# What Do You Call Fear of Having Visitors to Your Home?



## Clueless in Seattle

I've been Googling around the web without success, trying to find the name for the fear of having visitors into my apartment.

I'm in my seventies and in the last decade or so I've become afraid of having anyone visit me in my apartment. I didn't used to feel this  way.  When I was younger I used to have visitors coming and going all the time and enjoyed it.  

I've been diagnosed with Parkinson's and have read that paranoia and anxiety are common symptoms of Parkinson's patients.  But is there a name for this particular fear?  It's kind of the reverse of agoraphobia.  Instead of being afraid of going out, I'm afraid of having people in.

Will in Seattle
a.k.a. "Clueless"


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## David Baxter PhD

What changed in your life around the time this fear began?


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## Melpub

I don't know if there's any word other than fear, a reasonable response to the illness. I'm going to raise some speculative questions, and if I am wrong, please ignore what I say: are you having a tough time looking at yourself, and are you afraid that having other people over might make you see yourself through their eyes? I'm sometimes afraid of having people over because I live in a nation where most folks value tidiness. I don't. The place isn't filthy, but it doesn't look like other homes I visit, in which women spend several hours a  day cleaning. 

If you are afraid of having others over, I think you might want to:

(1) Ask yourself why you think this is so

(2) Ask yourself whether you want to have people over or not. You are certainly free to avoid people!


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## amazingmouse

Clueless in Seattle said:


> I've been Googling around the web without success, trying to find the name for the fear of having visitors into my apartment.
> 
> I'm in my seventies and in the last decade or so I've become afraid of having anyone visit me in my apartment. I didn't used to feel this  way.  When I was younger I used to have visitors coming and going all the time and enjoyed it.
> 
> I've been diagnosed with Parkinson's and have read that paranoia and anxiety are common symptoms of Parkinson's patients.  But is there a name for this particular fear?  It's kind of the reverse of agoraphobia.  Instead of being afraid of going out, I'm afraid of having people in.
> 
> Will in Seattle
> a.k.a. "Clueless"



I think having Parkinson's presents a lot of challenges for those who have to cope with the disease, which is normal. It is interesting you mention paranoia. Are you aware of any particular thoughts that you have when a visitor shows up at your apartment? Also, what kind of people usually visit you? Caregivers, friends, relatives? Is this connected to possibly changes in the type of visitors you get now when you feel more home bound? 
I believe you were not questioning body image or appearance, these are subjective categories. We are not a world of 18 years old models, I do not think these biases should broadly affect people of all ages and health states. Models are there to serve the industry, not to set the standard for those fighting for better mental and physical health. The whole industry of "we should all look the same" is damaging to our society.

---------- Post Merged at 01:35 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 01:19 PM ----------

I just wanted to add that I am sorry if I assumed too many things on your behalf.


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## Clueless in Seattle

Thanks for the replies.  You've given me some things to think about.  This fear began about a decade ago when I moved into an apartment with an intrusiive and vindictive landlady who would come by every day when she knew I was napping and buzz my intercom to wake me up and demand to be let in claiming she had something very important to talk to me about.  She ignored my repeated verbal and written requests to stopping waking me from my naps and only stopped after my doctor wrote her a stern letter demanding that she stop.

However she just shifted tactics and finally succeeded in driving me out.

As for the name of my fear of having visitors, it turns out that the Greek word for guests is the same as the word for strangers:  "xenos".  So "xenophobia" would be the perfect name for my "fear of guests," were it not already claimed for the "fear of foreigners."

So, as far as you know, is there no specific name for the fear of guests?

Will in Seattle
a.k.a. "Clueless"


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## making_art

Hello CIS.......I think the closest you will come to the name for what could be a specific fear of having visitors is:
Anthropophobia: This phobia literally refers to the fear of people but can also mean the fear of having company.


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## Roy H.

making_art said:


> Anthropophobia: This phobia literally refers to the fear of people but can also mean the fear of having company.



Why isn't there more information on this? 


How does one go about being officially diagnosed with a phobia?


This sounds like symptoms I've been having and self-medicating with alcohol for the majority of my adult life.


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## David Baxter PhD

@*Roy H.* please see my reply to you in the other threads: Catatonia in those with ASD - Page 3 and What Do You Call Fear of Having Visitors to Your Home?.

If you want to read more about this, see Anthropophobia - Wikipedia but as I told you in the other thread I would recommend you don't pursue this until you have a real diagnosis from your doctor.

Anthropophobia is not listed in the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM 5) as a recognized disorder. At best it might be diagnosed under "Specific Phobias".

But note that the common use of the term "phobia" is rather vague and many people who consider themselves to have a specific phobia would not be considered to have a formal mental disorder and would not receive a diagnosis.


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