Like most phobias the causes of monophobia usually start in childhood. The most likely cause is being abandoned by a parent when you were a child. This tends to lead to a feeling of being unloved or unwanted. This leads to a feeling when we get older that people are going to leave and this causes a fear of being left alone. Basically the fear is that they won’t come back if they leave so there is a fear of being left alone.
Another common cause of monophobia is being abused as a child. Obviously the more people there are around the less likely it is that a child will be abused. This usually leads to a fear of what will happen when we are left alone. As we get older we continue to have this fear. In some cases this type of fear can start as adults. Children are of course not the only people who suffer from abuse and adults who are abused are just as likely to suffer from a fear of being alone.
It is important to keep in mind that that monophobia is not the same as not being comfortable when you are alone. There are lots of people who are uncomfortable by themselves, particularly if they have never had to do it before. Most people tend to grow up surrounded by family members so it can be frightening when they move out on their own and don’t have anybody around. In some very rare cases this can lead to monophobia however it rarely rises to this level. Most people are uncomfortable when they are first left alone but it usually doesn’t take that long to get used to it.
The important difference between monophobia and just not being comfortable by yourself is whether or not there are panic attacks. If you actually have a phobia there will be physical symptoms in the form of a panic attack when you are left alone. If you do not experience these you do not have a phobia, you may still have an issue that needs to be addressed but it is not monophobia.
Monophobia can have a serious impact on your life so if you suffer from it you are going to want to take steps to address. Having to always have other people around can seriously limit the things that you are able to do. Getting over monophobia is not all that different from the way that you would address any other phobia. You will likely need the assistance of a therapist who will help you to examine the reasons for your phobia. You will also need to work on exercises to desensitize yourself to being alone.