Scopophobia
fear of being seen or stared at by others
Scopophobia, scoptophobia, or ophthalmophobia, is an anxiety disorder characterized by an excessive fear of being stared at in public or stared at by others. Scopophobia is also commonly associated with schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders. Often, scopophobia will result in symptoms common with other anxiety disorders.
Signs and symptoms
Individuals with scopophobia generally exhibit symptoms in social situations when attention is brought upon them, such as in public speaking. Many of the situations which trigger social anxiety also apply to scopophobia, such as: being introduced to new people, being teased and/or criticized, or even answering a phone call in public.
Often scopophobia symptoms resemble those of other anxiety disorders. They include irrational feelings of panic, terror, or dread, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, nausea, dry mouth, trembling, anxiety and avoidance. Other symptoms related to scopophobia may be hyperventilation, muscle tension, dizziness, uncontrollable shaking or trembling, excessive eye watering and redness of the eyes. For an epileptic, it may precipitate an attack.
Related syndromes
Though scopophobia is a solitary disorder, comorbidity with other disorders is common, particularly anxiety disorders.
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