Hodophobia is an irrational fear, or phobia, of travel.[2] Hodophobia is also referred to as travel phobia or fear of travel.[3] Hodophobia should not to be confused with travel aversion.[4][5]
Acute anxiety provoked by travel can be treated with anti-anxiety medication.[6][7] The condition can be treated with exposure therapy, which works better when combined with cognitive behavioral therapy.[6][7]
Signs and symptoms
People with fear of traveling experience intense, persistent fear or anxiety when they think about traveling and/or during travel.[8][9] They will avoid travel if they can, and the fear, anxiety, and avoidance cause significant distress and impair their ability to function.[8][9]
Related Phobias
- Fear of flying
- Driving phobia
- Fear of trains
- Thalassophobia - phobia of sea travel
- Agoraphobia - fear of leaving safe places
Cause
The causes of hodophobia and the mechanisms by which it is maintained are often complex, as with many phobias.[8][10]
Diagnosis
The diagnosis is clinical.[8] It is often difficult to determine if the specific phobia of hodophobia should be the primary diagnosis, or if it is a symptom of a generalized anxiety disorder or another anxiety disorder.[8][11]
Classification
Hodophobia is a specific phobia as classified in the DSM-5.[12]
Management
Acute anxiety caused by travel can be treated with anti-anxiety medication.[6][7] The condition can also be treated with exposure therapy which works better when combined with cognitive behavioral therapy.[6][7][13] Relaxation techniques and education can also be helpful in combination with other approaches.[9][13][14]
Society and culture
Sigmund Freud, the famous neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, confessed in a number of letters that he suffered from fear of travel.[15] He used the term "Reiseangst" for it, which means "travel anxiety" or "fear of travel" in the German language.[16] However Freud's anxiety was not a "true" phobia.
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