Phobias – Definition, Causes and Treatment 

A phobia is the fear a person experiences when put in front of a certain object or situation. This fear is uncontrollable and, most of the time, it has no realistic basis. As severe as phobias may seem, they can be treated, just like any other anxiety disorder. 

Phobias are rather common among people of all ages, races and social background. Only in the United States of America, more than 19 million people are affected by this condition. Yet, a lot more people sustain that they are phobic about a certain thing or the other, by this understanding that they are not comfortable about seeing a thing or doing a certain action.  

But this is not what phobia is about. People who really suffer from phobia experience a paralyzing fear when confronted with the subject of their anxiety. They may even experience a panic attack and the symptoms which come with it, such as breathing difficulties, rapid heart rate or excessive sweating. 

Generally, a phobia never comes alone. This means that most of the people who are affected by this form of anxiety have a multiplicity of phobias, rather than a single one. 

Panic attacks and extreme fear are two of the symptoms experienced by phobics. In addition to them there are other signs which lead to the conclusion that a person suffers from phobia. If the person avoids whatever situation in which he may be faced with the subject of his fear or runs away when put in front of the object/situation which causes him fear most likely he is phobic.  

What is worse about phobias is that people who suffer from this condition are aware that their fear is unjustified. However, irrespective of this they cannot control their reactions. 

There are several different types of phobias; yet, most of them can be integrated in one of the following three major categories: 

·         Social phobia, which is also known under the name of “social anxiety disorder”. People who have this condition are afraid of being in company of other people and tend to avoid social events. In severe cases they do not even want to meet their friends.

·         Agoraphobia is the fear of not being capable of avoiding, escaping or dealing with dangerous situations. This often results in the person’s unwillingness to leave the house.

·         Specific phobia which denotes the fear of an object or a situation. Most of the common phobias, such as acrophobia (fear of heights), claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces), arachnophobia (fear of spiders) and so on are grouped under this name. 

The factors which cause phobia are unknown yet. Many scientists have agreed upon the fact that this condition has to do with something which happened in childhood.

If the object of fear is something you can easily stay away from, like a wild animal or a situation which happens once in a million years, than treatment may not be needed. However, if the object of fear cannot be avoided, therapy should be undergone. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is recommended in these cases. In addition to this anti-anxiety medication can be prescribed, to diminish the effects of phobia.

Dealing with your fears may be a good way of getting rid of phobia. It may be harder at the beginning, but in the end you will be able to control your emotions.