Everything you need to know about phobias

By Yvette Brazier

A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder that causes an individual to

experience extreme, irrational fear about a situation, living creature,
place, or object.
When a person has a phobia, they will often shape their lives to
avoid what they consider to be dangerous. The imagined threat is
greater than any actual threat posed by the cause of terror.
Phobias are diagnosable mental disorders.
The person will experience intense distress when faced with the
source of their phobia. This can prevent them from functioning
normally and sometimes leads to panic attacks.
In the United States, approximately 19 million people have phobias.

Fast facts on phobias

 Phobias are more serious than simple fear sensations and are
not limited to fears of specific triggers.
 Despite individuals being aware that their phobia is irrational,
they cannot control the fear reaction.
 Symptoms may include sweating, chest pains, and pins and
needles.
 Treatment can include medication and behavioral therapy.
 19 million people in the United States have a phobia.

What is a phobia?
A phobia is an intense, irrational fear.
A phobia is an exaggerated and irrational fear.
The term 'phobia' is often used to refer to a fear of one particular
trigger. However, there are three types of phobia recognized by the
American Psychiatric Association (APA). These include:
Specific phobia: This is an intense, irrational fear of a specific
trigger.
Social phobia, or social anxiety: This is a profound fear of public
humiliation and being singled out or judged by others in a social
situation. The idea of large social gatherings is terrifying for
someone with social anxiety. It is not the same as shyness.
Agoraphobia: This is a fear of situations from which it would be
difficult to escape if a person were to experience extreme panic,
such being in a lift or being outside of the home. It is commonly
misunderstood as a fear of open spaces but could also apply to
being confined in a small space, such as an elevator, or being on
public transport. People with agoraphobia have an increased risk of
panic disorder.
 Specific phobias are known as simple phobias as they can be linked
to an identifiable cause that may not frequently occur in the
everyday life of an individual, such as snakes. These are therefore
not likely to affect day-to-day living in a significant way.
Social anxiety and agoraphobia are known as complex phobias, as
their triggers are less easily recognized. People with complex
phobias can also find it harder to avoid triggers, such as leaving the
house or being in a large crowd.
A phobia becomes diagnosable when a person begins organizing
their lives around avoiding the cause of their fear. It is more severe
than a normal fear reaction. People with a phobia have an
overpowering need to avoid anything that triggers their anxiety.

Symptoms
A person with a phobia will experience the following symptoms.
They are common across the majority of phobias:
 a sensation of uncontrollable anxiety when exposed to the source
of fear
 a feeling that the source of that fear must be avoided at all costs
 not being able to function properly when exposed to the trigger
 acknowledgment that the fear is irrational, unreasonable, and
exaggerated, combined with an inability to control the feelings
A person is likely to experience feelings of panic and intense anxiety
when exposed to the object of their phobia. The physical effects of
these sensations can include:
 sweating
 abnormal breathing
 accelerated heartbeat
 trembling
 hot flushes or chills
 a choking sensation
 chest pains or tightness
 butterflies in the stomach
 pins and needles
 dry mouth
 confusion and disorientation
 nausea
 dizziness
 headache
A feeling of anxiety can be produced simply by thinking about the
object of the phobia. In younger children, parents may observe that
they cry, become very clingy, or attempt to hide behind the legs of a
parent or an object. They may also throw tantrums to show their
distress.
Complex phobias
 A complex phobia is much more likely to affect a person's wellbeing
than a specific phobia.
For example, those who experience agoraphobia may also have a
number of other phobias that are connected. These can include
monophobia, or a fear of being left alone, and claustrophobia, a fear
of feeling trapped in closed spaces.
In severe cases, a person with agoraphobia will rarely leave their
home.

What you need to know about agoraphobia

Agoraphobia is often misunderstood.

Types
The most common specific phobias in the U.S. include:
 Claustrophobia: Fear of being in constricted, confined spaces
 Aerophobia: Fear of flying
 Arachnophobia: Fear of spiders
 Driving phobia: Fear of driving a car
 Emetophobia: Fear of vomiting
 Erythrophobia: Fear of blushing
 Hypochondria: Fear of becoming ill
 Zoophobia: Fear of animals
 Aquaphobia: Fear of water
 Acrophobia: Fear of heights
 Blood, injury, and injection (BII) phobia: Fear of injuries
involving blood
 Escalaphobia: Fear of escalators
 Tunnel phobia: Fear of tunnels

These are far from the only specific phobias. People can develop a
phobia of almost anything. Also, as society changes, the list of
potential phobias changes. For instance, nomophobia is the fear of
being without a cell phone or computer.
As described in one paper, it is "the pathologic fear of remaining out
of touch with technology."
Causes
It is unusual for a phobia to start after the age of 30 years, and most
begin during early childhood, the teenage years, or early adulthood.
They can be caused by a stressful experience, a frightening event,
or a parent or household member with a phobia that a child can
'learn.'
Specific phobias
These usually develop before the age of 4 to 8 years. In some cases,
it may be the result of a traumatic early experience. One example
would be claustrophobia developing over time after a younger child
has an unpleasant experience in a confined space.
Phobias that start during childhood can also be caused by
witnessing the phobia of a family member. A child whose mother
has arachnophobia, for example, is much more

likely to develop the same phobia.

