Everyone is afraid of something – scared of living alone in a dark room,
afraid of horror movies, fear of insects, fear of flying a lot of situations,
or objects like this often trigger fear in us. Fear is a normal, healthy part
of life, even sometimes fear plays an important role in preventing us from
entering harmful situations and helping us to decide when to get out of
situations that are not necessarily the best.
However, fear becomes a phobia when it is out of proportion to the real level
of danger in a situation, and when it leads to extreme reactions. For some
people, phobias can have a significant impact on their lives and their
happiness.
Few symptoms defining phobias:
-
Exposure elicits intense fear and anxiety, sometimes even a
panic attacks
- Irrational and unreasonable fear
-
The affected individual recognizes that the fear is unfounded and excessive
- Powerlessness to control the intense fear
Fear is an emotional reaction to a real or perceived threat. Fears are common
in the population and are often-normal reactions to objects or events. For
example, many people are afraid of spiders - they experience a mild to
moderate anxiety reaction when they see one.
Phobias are the most common mental disorder. Phobias are a type of anxiety
disorder that is distinctly different from normal fear. Phobias are defined,
according to DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Associations Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition), as fear or anxiety that is persistent
(even when the object is not there), excessive, and out of proportion to the
actual danger posed by the object of the phobia.
Phobias occur when there is a dysfunction in the brain circuits responsible
for the response to fear. They recognize non-dangerous objects or situations
as imminent threats and experience excess fear and anxiety.
Different Types of Phobias
- Thanatophobia: fear of death
- Aichmophobia: fear of sharp objects
- Arachnophobia: fear of spiders
- Acrophobia: fear of heights
- Aquaphobia: fear of specific situations, such as being in the water
- Astraphobia: fear of natural phenomena, such as thunder and lightning
- Hematophobia: fear of blood or injuries
-
Mysophobia: fear of experiences and objects like vomiting, choking, dirt,
and germs
- Coulrophobia: fear of clowns
- Nyctophobia: Fear of dark places
- Agoraphobia
The clinical characteristics of phobias depend on the type of phobia, the
degree of severity in a particular individual, and the amount that it
interferes with the individual’s ability to function normally. However, common
to all types of phobias is extreme fear or anxiety in response to a particular
object or situation.
Seek treatment
Look for Professional Help if the fear seems to continue for a
disproportionate amount of time. This might indicate the development of a
phobia. Get
Social Phobia Treatment
at HopeQure.
HopeQure counselors are
available to help you cope with the distress and discomfort which is caused by
such conditions. Do not let phobia control your life.