Drive phobia (or impulse phobia) often ruins the lives of those who suffer from it. Diagnosis, therapy… We take stock of this anxiety.
- The phobia of impulses results in the anxiety of losing control and committing a stroke of madness or an aggressive act towards others or oneself.
- Panic attacks, tremors, anxiety attack, dizziness, repeated checks that no malicious act has been committed, implementation of avoidance strategies… Several signs can reveal this disorder.
Suffering from an impulse phobia is not only having intrusive ideas about the fear of acting out, it is also developing behavioral problems as a result, and sometimes even depression.
Impulse phobia: how is the diagnosis made?
If we can all have at some point in our lives intrusive thoughts about the fear of taking action, for a phobic person, this fear becomes a reality that paralyzes them and prevents them from functioning on a daily basis. This involves, for example, avoiding the train if she is afraid of jumping on the tracks, kissing her children if she is afraid of being a pedophile, or even staying in the kitchen if she is afraid of taking a knife to kill. someone.
Akin to Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (OCDs), the phobia of impulses generates intrusive and anxious thoughts that make those who suffer from it suffer enormously by locking them into the idea that they can be dangerous for themselves or for others.
What type of therapy can help an impulse phobic?
The first step often consists in making the phobic person recognize his own disease and the consequences it has in his daily life.
When obsessions create suffering and/or are the source of compulsions in the form of rituals or avoidance, professional care is required with CBT, Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy, as the reference therapy. Its objective is to treat both thoughts and behaviors by combining relaxation or meditation techniques, intended for stress management.
Find out more: “Better living with an impulse phobia – Thanks to brief therapies: Thanks to brief therapies” by Edith Rosset.
