What are Phobias?
A phobia is described as someone who has an excessive and irrational fear reaction to something whether it’d be an object, situation and more. Someone who has a phobia will experience an intense fear that can lead to severe panic when they have to be confronted with their fear. Unlike a general anxiety disorder, a phobia is when a person has an intense fear of something specific.
While fearing something scary is natural, phobias are a lot different as people suffering from a phobia will know the fear of the specific thing is irrational, they feel there is nothing they can do when confronted by it. The impact that they can feel from their phobia can be slightly disturbed to severely disabling to the point where they are frozen. Having a phobia can affect people’s everyday life plus relationships with family and loved ones.
An affected person will go to great lengths in order to avoid their phobia and can often put themselves in a higher amount of danger than the actual danger they believe to be posed.
The most common signs & symptoms of a Phobia
There are many signs & symptoms that an individual can display when confronted with a phobia, the most common ones are listed. These symptoms can range from mild to severe depending on the individual and the extent of their phobia.
- Pounding or racing heart
- Dry mouth
- Heavy sweating
- Chest pains
- Inability to speak
- Can't catch breath
- Upset stomach
- Nausea
If you suffer from a range of these symptoms listed or know a loved one who does then they could potentially suffer from a phobia and it’s crucial to seek out treatment as soon as possible before the phobia develops into a much deeper phobia which can endanger and seriously affect their everyday life.
What are the causes of Phobias?
There are a few factors that can cause an individual to have a certain phobia, two common factors are genetics and the environment are in. Children with a close family member with an anxiety disorder are more likely to develop a phobia. Trauma can also play a major part in someone developing a phobia, an example is if someone was close to drowning, they may develop a massive fear of swimming.
Individuals who already suffer from medical conditions and health problems are more prone to have an ongoing phobia. There are also many cases of people who have suffered brain injuries and later developed phobias. People who suffer from substance abuse and extreme depression are linked to having phobias aswell.
Risk factors of Phobias
People who already suffer from mental health conditions such as anxiety are at a much higher risk of developing a phobia. There are other risk factors that can contribute to someone developing a phobia such as their age and economical status. Gender can also contribute to certain phobias as women are more likely to have a phobia of animals compared to men who are more likely to have a phobia about going to the dentist.
The different types of Phobias
There are three main different types of phobias, there are other forms of phobias that our team will be able to successfully diagnose but these are the three most common phobias that people suffer from.
Social Phobia is also known as Social Anxiety Disorder. It is closely associated with individuals who have an extreme amount of worry about social situations which leads to them self-isolating away from everyone. Social Phobia isn’t just about extreme social situations in that they may find themselves but it can be something as simple as having to order food on a menu resulting in their panic. This is not to be confused with someone who enjoys staying home compared to going out but with people who have a severe panic about being in public and interacting.
Agoraphobia is individuals who have an intense fear or situations that they can’t remove themselves from. The term Agoraphobia comes from the term ‘fear of open spaces.’ People who suffer from this phobia have a strong fear of being placed in a large crowd or trapped outside the comfort of their own homes so they will do anything to avoid any social situations and stay inside their homes.
Individuals who suffer from agoraphobia can often have panic attacks if they are forced into these types of situations and can even have a panic attack at the thought of it if severe enough. People who already have chronic health conditions fear if they are in a public area they will not get medical help if something happens.
As there are so many different names for specific phobias, we have rounded them together as one. Many people suffer from phobias that are hyper-specific to something – an example being Claustrophobia which is the fear of enclosed or tight spaces meaning many people with Claustrophobia will avoid being in a car or elevator.
Phobia treatment options
If you are someone who suffers from a phobia or knows a loved one who is then it is critical that you seek out treatment to help manage your phobia more effectively. It can be difficult to overcome a long-standing phobia that has caused you great distress but there is always hope with the right treatment, you can start overcoming your phobias and start to live a more productive and fulfilling life.
Phobias can be treated with the correct treatment. To first understand more about your current phobia, you will need to speak to a trained psychiatrist in order to get the ideal treatment that is tailored to you. Psychiatry will be able to understand the root of your phobia and how it is have developed. Once correctly assessed for your phobia, we can arrange personalised treatment while offering you and your loved one support throughout the journey.
Do not live your life in fear forever, reach out for help to help you manage your phobia effectively in order to live a better and happier life.