Numerophobia
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| Numerophobia | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Math anxiety |
| Specialty | Psychiatry |
Numerophobia or mathematics anxiety is an anxiety disorder,[1][2][page needed] where the condition is fear of dealing with numbers or mathematics. Sometimes numerophobia refers to fear of particular numbers.[3][4] Numerophobia is also known as arithmophobia and the factors of the phobia very. Some who suffer from arithmophobia may be afraid of even numbers, odd numbers, unlucky numbers, and/or lucky numbers. Those with this phobia may have a hard time “holding certain jobs, paying bills, or managing budget [5]
Types of Numerophobia[edit]
There are two types of arithmophbia. Generalized arithmophibia and fear of specific numbers. Generalized arithmophobia is a fear of all numbers, as for the fear of specific numbers can come from varied factors such as cultural and religions. For example, 666 are 3 numbers combined that represent the antichrist in the bible. In China, Vietnam, and Japan, 4 is a number that represents death. In many cultures the number 13 is also an unlucky number which people fear. These fears in numbers make it difficult for people to perform well in professional and educational settings.
Fears of specific numbers[edit]
- Tetraphobia – fear of 4 (four)
- Triskaidekaphobia – fear of 13 (thirteen)
- Heptadecaphobia – fear of 17 (seventeen)
- 23 enigma – fear of 23 (twenty-three)
- Curse of 39 – fear of 39 (thirty-nine)
- Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia – fear of 666 (six hundred sixty-six)
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Symptoms[edit]
Symptoms of arithmophobia mimic many of the same symptoms of anxiety because when individuals are consuming numbers they are afraid of their anxiety levels excel exponentially.
These symptoms include chills, dizziness and lightheadedness, excessive sweating, heat palpitations, nausea, shortness of breath, trembling or shaking, and an upset stomach.[6] Symptoms of arithmophobia can be more or less intense depending on the extent of the fear in the individual diagnosed with the phobia.
Treatment[edit]
For this phobia, there are a few routes you can go to find the best individualized treatment for the patient. One common treatment is Exposure therapy. This is where you are carefully exposed to the fear object in a controlled environement to help you understand that the object is not harmful. Cognitive Behavorial therapy, which is talking to a therapist, hypnotherapy which is guided concentration and relaxation, and medication to reduce anxiety may all be helpful in treating numerophobia[7]
References[edit]
- ^ "How to Find Out in Psychology: A Guide to the Literature and Methods of Research", p 119
- ^ Numerophobia Psychological, disorder (February 2004). Understanding Psychology by Feldman. ISBN 9780070586987.
- ^ Kerr, Alistair W.; Hall, Howard K.; Kozub, Stephen A. (2002-03-08). Doing Statistics With SPSS. SAGE. p. 3. ISBN 978-1-4462-3071-8.
- ^ Doctor, Ronald Manual; Kahn, Ada P.; Adamec, Christine A. (2010-05-12). The Encyclopedia of Phobias, Fears, and Anxieties, Third Edition. Infobase Publishing. p. 361. ISBN 978-1-4381-2098-0.
- ^ "Arithmophobia (Fear of Numbers): Diagnosis & Treatment". Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
- ^ "Arithmophobia (Fear of Numbers): Diagnosis & Treatment". Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
- ^ "Arithmophobia (Fear of Numbers): Diagnosis & Treatment". Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
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