![]() ![]() ![]() The difficulty arises, however, when you find yourself facing new circumstances once again. We have literally been sent the #saferathome message, and you have internalized that and adjusted accordingly. That calibration ability is part of how your body and brain are wired to help you survive in any environment. If you have experienced lockdown in the past year of this global pandemic, whether on a short-term or long-term basis, it makes perfect sense that your body and brain may have adapted to suit that circumstance and help you survive it.Įspecially if you are someone who resonates with the "cave syndrome" experience, you may feel safer-even happier?-spelunking within your home cave rather than venturing out and about into the world. Recognize that this capacity for adaptation is actually a strength. Our bodies and brains are endowed with a miraculous capacity to adapt to the circumstances they find themselves in. Although it resembles agoraphobia in some ways, the connotation of "cave syndrome" is a bit different because it's more specific to our current historical moment of the global COVID pandemic.Īt the time of my writing this post (April 2021), many people have been living for more than a year under highly unusual circumstances: not touching other people, not seeing other people face-to-face, wearing masks, social distancing, being extra aware of hand-washing, etc.Įven given these highly unusual circumstances, however, I do marvel that human beings are remarkably adaptive creatures. ![]() Using the phrase "cave syndrome" is akin to using the phrase "cabin fever" to refer to someone who has been cooped up inside and needs a breath of fresh outdoor air. It does not appear in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), a "big book" of mental health disorders often used in the U.S. Let me start by explaining that "cave syndrome" is an informal term that has not been studied scientifically. People experiencing this fear may dread interacting with others outside their household, being in public places such as grocery stores or theaters, or otherwise congregating in crowds. He used this phrase to refer to patients who were afraid to go outside or interact socially with others due to the extensive amount of time they have spent inside during the COVID global pandemic. The term was coined by the Florida psychiatrist Dr. I first read about "cave syndrome" in a recent LA Times article. ![]()
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