Do I Have Haphephobia?

Do you experience immediate fear or anxiety when touched, or when thinking about being touched?

Do you experience panic attacks (e.g., increased heart rate, sweating, hot flushes, tingling, and chills) when someone touches you?

Do you avoid situations where you may be touched?

Are you aware that the fear is irrational and disproportionate?

Do you experience general anxiety, depression, and low quality of life as a result of the phobia?

Based on your answers, you are unlikely to have haphephobia. It’s normal that being touched by strangers or without consent can make many people uncomfortable. However, if the fear also appears when touched by family or friends and if the fear is so intense that it causes significant impairment, it may be haphephobia. Haphephobia is an anxiety disorder in which the sufferer has a fear of being touched. This is different from hypersensivity to touch, a condition called allodynia. A person with allodynia will also avoid being touched, but their reason is that it causes them to feel pain, not fear.

Based on your answers, you are displaying one or two signs of haphephobia. Haphephobia is an anxiety disorder in which the sufferer has a fear of being touched. It’s considered a phobia when the fear is almost always present every time the person is touched, persists for over 6 months, and when it has a negative impact on daily functioning. Haphephobia may be caused by experiencing a traumatic even that involved being touched. A person may not remember the event. Besides, someone can learn a fear of being touched if they observe someone close to them expressing fear of being touched. Haphephobia often occurs on its own, but it can also be associated with other mental health problems.

Unfortunately, you are displaying symptoms typically seen among individuals who have haphephobia. It may be important to seek professional help for your symptoms. Haphephobia is an anxiety disorder in which the sufferer has a fear of being touched. Treatments are available and may include psychotherapies, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and exposure therapies. In CBT the person learns new behaviors and ways of thinking to deal with the anxiety. In exposure therapy or virtual reality exposure therapy the person is gradually exposed to their fear in a controlled environment. Often, medications are used in combination with psychotherapy. Lastly, relaxation techniques are useful for managing the anxiety.