Work aversion

Workplace phobia is an anxiety disorder ( phobia), ie a pronounced and debilitating fear of the workplace as a place, and before situations, objects or persons associated with the workplace or work life.

Definition

According to the general definition of phobias (DSM -IV; ICD -10, V, Section F) a workplace phobia is then present, when the real confrontation with, or the very idea of employment or certain stimuli in the workplace (such as people, events objects, situations) lead to a pronounced fear response and avoidance behavior with respect to the job or work -associated stimuli.

Symptoms

When approaching the workplace or the anxiety-provoking stimulus workplace as well as in intensive presentation of the same there is typically an increase in anxiety. This is accompanied by an increase in physiological arousal, for example, with symptoms such as trembling, sweating, heart palpitations, lump in the throat, hot flashes or chills, possibly, to the development of a panic attack.

When avoiding or leaving the workplace, there is a lessening of fear, in the sense of classical so-called negative reinforcement. The avoidance behavior affects rewarding because it reduces anxiety, and is thus amplified simultaneously.

Avoidance

As a consequence, it comes at a workplace phobia regular liable for workplace prevention, that is, in the majority of cases of incapacity ( " sick leave "). There is the danger of generalization of avoidance behavior, such as avoiding the road, in which the establishment is located, avoidance of events or places ( for example local supermarket ) where you could meet colleagues or superiors, or even anxiety attacks if only the conversation turns to the workplace.

Etiology

Anxiety reactions with respect to the workplace can be a hand triggered by workplace factors; but they can also be the result of primary mental disorders (especially anxiety disorders ) that manifest themselves in relation to the workplace in a special way. It can also lead to direct interactions. Heaped find job phobias by structural changes in the working environment, work content or personnel changes.

Socio-medical importance

Workplace phobia represents a clinical problem of own value, its own development factors and treatment needs. This is due to the peculiarities of the anxiety-provoking stimulus:

• The workplace is not simply definable stimulus such as a spider or the subway, but usually a complex stimulus, flow together in the situational and interactional elements.
• Has Avoiding the workplace regularly way negative consequences for the biographical development (long-term " sick leave ", job loss, risk of early retirement ).
• The avoidance of the workplace can contribute to the chronicity of the underlying disorder, by its own insufficiency experience and the fantasies about threats solidify the dysfunctional disorder models of the patient.
• The workplace, in contrast to street or subway will not enter at any time and anonymous. Therapeutic exercises exposure in the workplace are very restrictive.

Therapy

The specific problem in the treatment of workplace phobia is that exposure exercises in phobic disorders by default to be carried out, if not extremely difficult with the possibility of a tiered approach to the anxiety-provoking situation impossible. The external conditions in the workplace are not or only insufficiently controlled by the therapist, so that a planned therapeutic dose and exposure is not readily possible. It is under these circumstances, even the risk of exacerbating phobia.

Applicable treatment methods are situational and behavioral descriptions and analyzes, development of coping skills, processing of the claim level, principles of reframing and anxiety management, conflict clarifications or exposure in sensu. A specific therapeutic instrument may also constitute "occupational stress testing ", which was introduced in recent years in a number of psychotherapeutic professionals and rehabilitation clinics. These patients are sent under therapeutic supervision for internship in selected cooperative farms, also possibly their performance and / or to test sustainability in various fields.

Diagnostic classification of workplace phobia

It can be discussed whether the workplace phobia is to be regarded as a disease or a symptom of other diseases. Due to the peculiarities in the development of workplace phobia, their particular clinical and socio-medical consequences and the peculiarities of the therapy, it seems reasonable to treat them as an independent disease and classify.

This can be understood analogous to a heart attack, which no longer is also available as an additional symptom of metabolic syndrome or vascular disease, but nevertheless an independent disease status has given the special symptoms, its consequences, prognosis and treatment needs.

In many cases, sufferers experience their workplace-related anxiety as well founded, because real experienced anxiety triggers such as a bullying situation. This often perceived adequacy of anxiety in workplace phobia is in contrast to the recognized inadequacy or unreasonableness of anxiety in most of the known specific phobias.

According to ICD -10 diagnosis key workplace phobia can be described by F 40.8 ( Other phobic disorder).