Fear of Phones?

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Whenever the phone goes off at my house, especially if I am alone (and thus expected to answer it) I become extremely agitated and often go into a mini-shutdown. Sometimes I just sit there dead still, freaking out, and refusing to answer the phone all together because I'm terrified of trying to make conversation on it. It just feels so...unnatural and my mind just goes completely blank when I pick it up.

This has led to some troubles, like congratulatory phone calls which receive a dead, sullen silence from my end, etc.

Does anyone else have this problem, and is there a way to ease the anxiety?

Interesting, as I often have a similar reaction to ringing phones. I really dislike cell phones, but even ordinary tones are irratating to me.
Its not exactly a phobia, except for cells though...
Besides the feds can tap cell transmissions so quick it would make your head swim!

Sincerely,
Matthew

I am the same way. I don't want the phone to ring at all.

Yes, and I don't have any suggestions. I wish I did. I hope they will leave a message and then I screen it. If it requires a call back, I have to work up to it.

Yes, I never answer when someone calls. Most people (anyone other than my grandparents or a business type call) will text me immediately or call my husband, if I don't answer the phone. With everyone else, I don't answer it, and I have to call them back later after I've had time to calm down and practice the conversation a bit (even if I have no idea why they are calling.)

I did this when I was a teen.I hated talking on the phone and was even too frightened to call a store to see if they were open. I spent what seemed like forever -- was probably only a couple of minutes in reality -- on the phone with my high school secretary because my mom asked me to call to get some records transferred (I was changing schools). She kept asking me what I needed and I was too terrified to say anything. I finally choked it out, and the fear of that day still sticks with me. Don't really know how I got out of it. Lots of my symptoms from childhood and teenhood I've learned to "cope with" or work around. Maybe it just takes repetition, or maybe age or maturity.

Too many vultures trying to call me giving me a hard sell. Caller ID is a must then answer only from number i recognize. Prior to caller ID it was hell if i was expected to answer.

Don't cell yourself short.

I am hilarious.

At my house, I don't answer the phone, and iMother doesn't answer the phone, and iFather doesn't answer the phone, but iFather tells iMother to answer the phone that iMother doesn't answer. We are not available.

Yeah, I won't answer the phone. Drives my wife crazy.

And if I need to make a phonecall, I usually get her to do it for me. Or it'll be days before I pluck up the courage.

When I lived with family I would never answer the phone. Either someone else answered it, or it went unanswered. Now that I live alone incoming calls aren't the problem as I only answer the phone when I know the person calling. Outgoing calls are the problem - it has always been much harder for me to make those than answering one coming in, because at least when one is coming in it's because someone wants to talk to me, whereas when I make one to someone else I have no idea who will answer or what their reaction will be. There were occasions when my job would require me to call someone and I would have to lie and say I had tried but got no answer, because I wasn't capable of doing it. The last time I had to make an important call it took me a month to do it, and weeks spent pacing up and down practicing to myself what I was going to say, before I finally managed to do it.

I don't believe it's just anxiety about personal interaction, however (I prefer face to face interaction and have been known to go way out of my way to have a face to face conversation instead of calling someone). I find phonecalls difficult in terms of comprehension. It takes a lot of concentration and effort on my part to have a conversation over the phone. I suspect processing difficulties are probably the root of the prevalent phone phobias in other autistic people too.

Deal with this pretty often, in my personal life I stopped getting a "house phone" and stuck with a cheep no contract phone that I can turn to silent and check when I feel like it or leave on vibrate and hot have to hear it at all.

My job is answering phones... yea. It took me a long time to get over the fear of picking up a loud ringing thing only to be forced to speak with another human I had no interest in. After some time I worked out having a ritual helped the situation. Knowing what to say as I answered and learning the proper (work related) responses has made it almost automatic now. Even at home when I have to take a call I use the same "computer" voice and the same kind of script. "Hi, this is +++ How may I help you?" or "Hi, so and so (caller ID!! ! woot!) how are you today?"

I still cringe though lol

I hate talking on the phone. I'll do it if I have to, and it doesn't provoke panic attacks, but I procrastinate it till the last minute.

It was really fun when I worked in a call center.

I do this, not quite as bad as you though.

I have a theory as to why we do this, it's not a very good one though.
The reason why some NTs are scared of answering the phone is because they can't hear people without body language/feel weird talking to someone without it.
Maybe we Aspies are used to making an effort to follow body language, and when it's not there, we freak out?
I personally had less of a problem with phones when I was younger, and knew less about non-verbal cues.

Loathe picking up the telephone to speak to people I don't know. Luckily, I can't hear the house phone in my room and only a few close people bother to ring my mobile.