Cryophobia- Fear of extreme cold, ice or frost
People who suffer severe fear of extreme cold, ice, and frost have a condition known as
cryophobia. This a more common condition in people who live in countries that experiences winter. This phobia has a foundation of the belief that extreme cold is hazardous to a person’s health. Of course extreme low temperatures can cause hypothermia and frostbite and these are life-threatening conditions if not caught early. Some sufferers may have developed this fear because they might have had a traumatic experience in which extreme low temperatures were somehow involved in a Skiing accident or even a road traffic accident because of icy conditions are two common traumas which can lead to cryophobia.
In the elderly, the coming of cold weather might lead to them remaining at home due to the weather, which in turn can lead to loneliness which in turn can lead to high anxiety.
Avoidance is a common way of dealing with this phobia. In certain cases, sufferers may even leave their country of residence, to move to one that has far more comfortable and warm temperatures, simply to avoid even having to imagine experiencing the extreme cold, ice or frost.
Treatment includes psychotherapy in combination with hypnosis to help to desensitise a sufferer from the extremes of this condition.