Complex phobias
More research is needed to confirm exactly why a person develops
agoraphobia or social anxiety. Researchers currently believe
complex phobias are caused by a combination of life experiences,
brain chemistry, and genetics.
They may also be an echo of the habits of early humans, leftover
from a time in which open spaces and unknown people generally
posed a far greater threat to personal safety than in today's world.
How the brain works during a phobia
Some areas of the brain store and recall dangerous or potentially
deadly events.
If a person faces a similar event later on in life, those areas of the
brain retrieve the stressful memory, sometimes more than once.
This causes the body to experience the same reaction.
In a phobia, the areas of the brain that deal with fear
and stress keep retrieving the frightening event inappropriately.
Researchers have found that phobias are often linked to the
amygdala, which lies behind the pituitary gland in the brain. The
amygdala can trigger the release of "fight-or-flight" hormones.
These put the body and mind in a highly alert and stressed state.

Treatment
Treatment includes different types of psychotherapy.
Phobias are highly treatable, and people who have them are nearly
always aware of their disorder. This helps diagnosis a great deal.

Speaking to a psychologist or psychiatrist is a useful first step in

treating a phobia that has already been identified.
If the phobia does not cause severe problems, most people find that
simply avoiding the source of their fear helps them stay in control.
Many people with specific phobias will not seek treatment as these
fears are often manageable.
It is not possible to avoid the triggers of some phobias, as is often
the case with complex phobias. In these cases, speaking to a mental
health professional can be the first step to recovery.
Most phobias can be cured with appropriate treatment. There is no
single treatment that works for every person with a phobia.
Treatment needs to be tailored to the individual for it to work.
 The doctor, psychiatrist, or psychologist may recommend behavioral
therapy, medications, or a combination of both. Therapy is aimed at
reducing fear and anxiety symptoms and helping people manage
their reactions to the object of their phobia.

Фобии — это страхи, которые могут негативно влиять на жизнь человека. Существует
множество видов фобий, и одна из самых известных — это трискаидекафобия, или боязнь числа
13. Эта фобия считается одной из самых популярных в культуре, и её корни уходят в разные
исторические и мифологические традиции.
### Выявление и последствия

У людей с трискаидекафобией может проявляться сильный страх или дискомфорт при

столкновении с числом 13, будь то в виде даты, номера квартиры, билета или других
взаимодействий. Это может привести к избеганию ситуаций, связанных с числом 13, и даже к
снижению качества жизни. Например, некоторые люди могут отказываться от поездок, если
они знають, что придется столкнуться с этим числом, или избегать мест, где есть
соответствующие номера.

### Борьба с фобией

Люди, испытывающие такие страхи, могут обратиться за помощью к психотерапевтам, чтобы

проработать свои чувства и научиться справляться с фобией. Методики лечения могут
включать когнитивно-поведенческую терапию, экспозиционную терапию и другие подходы.

Фобия числа 13, как и другие виды фобий, представляет собой сложный психологический
феномен, который иллюстрирует, как культурные и исторические факторы могут влиять на
индивидуальное восприятие и страхи.

На АНГ

Phobias are fears that can negatively impact a person’s life. There are many types of phobias, and one
of the most well-known is triskaidekaphobia, or fear of the number 13. This phobia is considered one of
the most popular in culture, and its roots go back to various historical and mythological traditions.
### Identification and consequences

People with triskaidekaphobia may experience intense fear or discomfort when confronted with the
number 13, that is, in the form of dates, apartment numbers, tickets, or other interactions. This can
lead to avoidance of events associated with the number 13 and even a decrease in the quality of life.
For example, some people may refuse to participate in events if they know that campaigns adhere to
these numbers or go to places where there are corresponding numbers.

### Coping with phobia

People experiencing such fears can seek help from psychotherapists to work through their feelings and
learn to cope with the phobia. Treatment options may include cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure
therapy, and other approaches.

Phobia of the number 13, like other types of phobias, is a complex psychological phenomenon that
illustrates how cultural and historical factors can influence individual perceptions and fears.

Symptoms
 sweating
 abnormal breathing
 accelerated heartbeat
 trembling
 hot flushes or chills
 a choking sensation
 chest pains or tightness
 butterflies in the stomach
 pins and needles
 dry mouth
 confusion and disorientation
 nausea
 dizziness
 headache

Treatment includes different types of psychotherapy.

Phobias are highly treatable, and people who have them are nearly always aware of their disorder.
This helps diagnosis a great deal.

Speaking to a psychologist or psychiatrist is a useful first step in treating a phobia that has already
been identified.