A phobia is an irrational or exaggerated fear of objects situations or bodily functions that aren’t inherently dangerous.
Phobias are different from fears that are normal for the developmental stage of anybody. In other words phobias involve persistent, unrealistic, intense anxiety in response to specific external situations, such as looking down from heights or coming near a small dog.
People who have phobia avoid situations that trigger their anxiety, or they endure them with great distress. However, they recognise that their anxiety is excessive and therefore are aware that they have a problem
The impact of a phobia can be, from annoying to severely disabling. People with phobias often realise their fear is irrational, but they are unable to do anything about it. Such fears can interfere with works, school and personal relationships.
An estimated 10 million Nigerians have a phobia that causes difficulty in some area of their lives. Seek the help of your doctor if you have a fear that prevents you from leaving your fullest life.
Genetic and environment factors can cause phobias. Children who have a close relative with an anxiety disorder are at risk of developing phobia. Distressing events, such as nearby drowning, can bring on a phobia.
Exposure to confined spaces, extreme heights and animal or insect bites can all be sources of phobias.
People with ongoing medical conditions or health concerns often have phobias there is a high incidence of people developing phobias after traumatic brain injuries. Substance abuse and depression are also connected to phobias.
Phobias have different symptoms from serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.. In schizophrenia people have visual and auditory hallucination, delusions, paranoia, and negative symptoms such as anhedonia and disorganised symptoms. Phobias may be irrational but people with phobia do not fail reality testing.
Agoraphobia literary means fear of the market place or open space. Also means fear of situations that you cannot escape from. People with agoraphobia fear being in large crowds or trapped outside the home. These include standing in line at the bank, or supermarket, sitting in the middle of a long row in a theater or classroom, riding on a bus or airplane.
Some people develop agoraphobia after experiencing a panic attack in one of these situations. Other people simply feel uncomfortable in these settings and may never or only later, develop panic attacks. . Agoraphobia often interferes with daily living, sometimes so drastically that it leaves the person housebound.
Agoraphobia is diagnosed in 3.8% of women and 1.8% of men during any 6 month period. The disorder most often begins in the early 20s; a first appearance after age 40 is unusual.
Social phobia is also referred to as social anxiety disorder. It is extreme worry about social situations and it can lead to self-isolation. A social phobia can be so severe that the simplest interactions, such as ordering at a restaurant or answering the telephone, can cause panic. People with social phobia go out of their way to avoid public situations.
Many people dislike certain situations or objects but to be a true phobia, the fear must interfere with daily life.
Glossophobia is known as performance anxiety or the fear of speaking in front of an audience people with this phobia have severe physical symptoms when they even think about being in front of a group of people.
Some specific phobia such as the fear of large animals, the dark or strangers, begin early in life. Many phobia stop as the person gets older.
Acropbobia is the fear of heights. People with this phobia avoid mountains, bridges, or the higher floors of buildings. Symptoms include vertigo, dizziness, sweating, and feeling as if they will pass out or loose control.
Claustrophobia is a fear of enclosed or tight spaces. Severe claustrophobia can be especially disabling if it prevents you from riding in cars or elevators.
Aviophobia is also known as the fear of flying.
Dentophobia is a fear of the dentist or dental procedures. This phobia generally develops after an unpleasant experience at a dentist’s office. It can be harmful if it prevents you from obtaining needed dental care.
Cynophobia is a fear of dogs. Ophidiophobia is the fear of snakes.
Nyctophobia is a fear of the nighttime or darkness. It almost always begins as a typical childhood fear. When it progresses past adolescence. It is considered a phobia
People with genetic pre-disposition to anxiety may be at a high risk of developing a phobia. Age, socio economic status are more likely to have social phobias. Men make up majority of those with dentist and doctor phobias.
The most common and disabling symptoms of phobia is a panic attack, which include, pounding or racing heart, shortness of breath, rapid speech or inability to speak, dry mouth,, upset stomach, nausea, elevated blood pressure, trembling or shaking, chest pain or tightness, a choking sensation, dizziness or lightheadedness, profuse sweating, and a sense of impending doom.
A person can often cope with a specific phobia by avoiding the feared object or situation for example; a city dweller that is afraid of snakes may have no trouble avoiding them. However the city dweller that-fears small closed places, such as elevators will have a problem working on an upper floor in a skyscraper.
Exposure therapy is a type of behavioral therapy, in which the person is gradually exposed to the feared object or situation, is the best treatment for a specific phobia.
A therapist can help ensure that the therapy is carried out properly, although it can be done without a therapist. Even people with a phobia of blood or needles respond well to exposure therapy. For example, a person who faints while blood is drawn can have a needle brought close to a vein and then removed when the heart rate begins to slow down. Repeating this process allows the heart rate to return to normal. Eventually, the person can have blood drawn without fainting.
Drugs are not very useful in helping people overcome specific phobias. However benzodiazepines (anti anxiety drugs) may give a person short-term control over a phobia, such as the fear of flying.
Psychotherapy with a view toward gaining insight and understanding of internal conflict may be helpful in identifying and treating the conflicts that may underline a specific phobia.
Always be medically guided.
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