Hello Emma,
Profile synthesis
Your overall profile reveals a system in which anxiety and avoidance reinforce each other, creating a progressively narrowing world. At 36, you present with moderate-to-high levels across multiple dimensions—notably agoraphobia, avoidance, screen addiction, emotional dependency, and functional impact are all marked (60%). What emerges is not a random collection of fears but an integrated pattern: you are avoiding situations that feel threatening (agoraphobia, social and specific phobias), managing that anxiety through immediate escape or distraction (screens, reassurance-seeking from a close other), and in doing so, preventing yourself from learning that these situations are survivable and less dangerous than anticipated. Your emotional dependency (60%) sits at the heart of this: much of your avoidance may be managed by relying on another person for safety, rather than by building your own capacity to tolerate discomfort and uncertainty. This creates a vicious circle—the more you depend on the other, the less autonomous and confident you feel, which increases anxiety and dependency further. Your mild-to-moderate scores on specific phobias, social phobia, physical reactions, and compulsive behaviors suggest that anxiety is present but not at its most severe; what matters is the *functional impact* (60%) of these dimensions combined. You are living a life constrained by what you avoid rather than defined by what you pursue. The positive side is that this pattern, while entrenched, is entirely addressable. Anxiety thrives in avoidance; it dissolves with repeated, supported exposure. Emotional dependency shifts when you practice self-soothing and build proof that you can be safe and capable alone. Screen addiction weakens when healthier alternatives are available and reinforced. At your age and stage of life, investing in structured change now—whether through therapy, deliberate behavioral practice, or both—yields substantial returns in freedom, relationships, and quality of life. Your profile suggests you are motivated by functional impact; use that awareness as fuel.
Overall result
Moderate fears and dependenciesYour answers suggest fears or addictive conduct of moderate intensity (50%). While the overall profile does not yet exceed the diagnostic thresholds defined by reference criteria such as the DSM-5 and ICD-11, certain specific dimensions — situational phobias, social anxiety, repetitive uses — could weigh more heavily and deserve targeted work. Clinical psychology research indicates that early interventions, notably approaches such as CBT, are particularly effective at this moderate stage, before avoidances or dependencies further anchor themselves in daily functioning.
Your profile at a glance
Detailed analysis
This tendency is present in you — here is what it sheds light on.
Intense, irrational fear of specific objects or situations (animals, heights, blood, flying, enclosed spaces…), with avoidance.
Your answers suggest the presence of a specific phobia of mild to moderate intensity (40%). One or more identified stimuli — animals, heights, blood, injections, enclosed spaces or others — appear to trigger a disproportionate fear accompanied by some avoidance, without however paralyzing your overall functioning. According to reference criteria such as the DSM-5 and ICD-11, this level corresponds to real but still circumscribed discomfort. Clinical psychology research indicates that this stage is particularly favorable to early intervention, before avoidance strategies take hold and broaden the restriction.
Recommendations
- ✓You could build a personal hierarchy of feared situations and expose yourself to them in small progressive steps, starting with the least anxiety-provoking scenes.
- ✓You could practice slow breathing or heart coherence daily in order to reduce the physiological activation associated with confronting the phobogenic stimulus.
- ✓You could keep a logbook of your exposures, noting your anxiety level before and after, to objectify your progress and reinforce your sense of mastery.
- ✓You could explore recognized psychoeducational resources on CBT-type approaches applied to specific phobias, to better understand the fear-avoidance-reinforcement cycle.
This tendency is clear in you — here is what it reveals, to understand and move forward.
Fear of places or situations from which escape would be difficult (crowds, transport, queues, going out alone).
Your answers suggest agoraphobia of marked intensity (60%). Open spaces, transport, crowded places or situations where leaving quickly would be difficult appear to trigger intense anxiety, accompanied by active avoidance that concretely reduces your life perimeter. According to reference criteria such as the DSM-5 and ICD-11, this level corresponds to a significant functional impact on travel, social and professional life. Clinical psychology research confirms that agoraphobia responds particularly well to approaches such as CBT with systematic graded exposure.
Recommendations
- ✓You could consult a mental health professional specialized in anxiety disorders to obtain structured support, graded exposure requiring a reassuring therapeutic framework at this level.
- ✓You could precisely map the avoided situations — distance from home, type of place, alone or accompanied — to have a clear hierarchy to work on progressively.
- ✓You could experiment with physiological regulation techniques — heart coherence, muscle relaxation — as support tools during attempts to expose yourself to the feared situations.
- ✓You could actively resist the widening of your avoidance zones, by maintaining at a minimum the travel that is already achievable, so as not to worsen the restriction of your daily perimeter.
This tendency is present in you — here is what it sheds light on.
Intense fear of being judged, watched or humiliated in social situations, with avoidance of interactions.
Your answers suggest social anxiety traits of mild to moderate intensity (40%). Certain social situations — public speaking, meeting strangers, evaluation or scrutiny situations — appear to arouse notable discomfort, an attentional focus on yourself and possibly some avoidance. According to reference criteria such as the DSM-5 and ICD-11, this profile lies at the clinical boundary and deserves attention. Clinical psychology research shows that this stage responds very well to early behavioral strategies, before avoidance widens and impoverishes relational and professional life.
Recommendations
- ✓You could gradually expose yourself to the mildly feared social situations, starting with less threatening contexts, to desensitize anxious anticipation through repeated experience.
- ✓You could practice attentional refocusing — placing attention on the exchange and the other person rather than on your own behavior — a technique recognized in CBT approaches to social anxiety.
- ✓You could note after each feared social interaction what actually happened versus what you anticipated, in order to objectively assess the gap between fear and reality.
- ✓You could consult a mental health professional if you notice a tendency to avoid more social situations or to feel growing discomfort in your professional or relational life.
This tendency is clear in you — here is what it reveals, to understand and move forward.
