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What is a Phobia?

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There are countless phobias people may experience, and they can be a debilitating mental health issues. As one example, vehophboia is the fear of driving a motor vehicle. This can affect people after they’re involved in a car accident.

Someone with vehophobia may not be able to drive without flashbacks, panic attacks, and severe anxiety.

Vehobophia is just one in a long list of phobias, and the following are things to know about these mental health conditions.

What are phobias?

A phobia is an irrational fear reaction that’s considered excessive. If someone has a phobia, they might experience panic or significant dread when they encounter whatever is causing their source of fear. The fear might be of a place, situation, or thing.

A phobia is distinct from general anxiety disorders because it’s usually associated with something specific.

Phobias can have an impact that’s anywhere from inconvenient to extremely disabling. Someone with a phobia might realize their fear isn’t rational, but they can’t do anything about it. When someone has a phobia, it can impact their relationships, work, and school in negative ways.  

Around 19 million Americans are estimated to have a phobia that causes challenges in some aspect of their life.

Symptoms

A person with phobias will have symptoms like:

  • Uncontrollable anxiety when they’re exposed to their source of fear
  • A feeling that they have to avoid what causes them fear at all costs
  • Not being able to properly function when they’re exposed to a trigger
  • Knowing and acknowledging the fear isn’t rational or reasonable, but they can’t control the feelings

There may be physical feelings that come with a phobia exposure, including:

  • Abnormal breathing
  • Sweating
  • Accelerated heartbeat
  • Trembling
  • Hot flashes
  • Chills
  • Choking sensations
  • Chest tightness or pains
  • Butterflies in the stomach
  • Feelings of pins and needles
  • Confusion
  • Disorientation
  • Dry mouth
  • Nausea
  • Dizziness
  • Headache

Feelings of anxiety can be created just by thinking about the object of someone’s phobia. A child may become clingy, cry, or try to hide if a child has a phobia. They can also throw tantrums, which shows distress in some children.

There are also complex phobias, which can impact someone’s life and well-being more than specific phobias.

Some parts of the brain can store and then recall potentially deadly events. If someone experiences a similar event later in life, their brain might retrieve stressful memories. Sometimes, their brain can retrieve it more than once, causing the body to have the same reaction and experience.

If someone has a phobia, the areas of the brain responsible for dealing with stress and fear can continue to inappropriately retrieve the frightening event.

Researchers have theorized that phobias are often associated with the amygdala. The amygdala is part of the brain behind the pituitary gland. The amygdala can trigger fight-or-flight hormones that put the mind and body on high alert.

Causes

It’s not typical for a phobia to begin after someone is over the age of 30. Most start during early childhood, the teen years, or early adulthood. Phobias can be caused by frightening events, a parent with a phobia a child learns, or a stressful experience.

A specific phobia will usually start before the ages of 4-8. In some cases, these specific phobias can result from a traumatic experience early on. In other cases, they could be developed by witnessing someone else’s phobia.

Complex phobias are less understood. Researchers think these could be caused by a combination of brain chemistry, genetics, and life experiences.

Most common types of phobias

Some of the phobias that are considered most common include:

  • Social phobia: Also referred to as social anxiety, this leads to extreme worry about social situations and can cause self-isolation. When someone has a social phobia, simple situations like answering the phone can cause them to panic. People with social phobia will go to extremes to avoid public situations.
  • Agoraphobia: When someone fears open spaces or situations they can’t escape from, it may be agoraphobia. Someone with agoraphobia could fear being trapped outside their home or in a large crowd. Some people with agoraphobia worry that they’ll have a panic attack or medical emergency and not be able to get help or escape.
  • Glossophobia: A fear of speaking in front of a public audience, people with this phobia can have physical symptoms even if they’re thinking about being in front of a group.
  • Acrophobia: A fear of heights, someone with this phobia might avoid bridges and even higher building floors. Symptoms can include feeling like they’ll pass out, dizziness, sweating, and vertigo.
  • Claustrophobia: A fear of enclosed or tight spaces; people might be especially afraid of cars or elevators.
  • Aviophobia: This is a fear of flying.
  • Dentophobia: Some people fear going to the dentist or undergoing dental procedures.
  • Hemophobia: A fear of blood or injuries; someone with hemophobia can faint if they come in contact with someone else’s blood or even their own.
  • Cynophobia: A fear of dogs.
  • Nyctophobia: Fear of night or darkness.
  • Arachnophobia: Aa fear of spiders.

Treating phobias

Someone with a genetic predisposition for anxiety can be at high risk for developing phobias. Gender can be a risk factor for certain phobias.

Treatment usually involves cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT. CBT can involve exposure to the source of fear in a controlled environment. Someone who’s participating in CBT for anxiety can help them be deconditioned and reduce their anxiety.

CBT aims to help someone identify and then change their negative thoughts, reactions, and dysfunctional beliefs.

Sometimes, medications might be paired with therapy. Anti-anxiety medications and antidepressants can help someone respond to physical and emotional fear.

Phobias can be challenging to deal with and can significantly impact someone’s quality of life. Sometimes, they stem from known experiences, like being in a car accident; other times, a person may have no idea why they have a particular phobia. Treatments are available that can help people with phobias have a fulfilling life.

What is a phobia and how can you overcome one? Trauma, Childhood, Teens, Young Adults, Mental Health, Types of Phobias, Treatment for Phobias, Symptoms of Phobia

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