This fear is irrational and disproportionate to any threat posed and persists even in the case that the individual is in perfect health.
Those with gerascophobia also typically report experiences of extreme anxiety and panic when confronted with the idea of ageing which is often accompanied by depression or low mood .
The young boy is reported to have felt high levels of anxiety following physical changes suggestive of growth or aging and made consistent and substantial effort to counteract them.
[5] Terror management theory is believed to be a potential explanation for gerascophobia [4] and was developed by psychologists Greenberg and Solomon.
One example comes from Roald Dahl's children's novel George's Marvellous Medicine in which one of the main characters is depicted as a "grizzly old grunion of a grandma".
[5] Psychotherapy most commonly involves one-to-one sessions with a trained professional that aim to help patients modify cognitions and in turn behaviours which cause them distress.
Whilst it may not address the root cause of the phobia in the way that other treatments do, through their acknowledgment of the patients irrational belief system, it is still effective in alleviating symptoms such as anxiety and depression.