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A phobia is an excessive or unreasonable fear of an object, place or situation. Simple phobias are fears of specific things such as insects, infections, flying. Agoraphobia is a fear of being in places where one feels "trapped" or unable to get help, such as in crowds, on a bus, or standing in a queue. A socialphobia is a marked fear of performing in public situations. Phobias are extremely common. Sometimes they start in childhood for no apparent reason; sometimes they emerge after a traumatic event; and sometimes the develop from an attempt to make sense of an unexpected and intense anxiety or panic (e.g. "I feel fearful, therefore I must be afraid of something"). When the phobic person actually encounters, or even anticipates being in the presence of the feared object or situation, s/he experiences immediate anxiety. The physical symptoms of anxiety may include a racing heart, shortness of breath, sweating, chest or abdominal discomfort, trembling, etc. and the emotional component involves an intense fear - of losing control, embarrassing oneself, or passing out. Commonly people try to escape, and then to avoid the feared situation wherever possible. This may be fairly easy if the feared object is rarely encountered (e.g. fear of snakes) and avoidance will not therefore restrict the person's life very much. At other times (e.g. agoraphobia, social phobia) avoiding the feared situation limits their life severely. Escape and avoidance also make the feared object/situation more frightening. With some phobias the person may have specific thoughts which attribute some threat to the feared situation. This is particularly true for social phobia where there is often a fear of being negatively evaluated by others, and for agoraphobia when there may be a fear of collapsing and dying with no one around to help, or of having a panic attack and making a fool of oneself in front of other people. With some phobias there may be accompanying frightening thoughts (this plane might crash; I'm trapped; I must get out). However with other phobias it is more difficult to identify any specific thoughts which could be associated with the anxiety (e.g. it is unlikely that a spider phobic is afraid of making a fool of themselves in front of the spider). With these phobias the cause seems to be explained more as a conditioned (learned) anxiety response which has become associated with the feared object. Other anxiety disorders - generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and atypical anxiety disorder - are each characterized by somewhat different symptoms. Picture the scene: You are wandering around a supermarket or shopping arcade on your own. As you walk about, you're sure everyone is watching you - and it scares and embarrasses you. You find your heart beating much faster than usual, your throat becomes dry, or you sweat - or a combination of all three. You don't know why it's happening and you can't do anything about it. You panic and you feel you have to leave. Eventually you'll completely avoid the place or situation that made you feel this way. If this sounds like you - and it happens a lot of the time - it could be that you have one of, or a combination of, the following: Social phobia: This is a fear of being in situations (usually in public) that will involve the sufferer thinking they are being watched or judged in some way. They might feel extreme anxiety that they'll make a fool of themselves in public or continually fear that, by their actions, they'll be putting someone out. They might have very low self-esteem and be extremely self conscious about speaking in public, or meeting new people. They might also have a specific fear of being sick, crying or blushing in public. Agoraphobia: This is often thought of as a fear of open spaces, but it's actually a fear of feeling anxious wherever the anxiety occurs. These don't always have to be big, open spaces. When someone always avoids a place or situation where anxiety crops up, they become agoraphobic and can't face leaving a place that feels safe to them. Claustrophobia: Claustrophobia is usually described as a fear of enclosed places. But it's more like a fear of not having an easy escape route. Anyone who experiences this phobia will feel that the predominating feeling is a need to be able to get out or get home very quickly. Claustrophobia means that you might: >
If you have a social phobia there's a chance that you'll have elements of claustrophobia too. You might worry that if you panic in a space where you're without an easy way out, everyone will notice you and it could lead to a loss of control. Panic Attacks A panic attack can be an extreme reaction to your phobia. They have a number of common symptoms like fast heartbeats, tightness in the throat, and dizziness. During a panic attack some people may also be convinced they are about to die and feel a complete and overwhelming need to get away from the situation they're in. These usually occur in late adolescence or early adulthood, but could happen at any stage of life. You can read more about panic attacks here. Specific Phobia Specific phobias typically are fears of particular objects or situations. The most common simple phobia is the fear of animals, like dogs, snakes, mice and insects. Other common specific phobias are fears of heights, fears of flying and fears of enclosed spaces. Most specific phobias develop at childhood but eventually go away on their own, like a fear of the dark. If a phobia continues into adulthood, treatment is usually the only solution. Like other phobias, specific phobias can keep people from normal lives. But the level of disability is usually determined by how often the object of the phobia appears in a victim's life. Signs and Symptoms People who suffer from phobias may display one or more of the following symptoms:
Phobias and Panic/Anxiety Attacks Anxiety is the emotion you feel when a person, object, situation, or impulse seems dangerous to you. If you're crossing a street and suddenly notice a car speeding toward you, you feel afraid that you will be hit, and you dash out of the way. This fear and the behavior it provokes probably save your life. If you're fed up with your boss and want to hit him, the sick feeling in the pit of your stomach - the anxiety you feel when you anticipate the consequences of slugging your boss - keeps you from carrying through on your impulse. The anxiety and your control of your behavior probably save your job. While "normal" anxiety is adaptive - that is, it helps you to survive and be productive - too much anxiety can be crippling. People who suffer from certain patterns of signs and symptoms related to anxiety are considered by mental health specialists to have anxiety disorders. Phobias and panic attacks are the most common of these disorders. Both phobias and panic disorder are marked not only by great anxiety in situations that are relatively safe, but also by an exaggerated avoidance of the source of distress. Depending on the type of phobia or panic, the person may shy away from floor-to-ceiling windows in a highrise, refuse an invitation to speak in front of a church group, or stay out of crowded shopping malls. People with these disorders don't actually have to encounter what they fear. They become intensely anxious just by anticipating that they might soon be in the feared situation, brooding over it in their imagination. The fears can start in childhood or adulthood. Some people have suddenly become terrified of things they've been doing for years. For example, a flight attendant began having panic attacks on her 500th flight. Some people can sidestep the thing they fear without much difficulty. Some, especially adults, can hide their distress and conceal their phobias. Even those who usually adjust their lives to fit their phobias are sometimes able to confront what they fear, "toughing it out," suffering all the while. While children may outgrow their phobias, adults usually do not get rid of them unless they receive treatment. Recognized even in ancient times, phobias and panic are known around the world, probably in every human culture. The most recent and thorough studies show that, in the United States, phobias are the most common of all mental disorders. Seven out of every hundred Americans have phobias. Eight out of every thousand have panic disorder. Compared to men, women more often suffer from most types of phobia and panic disorder. The reason that phobias and panic are more common in women is now known. Investigators speculate that men may be more likely to drown their fears, since alcohol abuse is more common in men than women. This is just one of many possible explanations, however. Differences in biological makeup or social and psychological experiences may also be responsible. For example, in our society some girls are encouraged to be more fearful and less independent than males. |