Fear of being alone (Monophobia)
Monophobia is the fear of being alone. When you have monophobia, you experience extreme anxiety when you are alone. The anxiety may be strong enough to impact your daily life and your relationships with others. Monophobia is also called autophobia.
What is autophobia (fear of being alone)?
People who have autophobia have an irrational, extreme fear of being alone. A person may experience this fear when they’re alone.
Some people may have autophobia even when they’re with other people. In this case, the fear centers on worries about isolation. They may feel alone in a crowd. Or they may worry about people leaving them, or having to go home and be alone.
Other terms for fear of being alone include:
- Monophobia.
- Eremophobia.
- Isolophobia.
Symptoms and Causes
Why do I have a fear of being alone?
Phobias often start in childhood. Some people can trace their fear of being alone to a negative or traumatic experience.
Potential autophobia causes include:
- Being ignored, uncared for or feeling abandoned.
- Divorce or loss of a parent during childhood.
- Getting separated from a loved one in a crowd or other public setting.
- Having a panic attack, injury or another emergency, like a home break-in or mugging without someone to help.
- Witnessing a traumatic incident without someone to support you.
What are autophobia (monophobia) symptoms?
People who experience specific phobic disorders like autophobia are usually aware that the fear isn’t rational. Still, they’re unable to control their physical reactions when they find themselves in certain situations.
Autophobia affects everyone differently. You may feel unsafe unless you’re with other people. Being alone may bring on intense feelings of sadness, dread or anxiety.
If you have a fear of being alone, symptoms may also include:
- Chills.
- Dizziness and lightheadedness.
- Excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis).
- Heart palpitations.
- Nausea.
- Shortness of breath (dyspnea).
- Trembling or shaking.
- Upset stomach or indigestion (dyspepsia).