Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSigns and SymptomsDiagnosisCausesTreatmentCoping

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Signs and Symptoms

Diagnosis

Causes

Treatment

Coping

This article discusses the symptoms of gamophobia and some of the factors that contribute to causing this type of fear. It also discusses how the condition is diagnosed, how it is treated, and how you can cope if you have this fear of commitment and relationships.

Signs and Symptoms of Gamophobia

Gamophobia is more than just being cautious or somewhat hesitant about making a big commitment. People who have this condition experience intense fear when faced with the reality or even sometimes just the thought of being in a committed relationship or marriage.

Some symptoms that a person might experience include immediate feelings of anxiety, fear, or panic.It is also common for people to take steps to avoid committing such as distancing themselves from others, breaking up with the person they are dating, or avoiding dating.

People also often experience physical symptoms such as:

People who have this condition are often capable of getting into relationships, but when things start to become serious, they often begin to exhibit signs of fear and anxiety. In other cases, some people are so afraid of commitment that they will avoid relationships altogether.

RecapGamophobia can lead to both physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms. People may experience physical feelings of fear, experiencedistressand negative thoughts, and engage in behaviors to avoid commitment and marriage.

Recap

Gamophobia can lead to both physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms. People may experience physical feelings of fear, experiencedistressand negative thoughts, and engage in behaviors to avoid commitment and marriage.

Diagnosis of Gamophobia

In order to be diagnosed with a specific phobia, a person must:

These symptoms must be present for at least six months and must not be due to another mental health condition such asobsessive-compulsive disorder(OCD) orsocial anxiety disorder(SAD).

While some people may recognize that their fear is excessive and out of proportion to the actual threat, recognizing that the fear is irrational is not necessary to be diagnosed with a specific phobia.

RecapGamophobia isnotlisted as a distinct, separate condition in the DSM-5. Instead, your healthcare provider may diagnose your symptoms as a specific phobia or some other type of anxiety disorder.

Gamophobia isnotlisted as a distinct, separate condition in the DSM-5. Instead, your healthcare provider may diagnose your symptoms as a specific phobia or some other type of anxiety disorder.

Causes of Gamophobia

Like other types of phobias, gamophobia is often the result of a number of different factors. Some research suggests that anxiety about the financial obligations and other social demands associated with relationships can contribute to thefear of commitmentand marriage.

Negative Experiences

For some people, negative or traumatic experiences in the past can contribute to an intense fear of commitment. Children who grew up in households with parents who were unhappy, always fighting, or who experienced domestic violence may fear getting into the same situation when they are an adult.

Past relationships can also contribute to the onset of gamophobia.Toxic relationships, previous divorce, and infidelity can contribute to a fear of getting too deep into a new relationship.

Insecure Attachment Styles

Patterns of attachment in early childhood may also contribute to the development of a fear of commitment in adulthood.Attachment stylesare the patterns of behavior and emotional bonds that form between people. Early attachments between children and their caregivers are thought to have a lasting impact on later attachments.

Genetics and Family Influences

Research also suggests that genetics plays a part in the onset of phobias and other anxiety conditions. Inherited traits may make a person more prone to this fear, butattitudeslearned through family influences might also play a part.

Treatment for Gamophobia

These professionals will help you to challenge your fears and work through them until they no longer cause severe distress. Over time, gamophobia will become easier to manage, and you will be able to live a more fulfilling life free of fear.

Some of the most commonly used treatments for gamophobia are listed below.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive-behavioral therapy(CBT) is a form of psychotherapy in which a person with gamophobia learns to replace their negative thoughts with more positive cognitions. It also teaches new coping skills that will help people develop healthy, supportive relationships with less fear of commitment. CBT has been shown to be effective in the treatment of anxiety and is often the first-line treatment foranxiety disorders.

Exposure Therapy

Over time, the fear response lessens until it is gradually extinguished. Research has shown that exposure therapy helps reduce phobic symptoms immediately after treatment and that these effects often endure for years.

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing(EMDR) is a type of therapy that involves focusing on trauma while engaging in bilateral eye movements. It has been shown to be effective in reducing the intensity of traumatic memories and can be helpful in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well as symptoms of panic and phobias.

EMDR may be effective in cases where symptoms of gamophobia are connected to past traumatic experiences.

Medications

In some cases, medications may also be prescribed to help with some of the symptoms of anxiety. Medications may also be useful if other mental conditions such as co-occurring anxiety or depression are also present. In most cases, these medications will be used alongside some form of psychotherapy.

RecapGamophobia can disrupt your ability to have healthy, lasting relationships, but treatment can help. Psychotherapy is often the first approach and may involve the use of cognitive-behavioral therapy, exposure therapy, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing.

Gamophobia can disrupt your ability to have healthy, lasting relationships, but treatment can help. Psychotherapy is often the first approach and may involve the use of cognitive-behavioral therapy, exposure therapy, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing.

Coping With Gamophobia

Once you recognize that you have this intense fear of commitment, you can begin to take steps to address it. In addition to talking to a therapist, some strategies that may help include the following:

Gamophobia can have a serious impact on a person’s ability to form and maintain relationships. It can harm a person’s existing relationships with other people, but it can also impair their ability to reach out to others and form new relationships. Ultimately, this can lead to feelings of isolation andloneliness, which can take a serious toll on a person’s mental and physical well-being.

By addressing your fears and finding ways to get past your extreme fear of commitment, you’ll be better able to form attachments without feeling a need to avoid a long-term commitment.

