and colleagues who could not even remember their parents' phone numbers.

Actually, this is what happened -

Yuan Yonggui, director of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychiatry at Zhongda Hospital affiliated to Southeast University, said that long-term use of digital products will not rise to the level of "pathological", but it will indeed affect memory. Experts say that the memory part of the human brain is mainly managed by the hippocampus. If one relies too much on digital products, such as browsing Weibo, a large amount of invalid information will enter the brain, thereby weakening the brain's ability to process useful information. It is not difficult to get rid of this dependence. "It is mainly about controlling your own behavior and keeping your phone away from you."

Most phobias are just “psychological discomforts”

It may be related to experience, not mental illness

On Sina Weibo yesterday, the "Top Ten Fears of Modern People" were also discussed by netizens. Although phobias such as fear of table conversation and fear of sitting down are related to many people's past experiences, most phobias, such as "peanut butter phobia", "food phobia", "fear of crossing the road", etc., seem incredible.

Actually, this is what happened -

Dr. Xu said that although these phobias are called "fears", they are more in the category of psychological discomfort.

Some of the things that are classified as "phobias", such as "sitting phobia" and "doll phobia", are caused by "psychological trauma" left by similar scenes. "For example, if a person is playing with dolls as a child and a major disaster suddenly occurs, leaving him traumatized, then his fear of the disaster will be 'transferred' to the dolls, resulting in 'doll phobia.'" Dr. Xu Zhi said that if these manifestations, called "phobias," do not affect people's lives too much, there is no need to treat them with "dread". "Most of the patients with mental illness who come to the department for treatment are afraid of the environment, a certain type of person, or some special things, but through relevant treatment, the symptoms will be alleviated."

Special reminder: Overcoming "phobia" and "reducing stress" are the key

In fact, there are not only the ten phobias of modern people listed by this American website, but also many other diverse "fear manifestations" such as "trypophobia", "tree phobia", "sleep phobia" and so on that surround our lives. Experts say that due to the excessive pressure in modern people's lives, they have developed a distorted perception of many things, which has led to the emergence of various "phobias". Some other symptoms, such as fear of sleeping and fear of rain, may also be "signs" of some mental illnesses.

Dr. Xu Zhi from the Department of Psychiatry and Psychiatry of Zhongda Hospital Affiliated to Southeast University said that modern people need to reduce stress in order to "fight" various "fear manifestations." If you really have a "phobia" within the scope of psychological and mental illness, you should go to the psychological and psychiatric department of a regular large hospital for treatment. Through various methods such as taking medication and psychotherapy, you can stay away from the interference of "phobia". Under certain conditions, appropriate encouragement can also be given to help get rid of the "phobia".