Understanding Enochlophobia
Enochlophobia is the fear of crowds. Those who suffer from Enochlophobia will go out of their way to avoid places like malls, theaters, sporting arenas or any event that crowds would regular attend. According to Associated Content, A few things they fear will happen when around large crowds are:
-Being trampled to death
-Contracting a deadly virus
-Getting lost in a massive crowd of people
-They themselves feel small and insignificant when surrounded by so many people
Enochlophobia seems to affect women more than men, and can bring on panic attacks in certain situations, and is a form of social anxiety. Taking control of anxiety is key. According to NorthShore University Health System, more than 19 million Americans suffer from some type of anxiety disorder, but only a small portion of those people ever seek treatment despite the fact that effective treatments exists. If you think you suffer from an anxiety disorder, talk to your physician.
I myself am enochlophobic, and I am trying to figure out the psychology of this fear. Is there something that could have triggered my fear? Or was I simply born this way? Knowing answers to my questions would definitely help in the process of overcoming my fear. Thank you.
I am fairly certain I have enochlophobia. I try to think back through my life and cannot pin point when or why it started. It pops up in places I don’t expect and doesn’t in other places. I can’t go to the mall, or church, or Walmart on Saturday. But then I love to go to live theater, just have to sit in back. Can not give talks in church, never go to parties. But am fine meeting people one on one. I am OK with all of it. I just go to Walmart early in AM. Thanks.
I am a 22 year old female who lives in NYC (of all places) and I have enochlophobia. In fact, just this minute, I found that there is actually a name for it. I don’t feel so alone anymore. I didn’t start having panic attacks until I was 15 in a convention center. I love being around people, I’m so personable, but I will wait 30 minutes to get on a train that isn’t crowded or I will go out of my way to avoid crowds of strangers. Strangely, it only happens when the crowd is a majority male. I’m pretty sure I know why. This site helped me a least a little bit though. Thank you.