A tendency to avoid what is feared and to anxiously anticipate dreaded situations, which maintains the fears.
Your answers suggest a high level of avoidance (60%), which indicates that working around feared situations has become a central and regular mechanism in your daily life. Clinically, avoidance at this level constitutes a major maintaining factor of anxiety and phobic disorders: each successful avoidance provides short-term relief but durably reinforces the belief that the situation is truly dangerous. According to reference criteria such as the DSM-5 and ICD-11, it is precisely this cycle that characterizes persistent phobic presentations. CBT approaches, notably graded exposure, are recognized as particularly effective in interrupting this pattern.
Recommendations
- ✓You could build, ideally with a mental health professional, a graded exposure hierarchy adapted to your specific situations, progressing in realistic and controlled steps.
- ✓You could identify the safety behaviors associated with each avoidance (fleeing, distracting yourself, being accompanied) in order to gradually reduce them and allow fully therapeutic exposure.
- ✓You could inform yourself about the principles of habituation and inhibitory learning described in clinical psychology research, to better understand why exposure works.
- ✓You could consult a psychologist or psychotherapist specialized in CBT in order to benefit from a structured exposure protocol, this type of support showing recognized results for high levels of avoidance.
This tendency is present in you — here is what it sheds light on.
Intense bodily manifestations of fear: palpitations, sweating, trembling, a sense of choking or faintness.
Your answers suggest a moderate level of physical reactions to fear (40%), indicating that your body manifests perceptible alarm signals — tension, racing heart rate, breathing discomfort — without these yet reaching a disorganizing level. Clinically, these reactions correspond to the activation of the sympathetic nervous system, a normal mechanism of response to threat. However, clinical psychology research shows that heightened sensitivity to these sensations can gradually fuel an anxiety loop, notably through the fear of the symptoms themselves. Active regulation at this stage remains easily accessible.
Recommendations
- ✓You could practice deep abdominal breathing daily (with a lengthened exhale), a technique whose effect on the parasympathetic nervous system is widely documented in clinical psychology.
- ✓You could learn to cognitively reappraise your physical sensations by reminding yourself that they signal activation, not real danger, which CBT approaches work on specifically.
- ✓You could keep a journal of episodes of physical reactions to identify the triggering contexts and anticipate the situations requiring particular physiological preparation.
- ✓You could explore progressive muscle relaxation or heart coherence techniques, recognized by research as effective in reducing the intensity of anxious physiological responses.
This tendency is clear in you — here is what it reveals, to understand and move forward.
Excessive, hard-to-control use of screens (games, videos, internet), at the expense of sleep and obligations.
Your answers suggest a marked screen addiction (60%), indicating that the volitional control of your digital use is significantly impaired: attempts to cut down fail, use continues despite its consequences on sleep, relationships or obligations, and disconnection generates notable discomfort. Clinically, this profile approaches the criteria for internet or video-game use disorder such as those described in frameworks like the ICD-11. Clinical psychology research frequently identifies a role of emotional regulation in compulsive use, the screen serving to manage boredom, anxiety or social pain.
Recommendations
- ✓You could consult a mental health professional to explore the psychological functions your digital use fulfills and work toward alternative and durable emotional regulation strategies.
- ✓You could set progressive, concrete and measurable reduction goals (30 minutes less per week on a specific app), rather than global resolutions that are hard to keep.
- ✓You could identify the emotions or situations that systematically trigger compulsive use (boredom, anxiety, conflict) and prepare a concrete substitute activity in advance for these moments.
- ✓You could rely on approaches such as CBT adapted to behavioral addictions, which offer structured tools for spotting triggers and modifying use patterns.
This tendency is present in you — here is what it sheds light on.
Compulsive use of social media, a need for validation, social comparison and anxiety about disconnecting.
Your answers suggest social-media use of which certain aspects deserve attention (40%). Moderate signs of digital dependency appear present: a tendency to check the platforms frequently, sensitivity to online feedback or occasional difficulty in switching off. These elements, without being clinically severe, correspond to patterns that clinical psychology research associates with partially externalized emotional regulation. At this stage, targeted behavioral adjustments generally make it possible to prevent a deeper settling in of problematic habits before they further impact quality of life.
Recommendations
- ✓You could activate the screen-time control tools built into your device in order to make visible and limit the duration of your sessions on social media.
- ✓You could establish disconnection time slots — notably in the morning and before bed — to preserve mental spaces free of any digital stimulation.
- ✓You could carry out an audit of your subscriptions by unfollowing the accounts that generate comparison or dissatisfaction, in order to lighten the emotional load of your feed.
- ✓You could explore mindfulness techniques to identify the inner states (boredom, anxiety, loneliness) that precede your impulses to check social media.
This tendency is clear in you — here is what it reveals, to understand and move forward.
Excessive need for the other person's presence and approval, fear of abandonment and difficulty existing alone.
Your answers suggest a marked emotional dependency (60%), with clinically significant indicators. The evoked profile includes an important subordination of your emotional balance to the presence and approval of the other, a pervasive fear of abandonment and possibly behaviors of self-effacement or relational control. In reference to reference criteria such as the DSM-5 and ICD-11 and to recognized attachment models, these elements correspond to an insecure style that can generate painful relational cycles. Therapeutic support focused on attachment and self-esteem offers solid and documented prospects for change.
Recommendations
- ✓You could consult a psychologist or psychotherapist trained in attachment issues to explore the origin and function of your emotional dependency within a reassuring framework.
- ✓You could draw up a detailed list of your qualities, values and personal skills in order to begin building self-esteem independent of the relationship.
- ✓You could set yourself small daily autonomy goals — decisions made alone, personal time preserved — to gradually experience your capacity to exist without the other.
- ✓You could explore approaches such as CBT or attachment-focused therapy, which offer concrete tools to modify established relational patterns.
