Phobias

Phobias

What is it?

Phobia disorder is a type of Anxiety disorder. Phobias are irrational fears that prevent someone from pursuing a normal life.

What types are there?

There are 3 types:
 * Social phobia ** (now called social anxiety disorder): is a strong, persisting fear of an interpersonal situation in which embarrassment can occur.


 * Specific ** (simple) **phobias**: is an overwhelming, persisting fear of an object or situation.


 * Agoraphobia: ** is defined as the fear of being alone in public places

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms of phobias often involve having a panic attack. People could have feelings of panic, dread, or terror, despite recognition that those feelings are excessive in relationship to any real danger. as well as physical symptoms like shaking, sweating, trouble thinking clearly, nausea, rapid heart beat, trouble breathing, and an overwhelming desire to escape the situation that is causing the phobic reaction. Also, extreme measures are sometimes taken to avoid or escape the situation. (Alcoholics can be up to 10 times more likely to suffer from a phobia than those who are not alcoholics, and phobic individuals can be twice as likely to suffer from an alcohol addiction than those who have never been phobic.)

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what causes the disorder?

as young children agoraphobics may have feared abandonment by a cold or non-nurturing mother and the fear has generalized to a fear of abandonment or helplessness. modern learning theory suggests that agoraphobia may develop because people avoid situations they have found painful or embarrassing.

Does Phobias run in the family?

Research has shown that certain phobias may run in families. For example, twins who are raised separately, in different locations, may develop the same phobias. However, many people with phobias have no relatives with the condition.

How does the public see Phobias?

People think that people with a phobia are not normal because they freak out when they come in contact with the phobia. People might even bully phobic people because of this.

How is Phobia Disorder treated?

Helping those who suffer from phobias is thought to be most effective when psychotherapy and medications that are specific to the treatment of phobia are both used.One form of psychotherapy involves the supportive and gradual exposure of the individual with phobias to circumstances that are increasingly close to the one they are phobic about.

Is Phobias linked to other disorders in anyway?

A phobia may be associated with a number of other mental-health conditions, especially other anxiety disorders. In addition to panic disorder, examples of other anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As anxiety disorders in general may be associated with a number of medical conditions or can be a side effect of various medications, routine laboratory tests are often performed during the initial evaluation to rule out other possible causes of the symptoms.

Some personal stories from my family and friends are…

I am afraid of Escalators because I saw in a movie trailer that someone got sucked up into on. When I was little I would sit down on one of the steps and start crying and screaming. Now my mom makes me go on them and I normally have an anxiety attack while on one.

My mom is afraid of dark closets because when she was little she saw a movie that someone was dragged into a closet by her feet from her bed.

My mom is afraid of robots and how they move. When she was five her mom had the queen record that had a robot with dead people in it’s hand and blood everywhere. She remembers it as the robot was squeezing the people, and now she has an anxiety attack whenever she sees a robot, it really bad when they walk.

My best friend is afraid of spiders. When every time she sees a spider she freaks out and tries to jump on the nearest table. My mom also shares this fear, in fact I like that it is one of the most popular phobias.

I am also afraid of heights. I am fine on top of a 20-story building, but on belchers I have a problem, especially if there is no railing. When I was little I would have dreams of following down the steps at my grandpa’s house.

All of these can easily turn into a phobia if they are not kept under control. if these fears turn into a phobia they would need treatment.

The top 10 Phobias


 * 1. Arachnophobia: ** The fear of spiders.
 * 2. Ophidiophobia: ** The fear of snakes.
 * 3. Acrophobia: ** The fear of heights.
 * 4. Agoraphobia: ** The fear of situations in which escape is difficult.
 * 5. Cynophobia: ** The fear of dogs.
 * 6. Astraphobia: ** The fear of thunder and lightening.
 * 7. Trypanophobia: ** The fear of injections.
 * 8. Social Phobias: ** The fear of social situations.
 * 9. Pteromerhanophobia: ** The fear of flying.
 * 10. Mysophobia: ** The fear of germs or dirt.