Understanding Scopophobia: Fear of Being Stared At

Some people avoid attracting attention to themselves unnecessarily.

They refuse public performances, delegate presentations to others, and try not to turn on the camera in “Zoom” under any pretext. All of these actions could indicate scopophobia, which we will discuss

What does this represent?

Some people experience a strong fear of being looked at, which is called scopophobia. The term originates from the Greek words skopeo – “to watch, study, test, verify” and phobos – “fear”.

Some people believe that Hippocrates described the first clinical case of scopophobia. He mentions an extremely shy man who thought others were always watching him in one of his medical treatises. However, the term itself didn’t appear until 1906 when an American psychiatry journal first used it.

Scopophobia can vary in its degree of expression. The spotlight at a public event can cause fear to overcome some people, while others may find it unbearable when a loved one looks at them.

People with scopophobia experience strong stress when someone gazes at them due to their irrational belief that they are being evaluated and scrutinized for flaws and reasons to mock. This fear manifests in typical symptoms.

• The person avoids eye contact.
• Tries not to attract attention to oneself unnecessarily.
• Easily embarrassed.

During a bout of scopophobia, a person often experiences physiological symptoms of stress, including increased breathing and heart rate, dry mouth, nausea, dizziness, muscle tension, and increased sweating. Panic attacks also occur frequently.

Experts do not consider Scopophobia as an independent psychiatric disorder. Some countries classify it as a specific phobia or regard it as a manifestation of social anxiety disorder. Only if certain conditions are met, one can make the diagnosis.

• Every time a person faces the source of their fear, they experience strong anxiety.
• The feeling is disproportionate to the real danger threatening him.
• A person does everything possible to avoid what causes strong fear.

All of these symptoms must be persistent and unchanged for at least six months. And seriously interfere with a person’s life.

In addition, before making a diagnosis, the specialist should exclude all other conditions and disorders that may cause such symptoms. This means that although many people are prone to experiencing anxiety when communicating with others, true scopophobia is not widely spread.

Signs can be phrases and thoughts such as:

• “They keep looking at me all the time.”
• “I don’t want you to look at me like that.”
• “Why are they looking at me? They’ll notice how ugly I am now.”
• “Stop staring at me already!”
• “The main thing is that no one saw me.”
• “Are you okay if I’m in Zoom without a camera?”

Why does it arise?

It is uncertain to scientists, but it is believed that a combination of factors could be the reason for the development of scopophobia.

Genetic predisposition

Research indicates that phobias are more likely to develop in individuals who have close relatives with the same condition.

Bullying

We know that individuals who have faced bullying or continuous teasing during childhood are more susceptible to scopophobia compared to those who have not experienced it.

Certain diseases

Scopophobia often affects people with epilepsy or Tourette’s syndrome, as they fear that others will look at them with fear or disgust during their seizures.

Additionally, some hypothesize that during adolescence, people undergo a condition akin to scopophobia wherein teenagers become excessively shy and conscious of others’ perceptions of them, leading to persistent anxiety in social situations. While most individuals eventually grow out of this phase, a few may not, eventually developing scopophobia.

What are the dangers?

Scopophobia severely affects a person’s life in proportion to its strength. People affected by it avoid mass events, including concerts, and limit their interactions with friends. In extreme cases, they confine themselves to their homes and only venture out when absolutely necessary.

One’s career is adversely affected by Scopophobia. The fear of attracting attention from others causes an individual to refrain from exhibiting themselves in any way. Consequently, their productivity reduces, and they are incapable of handling the assigned tasks. The most favorable outcome is that they stay in the same position for several years. The worst-case scenario involves termination.

People with scopophobia experience increased risk of developing depression and addiction due to the stress they are forced to live with.

What can be done?

To avoid worsening of scopophobia, consult a psychiatrist who can diagnose and treat the condition.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is the main approach that identifies irrational attitudes and beliefs underlying fear and replaces them with more realistic perceptions of how other people perceive you.

Exposure therapy presents another alternative, which falls under the cognitive behavioral therapy umbrella. It involves deliberately and incrementally engaging in stressful triggering situations that a person typically avoids. Gradually acclimatizing to these situations helps to dispel the fear over time.

Doctors commonly prescribe antidepressants as medications to alleviate symptoms and reduce their intensity.

Methods that reduce tension in the moment, such as breathing exercises, can be helpful in cases of scopophobia, such as manifestations of social anxiety.

The simplest one is this:

1. Take a deep breath into your belly four times.
2. Hold your breath for four beats.
3. Slowly – count to four – exhale.
4. And again, hold your breath for four counts.

Repeat until you feel that the anxiety gradually subsides.

Another way is grounding. It forces you to shift your attention from what is happening inside you to what surrounds you at the moment.

• Take a couple of deep and slow breaths.
• Carefully look around and name five objects that caught your eye.
• Focus on what you hear and single out four sounds.
• Touch three different things.
• Catch two different smells – if you can’t, try to imagine them.
• Force yourself to feel one taste – you can take a sip of water.

This will bring you back to reality and distract you from fears.