This tendency is present in you — here is what it sheds light on.
Loss of control over a rewarding behavior (shopping, gambling, food, sex…) despite its negative consequences.
Your answers suggest a mild compulsive tendency (40%), with indicators that deserve attention without being clinically severe. Certain behaviors appear to take a slightly disproportionate place in your daily life, notably when tension or malaise intensify. In reference to reference criteria such as the DSM-5 and ICD-11, at this stage one distinguishes patterns of negative reinforcement — the behavior momentarily relieves a tension — without yet constituting a proven behavioral addiction. It is precisely at this threshold that awareness and targeted adjustments present the best preventive effectiveness according to clinical psychology research.
Recommendations
- ✓You could keep a behavioral journal to identify the emotional or situational triggers that precede your compulsive behaviors and understand their internal logic.
- ✓You could set yourself concrete and kind rules — thresholds, schedules, contexts — to frame the behaviors identified as excessive, without demonizing them.
- ✓You could experiment with alternative activities providing a comparable sensation of relaxation or satisfaction — sport, creation, social contact — to diversify your soothing strategies.
- ✓You could explore approaches such as CBT, particularly suited to working on automatic behaviors and their emotional regulation function.
This tendency is clear in you — here is what it reveals, to understand and move forward.
The impact of fears and dependencies on daily life, work, relationships, health and freedom to live.
Your answers suggest a marked functional impact (60%): your freedom of movement, your interpersonal relationships or your general health seem notably affected. According to reference criteria such as the DSM-5 and ICD-11, this level of impact is characteristic of clinically significant suffering that justifies sustained attention. Extended avoidance strategies, recurrent addictive behaviors or persistent emotional distress could contribute to this picture. Clinical psychology research shows that this level of impact responds favorably to structured interventions, notably approaches such as CBT, when they are put in place without delay.
Recommendations
- ✓You could make an appointment with a mental health professional to evaluate together the nature and intensity of the difficulties that weigh most on your daily life.
- ✓You could begin to gradually reduce your avoidances by exposing yourself gradually to the feared situations, ideally with professional support.
- ✓You could share your difficulties with a trusted person around you, in order to break the isolation often associated with this level of impact.
- ✓You could explore support groups or workshops run by professionals, which offer a safe framework to work on fears or addictive conduct.
How your dimensions interact
Your marked agoraphobia (60%), avoidance (60%), screen addiction (60%), emotional dependency (60%), and functional impact (60%) form an interconnected system rather than independent problems. Avoidance is the mechanism that maintains agoraphobia—the more you avoid public or open spaces, the more unfamiliar and threatening they become, deepening the phobic response. Screen addiction serves avoidance by providing immediate, low-friction escape; scrolling feels safer than facing feared situations or managing emotions directly. Emotional dependency functions similarly: by staying close to a trusted other, you can avoid encountering anxiety-provoking situations alone, which prevents you from building confidence in your own coping capacity. This creates a paradox—your relationships, which are meant to be sources of connection and support, become vehicles for avoidance, which can strain them and reinforce dependency. A likely circle of reinforcement operates thus: you avoid a situation (agoraphobia → avoidance), this temporarily relieves anxiety, which rewards avoidance and strengthens its grip; simultaneously, you depend on a close other for reassurance or companionship, which makes you feel less capable and autonomous; to soothe the resulting distress, you turn to screens, which occupy time and attention that might otherwise go toward social risk-taking or independent coping. The high functional impact (60%) is the direct consequence—your world narrows because each mechanism pulls you further from autonomy and exposure. Breaking this system requires addressing more than one dimension simultaneously. Reducing avoidance without addressing emotional dependency risks creating panic if you face situations alone. Reducing emotional dependency without addressing avoidance risks leaving you unmoored in anxiety. Managing screen time without building active coping alternatives risks substituting one avoidance for another. A comprehensive approach that weaves together graded exposure (for agoraphobia and avoidance), emotional self-regulation and independence-building (for dependency), and restructured screen use (with healthier substitutes) creates the conditions for a positive, self-reinforcing circle: as avoidance decreases, you face more situations, anxiety habituates and confidence grows; as confidence grows, you rely less on reassurance; as reassurance-seeking decreases, you invest more energy in your own life and relationships; as time and attention are reclaimed from screens, you have more capacity for these investments. This is the goal—not the absence of fear (which is normal and adaptive), but the freedom to act despite it.
Your action plan
Right now
- →Conduct a 'baseline screen audit' using your phone's built-in tools (Screen Time, Digital Wellbeing, etc.) for the next 3 days without changing behavior. Write down your total daily minutes and which apps dominate. This establishes your starting point and clarifies concrete leverage points.
- →Identify and write down three feared situations you are currently avoiding (e.g., a specific location, a solo activity, time spent alone without contact). Rank them by difficulty (1 = least difficult, 3 = most difficult). This is your fear hierarchy; you will use it to plan graduated exposure over the coming weeks.
- →Choose one mild compulsion or reassurance-seeking behavior (e.g., checking your phone for messages, verifying that a door is locked, asking a partner for reassurance) and keep a brief daily tally of how many times you do it over 3-5 days. This grounds you in the reality of the behavior and builds motivation to change.
- →Schedule one 10-minute daily breathing practice using the 5-5-5 technique (5-count inhale, 5-count hold, 5-count exhale) or download a guided coherence cardio app (e.g., 'Breathwrk' or your phone's native meditation app). Consistency over intensity is key; this becomes your portable anxiety-management tool.
In the coming weeks
- →Beginning in week 2, commit to one 'exposure trial' per week targeting your lowest-difficulty feared situation. Use your hierarchy as your guide. Before the exposure, rate your anxiety (0-10). During, allow anxiety to peak and naturally decline—do not escape or avoid. After, rate your anxiety again and note what you learned. Repeat until your pre-exposure anxiety drops by 50%.
