Button Phobia
Facts about Button Phobia
A button phobia may sound harmless or strange, but it is a condition that affects many more people than one would think. It is a result of an improper brain function, which controls fear and anxiety triggers, and causes the brain to determine that buttons are a fear causing stimuli. Button phobias are not just simply a dislike of buttons, but a serious and consuming fear of them. Cases of button phobia differ in severity and how they affect individuals, and some cases can be extremely severe. In any case, this condition is no laughing matter, but a serious phobia.
The scientific name for a button phobia is Koumpounophobia. It is known as an irrational phobia or a condition where something harmless causes the brain to react to it as if it was a dangerous or life threatening thing. It is thought to affect 1 in 75,000 people worldwide. While it may seem strange that such a small and harmless object could cause fear, a person suffering from Koumpounophobia has an uncontrolled brain response to buttons in the same way real dangerous stimuli are perceived in other people. This condition affects people differently. The phobia can be aroused from any type of button, or only by specific types or sizes of buttons. Some people fear only plastic buttons, or clothing with more than one button on it. Other people react differently to buttons with a certain number of holes on them and some people may have a fear response to anything resembling the size or shape of a button such as small round objects or discs.
Button phobias also solicit different reactions from different people. Some people simply do not want to touch or be near people wearing buttons, while others choose just not to wear buttons themselves but can be near other people wearing them. Often people with Koumpounophobia have a fear of inhaling and choking on buttons. In serious cases buttons can cause extreme fear responses such as sweating, shaking, vomiting, increased heart rate, and hyperventilating. Having a button phobia changes what types of clothing a person can buy or wear and may negatively affect their social and work life if the problem becomes severe.
Many of the causes of irrational fears, including those fears of buttons are unknown. It is thought that the problem may be genetic or may be caused by a traumatic childhood event. Most people with this condition do not know when they began to fear buttons or understand the cause of their fear. Many people don’t even know that it is a medical condition and feel alone. The phobia arises as a problem with how brain sensory signals designed to cause the body to respond to dangerous stimuli become triggered at the sight of buttons. These brain sensory signals are what cause the body to react with uncontrollable fear. Many people have found relief from these types of phobias with treatment.
Treatment for phobias usually involves two types of therapies. Behavioral therapy utilizes relaxation techniques and gradual exposure to the fear stimuli in order to teach the body to respond differently. Cognitive behavioral therapy helps the patient learn what causes their fears and to learn to change their behavior and thought patterns when confronted with fear stimuli. Some cases can even benefit from Virtual Reality Exposure, which is a fake desensitizing program where the person doesn’t have to come into contact with fear stimuli directly. Anti-depressants may also help if the phobia interferes with the person’s daily life. The most important part of beginning treatment for button phobias is to realize that you are not alone and that this type of phobia is a serious but treatable condition. Support groups are also available to help patients understand and begin to treat their irrational fear of buttons.