Fear of Bearing a Deformed Child
Want to learn more about Fear of Bearing a Deformed Child? Discuss and find out how to overcome your the phobia through different treatment options and examples.
When a pregnancy is confirmed a woman will often find herself slightly obsessing over the idea that her baby may not be born perfect. Obviously it is every mother’s dream that her child be born with all the finest attributes possible. This feeling is natural. However, when an individual fears that which is deformed they are said to suffer from Teratophobia.
This fear extends to monsters or people who live with physical deformity. In an effort to avoid the appearance of being rude many who live with this fear may also deal with social phobias and avoid gatherings when they suspect their might be an individual with physical deformities present.
What Causes Teratophobia?
This fear is often based on what is not known or understood about others. The one who fears may shy away from anything that seems ‘broken’ in the physical appearance of others. They may even seem to favor a child less if that child has some physical deformity. They may even refuse to bear for fear there might be a deformity present.
They may have arrived at this fear on their own, but most often this fear is introduced by a family member or friend who either came to their own conclusions based in prejudice or a struggle with the lack of accepted beauty. Their response can trigger an empathetic response in others who find an affinity for their position.
This phobic personality may have been in close contact with someone who had a physical deformity and struggled with their own feelings related to acceptance and what defines beauty. In one scenario they may come to an acceptance of the individual – in another they wind up fearing the individual. What is interesting is that fear from a short encounter can taint future potential friendships with others who have physical conditions they have no control over.
Symptoms of Teratophobia
This fear is problematic because it can be viewed as being prejudice since it is a person you may be expressing a fear over. The struggle you face is visible to those around you. There is a heightened discomfort when you are around a person who is deformed.
Other symptoms may include…
- Air hunger
- Trembling
- Fainting
- Nausea
- Screaming
- Crying
- Loss of control
- Panic attack
The quiet symptom that many who may observe this fear in others may not realize is a symptom of self-loathing. These individuals know intellectually that those with deformities have no control over the fact they are deformed. When the knee-jerk reaction of fear comes to the surface it is usually followed by self-directed anger at a response the phobic personality knows is unfair and irrational – yet they may be personally incapable of stopping their reaction.
How to Overcome Teratophobia
As with all phobias the confidence placed in a therapist can help you understand why you fear and how to redirect your fear. If you came to the fear by way of believing a lie early in your life then a therapist can walk you back through the issues that lead to the fear.
The fear of bearing a deformed child is also referred to as:
- Fear of deformed people
- Fear of monsters
- Teratophobia
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