- →Reduce screen time by 15% from your baseline (e.g., if you average 240 minutes daily, aim for 200). Use app timers to enforce this hard boundary. Each time you would have used a screen, perform an alternative activity (a 10-minute walk, a conversation, a hobby). Log these alternatives and notice any mood changes after 2-3 weeks.
- →Establish one weekly 'solo commitment'—an activity you do alone for 1-2 hours without contact with your close other, without screens. This might be a sport, a class, time in nature, or a hobby. Track it in your calendar and treat it as a non-negotiable appointment with yourself. This builds evidence that you are capable and safe alone.
- →Start a 'self-validation journal': each evening, write down one thing you did well, one strength you used, or one value you honored that day—entirely independent of external approval or feedback. If your mind goes blank, ask: 'What small thing did I do? What did it require of me?' Over 4 weeks, you will build an internal repository of self-worth.
In the long run
- →By month 3-6, graduate from single exposures to 'scenario challenges' that combine multiple feared elements (e.g., go alone to a busier place farther away and stay longer than previously comfortable). Build a track record that you can tolerate these situations and that anxiety is time-limited. By the 6-month mark, aim to have tackled at least 50% of your hierarchy.
- →Over 6 months, aim to reduce screen time to a sustainable, conscious level (e.g., 60-90 minutes daily, used intentionally rather than compulsively). This is not about elimination but about reclaiming time and attention. Measure the impact on sleep quality, mood, and available energy—these improvements often become self-reinforcing.
- →By month 6, establish a relationship pattern in which you and your close other(s) coexist with more autonomy and interdependence rather than dependency. This might include: spending time apart without distress, making decisions independently, maintaining your own friendships and interests, and being able to soothe yourself when anxious. Discuss this goal explicitly with the other person; their understanding and support accelerates progress.
- →Seriously consider engaging a therapist (CBT, DBT, or attachment-informed therapy) by month 2-3 if you have not already. A professional can accelerate progress, prevent avoidance from derailing exposure, address the relational dimensions of emotional dependency, and provide accountability. The goal is to have completed a meaningful treatment protocol or have a clear long-term therapeutic plan by month 6.
Avenues to explore
These are hypotheses, not conclusions. You are the one who knows whether they resonate.
It may be that marked agoraphobia and substantial avoidance form a cycle in which you limit your outings, which in turn strengthens your anticipatory anxiety and creates an emotional dependency on the spaces or people that reassure you. Screen addiction might then serve as a substitute form of emotional regulation whenever you cannot go out.
Check for yourself: Observe yourself over a week: when you use screens intensively, is it precisely after contemplating an outing that makes you anxious, or after avoiding a situation? Note whether your screen use increases on the days you stay at home out of fear.
One possible explanation would be that marked emotional dependency (60%) combined with agoraphobia creates a vulnerability to relying on certain people or places in order to feel safe. This dynamic could fuel avoidance and make gradual autonomy in public spaces difficult.
Check for yourself: Reflect on this: are there one or more specific people or places without which you feel unsafe? Can you identify moments when you gave up an activity because that person or that place was not available?
In some people with this profile, the screen represents both a form of control (unlike unpredictable public spaces) and a safe social window (social media without the physical closeness that social situations require). This could explain why screen addiction is more marked than social phobia: it offers a way out without direct confrontation.
Check for yourself: Ask yourself: do I feel more comfortable interacting socially online than face to face? Does using screens allow me to avoid the nervousness of real-life encounters while still staying socially connected?
It may be that the marked functional impact (60%) is the cumulative reflection of agoraphobia, avoidance and screen addiction rather than of an intense "primitive" fear. In other words, what limits your daily life would be the behavioural vicious circle more than the physiological fear reaction itself.
Check for yourself: Assess this concretely: which everyday activities have you had to give up or change? Are they mainly connected with going out and social life, or do they also affect your sleep, your work and your close relationships?
12 clinical reading frameworks are applied to your profile below — the exact number announced for this test.
Reading frameworks
Recognised clinical frameworks applied to your profile, as additional perspectives to weigh.
Attachment style — anxious
Marked emotional dependency (60%) and high anticipatory anxiety suggest an anxious attachment style, in which you likely seek closeness and reassurance in order to regulate your anxiety. Marked agoraphobia and avoidance may reflect an underlying fear of abandonment or separation, typical of this profile.
Nervous system state — sympathetic / dorsal (hypervigilance + situational freeze)
Marked agoraphobia and avoidance (60% each) together with physical fear reactions (40%) point to a nervous system chronically mobilised in sympathetic mode (hypervigilance, anticipation). The avoidance that follows may mask moments of dorsal shutdown (mild dissociation, withdrawal), particularly when facing the most dreaded situations.
Cognitive pattern — Catastrophizing
Marked anticipatory anxiety (60%) and agoraphobia (60%) point to a tendency to imagine the worst-case scenarios even before you are confronted with the situation. This distortion feeds avoidance and keeps the phobic cycle going.
Cognitive pattern — Dichotomous thinking (all-or-nothing)
The marked functional impact (60%) suggests that you perceive the situations you dread as entirely dangerous or impossible, with no shades of grey, which reinforces wholesale avoidance rather than gradual exposure.
Early schema — Vulnerability to harm or illness
The overall profile (agoraphobia, avoidance, fear reactions) reveals a deep conviction that the world is dangerous and unpredictable, and that you cannot protect yourself on your own. This existential fear justifies your reliance on avoidance and emotional dependency.
Early schema — Subjugation
Marked emotional dependency (60%) coupled with high anxiety suggests that you rely on others in order to feel safe, sacrificing your autonomy to soothe your fears. You may fear disappointing or losing those you depend on.
