What is Decidophobia?

Jason's wife was totally fed up. For seven years, she'd had to decide how to celebrate their anniversary and arrange all the details. Wanting to feel a little pampered, she had told him that this year, it was his turn to make the plans. Unfortunately, the anniversary decision turned out to be just one of dozens Jason didn't make that month. His problem was decidophobia, the fear of making decisions.

Overview of Decidophobia

Types of Phobias indicates that the word phobia derives from the Greek "fear". It's a strange and persistent fear of situations, activities, objects or people.

Phobias represent the most common form of anxiety disorder in the United States. One study suggested that between 5.1 and 21.5 percent of Americans suffer from phobias and fears.

Types of Phobias reports that this study identified phobias as the most common mental illness among women of all ages. They were the second most common in men older than 25.

Sufferers describe decidophobia as overwhelming. According to HealthMad, the fear of making decisions is always irrational. Although the sufferer is aware of the potential choices and outcomes of a situation, he or she experiences so much fear that paralysis prevents making any decision.

Causes

Often the individual who has decidophobia has undergone a traumatic event and as a result, automatically associates it with making decisions. Some patients were never encouraged as children to make decisions independently after carefully considering all the options. Many simply went along with the flow rather than raise any red flags when it was time to decide what to do about a situation.

Sometimes an individual with this disorder made one or more decisions that resulted in devastating consequences for himself or for others. Some patients might simply develop the disorder based on the observation that someone else made a decision that produced very negative results.

Signs and Symptoms

Regardless of the root of decidophobia, individuals afflicted with it often find their lives completely disrupted when it comes to just functioning every day.

Symptoms vary among patients. When confronted with their fear, some become so ill at ease that they perspire or experience nausea. Severe cases can result in panic or anxiety attacks, or both.

Common physical signs of decidophobia include dizziness, muscle tension, trembling, a rapid heartbeat and hyperventilation. Many patients feel out of control, trapped and unable to escape or on the brink of a disaster.

Diagnosis and Treatment

In the majority of cases, patients diagnose themselves. They finally realize that their fear of making decisions is irrational and the extent to which it's impeding their ability to function each day. Many decide to speak to a primary care physician. After ruling out any physical basis for the patient's symptoms, this doctor would refer the individual to a mental health provider.

Therapists have a variety of tools available to treat patients suffering from the fear of making decisions. Among them are hypnotherapy, exposure therapy and the use of self-help techniques.

In some cases, traditional "talk" therapy can educate the patient as far as recognizing and controlling decidophobia. Certain patients profit from participating in support groups targeted to this specific condition.

Mental health professionals also use cognitive behavioral therapy, desensitization therapy and relaxation techniques like deep breathing to treat the disorder. For some severe cases, a prescription for an anti-anxiety medication might be in order.

Untreated, decidophobia can disrupt all aspects of an individual's life, from job responsibilities to interpersonal relationships to the ability to just sit down and pay bills.

Sources:

http://www.typesofphobias.com/index.html

http://healthmad.com/mental-health/decidophobia-the-fear-of-making-decisions/