Why Am I Afraid Of Being Alone?

Do you obsessively worry about being alone?

Do you feel detached from your body while being alone?

Do you experience fears of what could happen while being alone?

Do you experience shaking, chest pain, hyperventilation, dizziness, sweating, and/or

Do you feel extreme terror or nausea when alone or in a situation where you could soon become alone?

Do you experience anxiety from anticipating loneliness?

Based on your answers, it is unlikely that you have a severe problem with being alone. Autophobia is a condition in which someone has a fear of being alone. They feel the need to have another person around to feel comfortable and safe. Even when they know that they are in a safe place, they still feel worried about strangers getting inside their house, being unloved, or having a health problem. You may feel uncomfortable when alone, but when it causes significant impairment in your daily activities, medical attention is recommended.

While it may be unlikely that you have a clinical problem, you are displaying one or more signs related to an unhealthy fear of being alone. When the fear of being alone is excessive, constant and causes distress and impairment in daily functioning, you may be diagnosed with autophobia. You will need to visit your doctor to understand your symptoms and what can be done about it. “Being alone” can be experienced differently by various persons. Some people are afraid of being without one special person, others are afraid of being without any person. Remember that you can always ask help from a health professional.

Unfortunately, you are displaying symptoms typically seen among individuals who have significant problems with being alone. Schedule a visit with your doctor to talk about your symptoms and to receive the right help. Exposure therapy helps you finding back your happiness and to improve quality of life. In this therapy you will be repeatedly exposed to your fear of being alone, until you don’t produce anxious feelings anymore. Cognitive behavioral therapy will help you to deal with being on your own and your thinking patterns will be changed to positive ones. In some cases, medication can be added to one of the therapies to reduce symptoms so you will be better able to follow the therapy.