Attachment — Sources: Bowlby (1969) ; Ainsworth et al. (1978) ; Hazan & Shaver (1987)
Cognitive distortions — Sources: Beck (1976) ; Burns (1980)
Young schemas — Sources: Young, Klosko & Weishaar (2003) ; Young (1990)
Polyvagal theory — Sources: Porges (2011) ; Dana (2018) — proposed/debated theory
Additional clinical frameworks
Recognised models for this domain, applied to your profile as hypotheses to weigh — not a diagnosis.
Cross-cutting frameworks
Emotion regulation
Your profile suggests emotion regulation centred on avoidance and suppression: faced with the anxiety linked to agoraphobia and anticipatory anxiety (60%), you seem to fall back on withdrawal strategies (cutting down on outings) and compensatory behaviours (screens, 60%). This pattern suggests difficulty in cognitively reappraising perceived threats or in tolerating emotional discomfort; do you recognise this tendency to flee situations rather than face them gradually?
Sources: Gross (1998) ; Gross (2015)
Ellis's ABC model
The link between the event (going out, being in public) and your emotional reaction (fear, withdrawal) appears to be mediated by anticipatory anxious beliefs (60% marked avoidance). According to Ellis, it is not the places or situations themselves that generate your distress, but the catastrophic interpretation ("something terrible is going to happen", "I won't be able to escape"). Have you noticed these automatic thoughts preceding your urge to avoid?
Sources: Ellis (1962) ; Ellis & Harper (1975)
Polyvagal theory
Your marked agoraphobia (60%) and your physical fear reactions (40%) suggest that your autonomic nervous system shifts rapidly into sympathetic alert mode (racing heart, vigilance) or potentially into dorsal shutdown (freezing) in certain contexts. This nervous system dysregulation may explain why screens (60%) become reassuring: they keep you in a controlled state of "safety", far from external triggers. Do you recognise this alternation between hypervigilance and withdrawal?
Sources: Porges (2011) ; Dana (2018) — proposed/debated theory
Self-efficacy
Your sense of self-efficacy seems reduced in the areas that expose you to agoraphobia (going out alone, facing public spaces): the score of 60% on avoidance suggests a conviction that you cannot handle these situations, which reinforces withdrawal. This loss of confidence in your ability to cope may feed a cycle of inaction and emotional dependency (60%) on other people or on screens. Do you feel that your capacity to act diminishes each time you work around the fear?
Sources: Bandura (1997) ; Bandura (1977)
Cognitive distortions
Your profile of phobias and avoidance hints at several distortions: catastrophizing ("if I go out, something terrible will happen"), overgeneralisation ("public spaces are all dangerous"), and perhaps mind reading ("people will notice my fear"). These thinking biases amplify anticipatory anxiety (60%) and justify retreating to screens. Do you notice these exaggerated or "all-or-nothing" thoughts when you consider leaving your safe setting?
Sources: Beck (1976) ; Burns (1980)
Mindfulness
Your marked dependency on screens (60%) and your avoidance (60%) suggest a relationship of fusion with, or escape from, your anxious thoughts rather than kindly observation. Mindfulness would invite you to notice your thoughts and bodily sensations without trying to eliminate them urgently. Do you practise acceptance, or rather a "struggle" against anxiety, including through digital distraction?
Sources: Kabat-Zinn (1990) ; Segal, Williams & Teasdale (2002)
These frameworks do not constitute a medical diagnosis.
Your profile, told as a whole
At 36, you find yourself navigating a world that has quietly narrowed. The pattern glimpsed in your responses is not one of random fears but of an elegantly, if painfully, orchestrated safety system. The engine of this system is avoidance—not just of the feared object, but of the unsettling internal sensations of anxiety itself. Your marked agoraphobia and avoidance suggest that open or unfamiliar spaces feel like threats because they lack immediate exit routes or the comfort of the known. Your marked emotional dependency provides the primary solution: you anchor to a trusted companion, who acts as a mobile safe zone. When that person isn’t available, your marked screen addiction steps in as a portable, controllable world that blocks out ambiguity. These three intertwined strands—agoraphobia, dependency, and screen use—form a closed loop that feels self-evident while you’re inside it. The functional impact of 60% tells you this is not just an inner script; it shapes where you go, what you do, and possibly who you feel you can become. The payoff of this configuration is immediate and real: predictability, emotional soothing, and a sense of control in the face of a frightening outer world. You have developed a system that quickly reduces discomfort, and that is no small achievement. But the hidden cost is a slow drain on your sense of agency. When you consistently outsource your safety to another person or a screen, you starve yourself of the experiences that would teach you, experientially, that you are capable. Your mind clings to the belief that you can’t handle distress alone, and the avoidance ensures you never disprove it. This leads to a paradoxical state: you are safe, but you feel more fragile than ever. The world recedes, and your identity becomes intertwined with the need for a protector. The tension between craving freedom and fearing its consequences can become exhausting, a quiet war between wanting more and believing you can’t have it. This strategy likely made profound sense at some earlier chapter. Perhaps unpredictability in your environment—a chaotic family, a history of loss, a traumatic event—taught you that self-reliance invited danger. By leaning heavily on another person, you navigated periods that would have otherwise flattened you. That was not pathology; it was a creative, even courageous, adaptation to a tough reality. It allowed you to survive and maintain a foothold in daily life. Now, however, that same strategy may be working against you because the external threats have diminished, but your internal alarm hasn’t received the update. You are using an old map for a new terrain, and the places marked ‘dangerous’ may no longer be accurate. Recognising this history can invite compassion: you didn’t choose this pattern from weakness, but from a genuine need to stay safe. Despite what feels like a formidable cluster of difficulties, several under-appreciated resources reside in your profile. Your physical fear reactions are mild (40%), meaning that when fear hits, your body does not scream with panic—your nervous system shows restraint. This lowers the actual cost of taking a small risk. Your social phobia is only mild, suggesting you are not fundamentally crippled by others’ judgment; you have a relational capacity that is intact. Your mild compulsive behaviors indicate flexibility in your daily routines—you are not prisoner to rigid rituals. Even the emotional dependency, so often viewed negatively, reflects a deep ability to attach, to trust, to seek and give care. That capacity, when brought into balance, is the raw material of healthy interdependence. What’s currently skewed is not your ability to connect but the one-sided nature of that connection when fear takes the wheel. So where might movement begin? With tiny, conscious acts of brave staying-put. Imagine, for a few minutes, being in a slightly anxiety-provoking situation without immediately reaching for your phone or your person, and simply observing what happens inside you—no judgement, just watching. The first sign that things are loosening might be an almost imperceptible shift: you notice that the feared disaster (a panic attack, helplessness, humiliation) didn’t occur, or that you felt anxious but survived it intact. That moment—when you witness your own endurance—quietly reframes the core belief from ‘I can’t do this alone’ to ‘I just did, for a bit.’ It doesn’t eliminate anxiety, but it gives you a new piece of data. Over time, such moments can accumulate, allowing emotional dependency to soften into choice rather than necessity, and transforming screens from escape hatches into tools. The goal isn’t to become fearless but to discover that you are a stronger, more capable companion to yourself than you ever imagined.
