Maniaphobia- Fear of insanity
Health has become a preoccupation for many people, if you read a news paper or watch the news on television there is little doubt that you will come across at least one story relating to health. Perhaps, one of the most important health aspects which is currently news worthy is mental health. It appears that the importance of good mental health is now being seen with being on a par with good physical health.
However, when we look at the flip side of good mental health we cannot help but recognize that many people fear what they see as the culmination of bad mental health which would be insanity. Maniaphobia is the pathological and intense fear of insanity.
Now of course mental health cannot be so easily defined as sane and insane, there are many shades in between. But for these sufferers the idea of becoming insane is absolutely terrifying. This can be traced to familial history, in that perhaps a family member had mental health issues. Alternatively, it could be based on how mental health problems are portrayed in the media and in films and television.
Assisting these clients to understand their own mental health is a very good place to start their hypno-psychotherapeutic treatment. Recognizing that just because a person may be struggling with mental health issues does not mean that they are insane, can really help a person to overcome this intense anxiety.
