Gerascophobia is an abnormal or incessant fear of growing older or ageing. It's derived from the Greek "geras" (old age) and "phobos" (fear). Other English words derived from "geras" include "geriatrics" (the branch of medicine focusing on the elderly) and "gerontology" (the study of aging).
Modern society's preoccupation with youthful beauty does nothing to alleviate their fears. It comes as no surprise that many of us struggle with a deep-seated fear of aging. The fear of getting old is all too common and can fuel our anxiety and disrupt our mental health.
Sufferers of this fear experience undue anxiety about aging even though they may be in good health--physically, economically and otherwise. They may worry about the loss of their looks, the loss of independence, inactivity after retirement, impaired mobility, the onset of disease, and confinement in a nursing home.
Its symptoms are very similar to other specific phobias and will often include: Anger problems, Generalised Anxiety, Social anxiety, Control issues, Panic attacks, Stress, Feelings of depression, Insomnia and sleeping problems, Low Self-Esteem, Low Self-Confidence, Overthinking things, Avoidance and safety behaviours, and Paranoia.
This symptoms are generally automatic and uncontrollable and can seem to take over a person’s thoughts which frequently leads to extreme measures being taken to avoid the feared object or situation, what are known as “Safety” or “Avoidance” behaviours.
More Info:
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