Your dimensions in real life
A score is not lived as a number but as a scene. See if you recognise yours — or set it aside.
Specific phobias
You might be tidying up the garage when you spot a spider in the corner. Your heart rate picks up slightly, and a jolt of unease passes through your chest. You freeze for a moment, considering whether to ask a neighbor or just leave the box there. Your breath becomes shallow as you imagine it crawling toward you, even though it's perfectly still. You decide to quickly sweep it into a dustpan with a long-handled broom, but your hands tremble a little as you open the door to shake it outside. Afterward, you feel a mix of relief and a faint embarrassment that such a small creature could unsettle you. The rest of the day, you occasionally glance at that corner, still on edge. But by evening, you've moved on, and the spider is no longer occupying your thoughts.
To try: Keep a clear glass jar and a piece of stiff paper near the garage. Next time you encounter a spider, see if you can gently trap it under the jar, slide the paper underneath, and carry it outside. Focus on the sensation of the jar in your hand and the sound of your feet on the ground rather than the spider. After releasing it, take a moment to notice your breathing and give yourself credit for facing the fear, even if your heart was racing.
Agoraphobia
Imagine you need to pick up a few items at the supermarket on a busy Saturday morning. As you enter, the fluorescent lights and the hum of chatter feel pressing, and you immediately locate the exit signs. You grip the shopping cart handle tightly, scanning the aisles for the quickest route to grab what you need without encountering crowds. In the middle of an aisle, someone blocks your path with their cart, and your chest tightens; you feel a sudden urge to abandon your cart and leave. Your mind races with thoughts like 'I need to get out of here' as your breaths turn rapid and shallow. You might end up leaving with only half your items or nothing at all, rushing to the car and sitting there until your heartbeat slows. The world outside the car seems overwhelming, but the car feels like a temporary shelter. Later, you replay the failure, telling yourself you just can't handle these places.
To try: Choose a smaller, quieter grocery store and go during off-peak hours, perhaps early morning. Before you enter, set a timer for five minutes and tell yourself you only have to stay that long. Walk in with no pressure to buy anything—just notice the colors, the sounds, and the feeling of your feet on the floor. If you feel the urge to flee, pause and count five things you can see around you before deciding to leave.
Social phobia
At a casual office get-together, you find yourself standing near the snack table, a cup in your hand giving you something to grip. Small groups are chatting, and you want to join but the thought of starting a conversation makes your stomach flutter. You rehearse a simple comment about the weather in your head, but each time you're about to speak, your voice seems stuck. Instead, you smile awkwardly and nod when someone catches your eye, then pretend to check your phone. You feel a wave of warmth in your cheeks and worry others are noticing your silence. Eventually, you slip out a bit early, telling yourself it wasn't your scene anyway. Driving home, you criticize yourself for being so awkward, yet part of you is relieved to be alone.
To try: At your next small social encounter—like ordering coffee or talking to a cashier—aim to make brief eye contact and say one unscripted, friendly phrase, such as 'Hope you have a great day.' Notice how the other person responds without analyzing your performance. Treat it like an experiment, not a test.
Avoidance & anxious anticipation
You're scheduled for a routine dentist appointment in a week. The moment it's entered in your calendar, a low-grade dread settles in your stomach. Days before, you start imagining the sounds of the drill and the feeling of the chair reclining, your jaw clenching just at the thought. You catch yourself searching for reasons to cancel: a work conflict, a slight sniffle, anything that might justify rescheduling. The night before, you hardly sleep, replaying worst-case scenarios. An hour before, you call and say you're not feeling well, cancelling the appointment. Immediately, the tension drains, and you feel a rush of relief—but within an hour, guilt creeps in because you know your teeth still need care. You push the guilt away by streaming a show, but the underlying problem remains.
To try: For one upcoming appointment (medical, dental, or otherwise), write down three things you can control about the visit, like what time you leave, what you wear, or a question to ask the practitioner. Do not allow yourself to cancel; instead, plan a small, pleasant activity right after the appointment as a reward. If anxious thoughts arise, label them as 'anticipation stories' and shift your focus to the present moment by naming objects around you.
Physical fear reactions
When you have to make an important phone call, you might notice your hands getting slightly clammy as you dial. Your heart beats a little faster, and you take a shallow breath before the first ring. As you speak, your voice quivers for a second, and you hope the other person doesn't notice. You might tap your foot or fidget with a pen to channel the nervous energy. The moment the call ends, you exhale loudly and maybe even shake out your hands to release the tension. Later, you reflect that it wasn't as bad as you expected, but the physical sensations still felt unpleasant in the moment. You might avoid the next call for a while, just to not feel that way again.