A Word From Verywell

8 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Dictionary.com.Gamophobia definition.American Psychiatric Association.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.5th ed. Washington D.C.; 2013. doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596Obeid S, Fares K, Haddad C, et al.Construction and validation of the Lebanese fear of relationship commitment scale among a representative sample of the Lebanese population.Perspect Psychiatr Care.2020;56(2):280-289. doi:10.1111/ppc.12424Scigala DK, Fabris MA, Badenes-Ribera L, Zdankiewicz-Scigala E, Longobardi C.Alexithymia and self-differentiation: the role of fear of intimacy and insecure adult attachment.Contemp Fam Ther. 2021;43(2):165-176. doi:10.1007/s10591-021-09567-9Thng CEW, Lim-Ashworth NSJ, Poh BZQ, Lim CG.Recent developments in the intervention of specific phobia among adults: a rapid review.F1000Res. 2020;9:F1000 Faculty Rev-195. doi:10.12688/f1000research.20082.1Eaton WW, Bienvenu OJ, Miloyan B.Specific phobias.Lancet Psychiatry. 2018;5(8):678-686. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30169-XLange I, Goossens L, Leibold N, et al.Brain and behavior changes following exposure therapy predict outcome at 8-year follow-up.Psychother Psychosom. 2016;85(4):238-240. doi:10.1159/000442292Faretta E, Dal Farra M.Efficacy of emdr therapy for anxiety disorders.J EMDR Prac Res. 2019;13(4):325-332. doi:10.1891/1933-3196.13.4.325

8 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Dictionary.com.Gamophobia definition.American Psychiatric Association.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.5th ed. Washington D.C.; 2013. doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596Obeid S, Fares K, Haddad C, et al.Construction and validation of the Lebanese fear of relationship commitment scale among a representative sample of the Lebanese population.Perspect Psychiatr Care.2020;56(2):280-289. doi:10.1111/ppc.12424Scigala DK, Fabris MA, Badenes-Ribera L, Zdankiewicz-Scigala E, Longobardi C.Alexithymia and self-differentiation: the role of fear of intimacy and insecure adult attachment.Contemp Fam Ther. 2021;43(2):165-176. doi:10.1007/s10591-021-09567-9Thng CEW, Lim-Ashworth NSJ, Poh BZQ, Lim CG.Recent developments in the intervention of specific phobia among adults: a rapid review.F1000Res. 2020;9:F1000 Faculty Rev-195. doi:10.12688/f1000research.20082.1Eaton WW, Bienvenu OJ, Miloyan B.Specific phobias.Lancet Psychiatry. 2018;5(8):678-686. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30169-XLange I, Goossens L, Leibold N, et al.Brain and behavior changes following exposure therapy predict outcome at 8-year follow-up.Psychother Psychosom. 2016;85(4):238-240. doi:10.1159/000442292Faretta E, Dal Farra M.Efficacy of emdr therapy for anxiety disorders.J EMDR Prac Res. 2019;13(4):325-332. doi:10.1891/1933-3196.13.4.325

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Dictionary.com.Gamophobia definition.American Psychiatric Association.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.5th ed. Washington D.C.; 2013. doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596Obeid S, Fares K, Haddad C, et al.Construction and validation of the Lebanese fear of relationship commitment scale among a representative sample of the Lebanese population.Perspect Psychiatr Care.2020;56(2):280-289. doi:10.1111/ppc.12424Scigala DK, Fabris MA, Badenes-Ribera L, Zdankiewicz-Scigala E, Longobardi C.Alexithymia and self-differentiation: the role of fear of intimacy and insecure adult attachment.Contemp Fam Ther. 2021;43(2):165-176. doi:10.1007/s10591-021-09567-9Thng CEW, Lim-Ashworth NSJ, Poh BZQ, Lim CG.Recent developments in the intervention of specific phobia among adults: a rapid review.F1000Res. 2020;9:F1000 Faculty Rev-195. doi:10.12688/f1000research.20082.1Eaton WW, Bienvenu OJ, Miloyan B.Specific phobias.Lancet Psychiatry. 2018;5(8):678-686. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30169-XLange I, Goossens L, Leibold N, et al.Brain and behavior changes following exposure therapy predict outcome at 8-year follow-up.Psychother Psychosom. 2016;85(4):238-240. doi:10.1159/000442292Faretta E, Dal Farra M.Efficacy of emdr therapy for anxiety disorders.J EMDR Prac Res. 2019;13(4):325-332. doi:10.1891/1933-3196.13.4.325

Dictionary.com.Gamophobia definition.

American Psychiatric Association.Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.5th ed. Washington D.C.; 2013. doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596

Obeid S, Fares K, Haddad C, et al.Construction and validation of the Lebanese fear of relationship commitment scale among a representative sample of the Lebanese population.Perspect Psychiatr Care.2020;56(2):280-289. doi:10.1111/ppc.12424

Scigala DK, Fabris MA, Badenes-Ribera L, Zdankiewicz-Scigala E, Longobardi C.Alexithymia and self-differentiation: the role of fear of intimacy and insecure adult attachment.Contemp Fam Ther. 2021;43(2):165-176. doi:10.1007/s10591-021-09567-9

Thng CEW, Lim-Ashworth NSJ, Poh BZQ, Lim CG.Recent developments in the intervention of specific phobia among adults: a rapid review.F1000Res. 2020;9:F1000 Faculty Rev-195. doi:10.12688/f1000research.20082.1

Eaton WW, Bienvenu OJ, Miloyan B.Specific phobias.Lancet Psychiatry. 2018;5(8):678-686. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30169-X

Lange I, Goossens L, Leibold N, et al.Brain and behavior changes following exposure therapy predict outcome at 8-year follow-up.Psychother Psychosom. 2016;85(4):238-240. doi:10.1159/000442292

Faretta E, Dal Farra M.Efficacy of emdr therapy for anxiety disorders.J EMDR Prac Res. 2019;13(4):325-332. doi:10.1891/1933-3196.13.4.325

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