CLOCKING IN AT WORK WITH  O.C.D. - ON TIME FOR THE JOB 

 

Getting to work on time is especiallly important to persons with O. C. D. If a patient is late, they may suffer from Scopophobia. Scopophobia is unique among phobias in that the fear of being looked at is considered both a social phobia and a specific phobia, because it is a specific occurrence which takes place in a social setting. Most phobias typically fall in either one category or the other but scopophobia can be placed in both. On the other hand, as with most phobias, scopophobia generally arises from a traumatic event in the person's life. With scopophobia, it is likely that the person was subjected to public ridicule as a child. Additionally, a person with scopophobia may often be the subject to public staring, possibly due to a physical disability or a recent action, like being late and chewed out by the boss. They may also suffer from Chronomentrophobia which is the fear of clocks. Sufferers of chronophobia (fear of time) may tend to fear the clocks as well. Chronomentrophobia may comprise of anxiety related to punctuality, schedules or other realistic apprehensions. Certain occupations can aggravate this phobia. People who face strict deadlines or punch clocks have an amplified hatred or fear about clocks. A chronomentrophobic has an aversion to keeping clocks inside home or in the office. They will check time in ways that do not trigger their fears such as using mobile phones to know the time. But avoiding clock can become a hindrance and impact life at work and home. Such phobics can suffer emotionally upon encountering triggers. Clocks can be seen in many places and this can become stressful for a chronomentrophobic person.

Symptoms of chronomentrophobia include getting depressed when getting in vicinity of clocks. One may panic and try to stay away from places that have clocks. The tick-tock sounds of a clock often cause irritation to a chronomentrophobe. They have increased sensitivity to such sounds. People with chronomentrophobia often feel their lives are controlled by clocks. In some cases, chronomentrophobia causes extreme reactions as a result of demanding agendas or tight schedules.

Dealing with this phobia will require time and patience.

We try to help overcome this fear by setting all our clocks 5 minutes late.