To try: Before your next phone call, take three slow, deep breaths, making the exhale longer than the inhale. Hold a cold glass of water or a smooth stone in one hand to ground yourself. During the call, if you feel your voice waver, pause briefly and take a sip of water—no one will think anything of it.
Screen addiction
You come home after work, and almost automatically, you turn on the TV or open a streaming app on your tablet, even before taking off your coat. Hours slip by; you watch episode after episode, feeling a pleasant numbness, but also a nagging sense that you should be doing something else. You might delay eating dinner, or eat in front of the screen, barely tasting your food. When you try to stop, a restless irritation bubbles up, and you tell yourself 'just one more' to soothe it. The room gets dark, and you realize you've spent the entire evening in the same spot, your body stiff and your mind foggy. You go to bed later than intended, and the blue-lit images replay behind your eyelids. The next day, you feel a vague emptiness but repeat the cycle.
To try: Place a physical kitchen timer in another room, set it to 30 minutes the moment you start watching. When it rings, you must go to that room to turn it off. After silencing it, do a short, hands-on activity like watering a plant or stretching for two minutes. Then, decide if you truly want to return—you might find the spell is broken.
Social-media addiction
During a lull in your day—perhaps while waiting for your coffee to brew—you pull out your phone and open a social app. You scroll through photos and updates, comparing your ordinary morning to someone's vacation highlight. A familiar twinge of envy or disappointment flickers in your chest. You put the phone down, but a few minutes later, without thinking, you pick it up again to see if anything new popped up. The loop feels automatic, like a habit your hand has memorized. You rarely post or comment; you mostly watch, and it leaves you feeling a bit disconnected even while connected. By the end of the day, you might not recall much of what you saw, only the vague sense of having wasted time.
To try: Switch your phone display to grayscale for a day to reduce its visual appeal. Each time you notice yourself reaching for the app out of habit, pause and ask, 'What am I hoping to find right now?' Write your answer on a sticky note and place it on your phone's back. Accumulate a few notes and read them in the evening—they might reveal patterns about what you're seeking.
Emotional dependency
You face a small decision, like what to buy for dinner or whether to accept an invitation, and immediately reach for your phone to text your closest person. As you wait for their reply, a knot of anxiety forms; you can't proceed until you hear from them. If the response is delayed, you imagine they're annoyed or ignoring you, and your thoughts spiral into feeling utterly alone and incapable. You might send a follow-up text, then feel embarrassed for seeming needy. When they finally reply, relief washes over you, but it's quickly replaced by a hollow feeling because you realize you couldn't trust your own judgment. This pattern repeats, leaving you feeling smaller each time.
To try: The next time you feel the urge to seek reassurance for a minor decision, set a timer for 10 minutes and do a self-soothing activity first—like making tea, stepping outside, or listening to a favorite song. After the timer, ask yourself, 'What would I choose if I were the only person in the world?' Write down your gut instinct and act on it, even if it's small. Notice how it feels to rely on your own compass, even if you're uncertain.
Compulsive behaviors
After locking the front door at night, you walk away but feel a flicker of doubt: did I really turn the key? You go back and check, pulling the handle to be sure. It's locked, but as you head to bed, the thought pricks again—maybe I didn't jiggle it enough. You return once more, repeating the ritual, and this time you feel a brief sense of rightness before the doubt could resurface. You might also find yourself arranging items on your desk at work until they feel 'just so,' wasting a few minutes but not derailing your day. These actions feel like uncomfortable itches that need to be scratched, but they don't dominate your life.
To try: After locking the door, say aloud, 'The door is locked and I am safe.' When the urge to re-check appears, imagine the thought as a text notification popping up on a screen—acknowledge it but don't open it. Focus your attention on a physical sensation, like the softness of your bedsheets, for one full minute. See if the urge passes like a wave receding.
Functional impact
Your world has become noticeably smaller: you haven't driven on a highway in months, instead taking long detours on side roads. Invitations to social events are declined with excuses, and your friends have stopped asking. Grocery shopping feels like an ordeal, so you rely on delivery or one trusted small shop, but even that requires planning and mental bargaining. At home, you feel safe but also trapped, the walls feeling like both protection and prison. You notice you haven't been to a park or a new place in ages, and the joy of spontaneity is a distant memory. Daily life is scheduled around avoiding discomfort, and you sometimes wonder how things narrowed so much.
To try: Pick one small, previously avoided activity—such as walking to a nearby landmark or visiting a public garden—and do it with a trusted companion if that helps. Commit to staying for just 10 minutes, and set a timer. While there, engage one sense fully: listen to the birds, feel the breeze, or notice the colors. Afterward, treat yourself to something comforting, like a favorite drink, and acknowledge that you expanded your world by a tiny bit today.
What this report cannot tell you
The same result allows several readings. Here are the ones that compete with ours.
This questionnaire offers a snapshot of how you perceive your experiences at this moment in time; it does not measure objective reality or diagnose any condition. Self-report tools are influenced by your current mood, the context of recent events, and even how you interpreted the wording of the questions. What you endorsed might reflect a particularly stressful period rather than a fixed trait, or it might be shaped by a desire to present yourself in a certain light. Additionally, the assessment cannot disentangle which difficulties are primary and which are secondary—for instance, avoidance might stem from underlying depression that was not measured. It also cannot capture your resilience, your sense of humour, or the ways you have already adapted beyond what the items ask. Finally, cultural background and life-phase play a role; what seems like excessive dependency in one cultural frame may be normative in another, so the scores must be held lightly.
