Chemophobia
Chemophobia Causes
Chemophobia is caused mainly by hearsays, especially by reports that sensationalize the negative effects of chemical substances used for different purposes. This fear is also aggravated by accidents or events which were caused by the mishandling of chemical products, and through the misinformation spread by the media, the public is led to believe that chemicals are indeed harmful and thus create a fear out of it.
Chemophobia Characteristics and Features
Studies show that people with chemophobia believe that 'chemicals' will definitely cause illnesses such as cancer despite the fact this can only happen once the use of chemical substances are abused.
Chemophobia Definition
Chemophobia literally means a fear of chemicals. It is a fully-developed psychological fear of chemical substances due to pre-existing beliefs and hearsays about the negative effects of chemicals to one's body. However, some experts do not consider chemophobia as a psychological condition, but rather a term marketing analysts and advertisers coined in order to widen the market of the products they are selling.
Chemophobia Education
Chemophobia can be treated by properly educating the public about the different effects and purposes of chemical products. Proven experiments and other supporting evidences are helpful in educating people, and only through these that the phobia can be defeated. Persons with chemophobia can in fact make visits to a psychologist and undergo counseling as well.