Many people these days have a phobia. And one of the most common phobias that you can find is the fear of getting old or also called gerascophobia. You might be confused once you search for this type of phobia as it could also be called gerontophobia.
Although it is very common, you may think it is very strange why someone should fear getting old. Is there any basis for this fear? The truth of the matter is that there could be two reasons for this fear.
All reasons are based on anxieties. One is the anxiety of being alone. As most people notice these days, older people are already being left in nursing homes. Being away from their families, most feel very depressed about their current situation. People who have developed a fear of aging don’t like to experience the same thing.
The next reason why people who have gerascophobia is lack of resources. Getting old will make people weak. Losing the ability to work will cause someone to lose part of their finances as well. Not being able to buy what they want and cover their basic needs can also cause this phobia.
In addition, becoming weak from old age adds fear because the person can no longer fend for himself. This means that they would have to be cared for by other people. Human beings, being a people of pride, will resent the idea that they would be someone else’s burden.
These are the bases of gerascophobia. The fear of getting old will definitely raise a lot of questions among other people who have heard of this problem for the first time. However, people who are starting to feel this problem should be able to get help from professionals to address this problem properly.