Agoraphobia as a rational response to sensory overload
Your marked agoraphobia could be reframed not as an irrational fear but as a logical withdrawal from spaces that genuinely overwhelm your sensory system. If you are someone who processes stimuli deeply—sounds, lights, social cues—large, open environments might feel like an attack on your nervous system. Avoidance then becomes a way to protect your mental energy, not a sign of phobia per se. In this reading, the score indicates high sensitivity rather than pathology, and your behaviour is a boundary-setting strategy that many highly sensitive people adopt. What appears as a limitation might actually reflect a finely tuned awareness that many others lack. The task then shifts from ‘overcoming fear’ to creating environments that honor your sensory needs while gradually expanding your comfort zone.
Screen addiction as a form of digital prospecting
Rather than viewing your 60% screen addiction as pure escapism, consider that it might be a way of scanning the world for resources, knowledge, and connection that feel safer when mediated by technology. The screen offers a controlled environment where you can learn, interact, and test ideas without the immediate pressure of physical presence. This could be an adaptive coping mechanism in an era where so much life and work happens online; your ‘addiction’ may actually signal a strong motivation to engage, just in a medium that feels less threatening. It’s possible you are not avoiding the world but approaching it through a door that you can open and close at will. If that’s the case, the addiction label might obscure a preference for a manageable interface rather than pathological withdrawal.
Emotional dependency as high functioning attachment seeking
Your marked emotional dependency may be misread as neediness, but it could equally point to a strong, healthy instinct to form deep bonds—something that is undervalued in cultures that prize hyper-independence. Perhaps early life experiences left you with a blueprint that says safety lies in proximity, and you have simply been trying to create that safety ever since. This isn’t pathology; it’s a normal human response to unmet attachment needs. In this light, your dependency is a testament to your capacity for love and trust, not a failure of self-reliance. The challenge is not to extinguish the need but to diversify your sources of security so that you are not solely reliant on one person, but can carry some of that felt safety within yourself.
Avoidance as a highly efficient triage system
Viewed through a pragmatic lens, your marked avoidance and anxious anticipation could be recast as a sophisticated system for conserving energy and minimising stress. Like a skilled diplomat, you choose which situations to enter based on a cost-benefit analysis, and you astutely avoid those that drain you without sufficient return. In a life with limited emotional reserves, this selectivity could be seen as wisdom rather than cowardice. It’s only when the avoidance becomes global and rigid that it turns against you. But perhaps your avoidance pattern is actually evidence of a finely honed self-care instinct—one that knows exactly when to pull back to keep you functional. The next step might involve refining, rather than erasing, this instinct, so that you allow in a few more experiences that data suggests are safe.
Questions to keep exploring
To write about on your own, or to bring to a professional.
- Can you recall a recent moment when you felt a surge of anxiety but stayed with it, even for a short while, without immediately seeking distraction or reassurance? What did that moment teach you about your own limits?
- If the emotional dependency you feel toward your safe person could be partially swapped for a compassionate inner voice, what would that voice say to you in a moment of fear? What phrase might it offer?
- Think of a situation you regularly avoid because of agoraphobia. If you were to break it down into the smallest possible steps, what is the tiniest, least threatening part of that situation you might be willing to try alone, just for a few minutes, while observing the outcome?
- When you reach for your phone in a moment of anxiety, what is the primary need you’re trying to meet—numbing, information, connection, or something else? Can you imagine meeting that same need without the screen, perhaps through a physical object or a brief ritual?
- Reflect on a time when your avoidance pattern actually served a protective purpose. What threat did it protect you from? How can you know whether that same threat still exists today, or whether your warning system is firing on an old, outdated trigger?
- What would your life look like if you were 10% less emotionally dependent on another person? Describe one specific, concrete thing that might be different on a typical Wednesday afternoon.
- Your physical fear reactions are mild, suggesting your body can handle discomfort better than your mind predicts. Can you design a tiny experiment—like standing in one place alone for two minutes—to test that hypothesis? What would you watch for to know if your body coped?
- Emotional dependency can also be a sign of deep empathy and a need for mutual care. In your relationships, when do you feel most valuable and empowered, rather than just dependent? Can you identify one small way to cultivate that empowered feeling without leaving the safety of the bond?
Reference frameworks and authors
To help you situate this report, here are the references specific to this test.
- DSM-5 — Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2013)
- ICD-11 — International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision (World Health Organization, 2022)
Resources & exercise
7-day observation journal
Each day, spot one situation where “Agoraphobia” showed up. Note the automatic thought, the emotion (0–100) and what you did. Then write one more balanced, alternative reading. After 7 days, re-read your notes: the recurring patterns become visible — the first step to change them.
Support resources
If you are struggling, you are not alone. United States: call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, 24/7). Elsewhere: find your local line at findahelpline.com. This report supports self-knowledge and does not replace a consultation with a psychologist or doctor.
Find a professional
To go further, working with a professional is valuable. A few trusted directories to find a practitioner near you:
Tip: prioritise licensed/registered professionals and evidence-based therapies (e.g. CBT).
How this report is produced
This report is generated by artificial intelligence from your answers only, structured around recognised clinical models (attachment theory, CBT, Young’s schemas…) cited within the report. No health professional is involved in writing it. It is a self-knowledge tool, not a diagnosis: the analyses are avenues for understanding to weigh against your own experience, and do not replace the assessment of a health professional.
Your answers in detail
1. Certain animals or insects terrify me.
Answer : Rarely
You answered "Rarely". Can you tell me more about when this comes up for you?
It mainly shows up in situations that matter to me, when I feel under pressure or emotionally involved.
2. I have an intense fear of heights.
Answer : Rarely
And how long have you noticed this?
It has been more present over the past few months, though I recognise it from before too.
3. The sight of blood or injections distresses me.
Answer : Rarely
4. I avoid flying or transport out of fear.
Answer : Rarely
5. Enclosed spaces (elevators, tunnels) make me anxious.
Answer : Rarely
6. A specific fear triggers disproportionate panic in me.
Answer : Rarely
7. …
The next questions (7, 8…) continue in your test. This sample only shows the beginning — the full test has 154 questions, and every answer refines your report.
What now?
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