Characterized by persistent, irrational and exaggerated fear, phobia, including social phobia, is a type of anxiety disorder capable of awakening intense feelings and emotions , which often limit the individual’s life.
It can be separated into many varieties, including an intense fear of tight, tall or crowded spaces to germs or even interacting with other human beings. And yet they have in common is the fact that they are going to compromise our well-being.
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What is a phobia?
Phobia is an anxiety disorder classified in ICD 10 (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems ) as phobic-anxiety disorder.
In general, it reasons an excessive, irrational and chronic worry of particular objects, situations or sports, it virtually is usually additionally located by the use of a sequence of physical and emotional signs and symptoms and symptoms.
Main types of phobia
The list of existing phobias is long. But, in summary, it is divided into three main types. They are:
Specific phobias
Specific phobias are characterized by an severe and irrational fear of a specific object or state of affairs. Some common examples of this include:
- Claustrophobia (fear of closed or tight spaces);
- Trypanophobia (fear of injections or needles);
- Acrophobia (fear of heights);
- Arachnophobia (fear of spiders);
- Coulrophobia (fear of clowns);
- Hydrophobia (fear of water);
- Aerophobia (fear of flying);
- Hematophobia (fear of seeing blood);
- Mysophobia (fear of germs);
- Zoophobia (fear of specific animals).
Social phobia
As the name indicates, social phobia is that abnormally excessive worry of social situations, and in this circumstance in particular, the person knows that they will be placed beneath assessment or judgment of some type.
This worry turns into so immoderate that it can intrude with the character’s each day existence, as a result reflecting negatively on their active participation in paintings, university, and private relationships.
Agoraphobia
An irrational and exaggerated fear of being in situations or places that are not familiar or even from which, due to panic or fear, escape might not be easy. This tends to evolve following one or more attacks of panic .
What causes phobia?
Generally, the causes of phobia consist of a mixture of genetic, environmental, and psychological factors. For example, it can be because of negative or worrying reports, especially those that manifest in the course of childhood.
Furthermore, growing up in an environment where a specific fear is emphasized or being involved in situations that involve psychosocial risks can also favor the development of a phobic condition.
However, it’s far very essential to mention that there is no settlement as to how exactly phobias increase, and, inside the majority of cases, their beginning remains unknown.
What are the signs and symptoms of a phobia?
As we have noted earlier than, phobia is commonly characterized by an immoderate fear that has no percentage to the actual hazard an object or state of affairs poses. However, whenever this fear manifests, it has a tendency to trigger a sequence of other symptoms.
Check out the main ones:
- Feeling of panic or impending terror;
- Extreme anxiety when thinking about or being in the presence of the feared object or situation;
- Excessive concern about situations that have not yet happened;
- Tachycardia, sweating and tremors;
- Feeling short of breath and difficulty breathing;
- Dizziness and/or fainting;
- Changes in blood pressure;
- Nausea or stomach discomfort;
- Escape or paralysis behavior;
- Avoidance of situations or places associated with fear.
In addition to the symptoms above, it is worth noting that some phobias also have a direct relationship with depression , mainly due to the isolation it can cause in the individual.
This is the case with social phobia, which often triggers secondary problems, such as depression and substance abuse.
What is the difference between phobia and fear?
Since we’ve got talked plenty on worry, up to now we cannot fail to give an explanation for what differentiates the normal fears from pathological fears. After all, we recognise that that is a doubt shared by many human beings.
In easy phrases, fear is a natural response to actual or perceived chance that serves to hold us from damage. It also tends to be transitory and does now not interfere with every day life.
On the contrary, a phobia is a disproportionate and overwhelming fear, which may last for many years and have various negative consequences for the person (as we could see above).
How is a phobia diagnosed?
The diagnosis of phobia is made by a mental health professional , such as psychologists and psychiatrists, through clinical evaluation.
Actually, the diagnosis comes out as being based on assessing the symptoms reportedly told by the patient, life history, and even the effect it has on everyday life.
Not to mention ruling out other possible medical conditions that could induce the same syndrome such as, panic disorder and OCD.
What are the forms of phobia treatment?
After confirming the diagnosis, the professional responsible for the case must also outline the necessary coping strategies.
Generally, phobia treatment involves continuous monitoring by a psychology professional , through psychotherapy sessions, as well as the use of specific medications (such as serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants).
Exposure is another very common technique as used in this context. In this, the patient is guided in the desensitization process towards gradual and controlled exposure to feared situations or objects.
All of these treatment approaches can be indicated independently or together and aim to guide the patient to perceive, confront, and transcend fear, allowing the patient to resume a fuller and more functional life.