Examples Of Causes Of Phobias
- Past incidents or traumas. Certain situations might have a lasting effect on how you feel about them. For example, if you experienced a lot of turbulence on a plane at a young age, you might develop a phobia of flying. Or if you were injured by a dog some years ago, you might develop a phobia of dogs.
- Learned responses from early life. Your phobia may develop from factors in your childhood environment. For example you might have parents or guardians who are very worried or anxious. This may affect how you cope with anxiety in later life. You might develop the same specific phobia as a parent or older sibling. If they have a severe reaction to something they fear, this might influence you to feel the same way.
- Reactions and responses to panic or fear. You might have a strong reaction, or a panic attack, in response to a situation or object. You may find yourself feeling embarrassed by this. Especially if people around you react strongly to your response. You could develop even more intense anxiety about the idea of this happening again.
- Experiencing long-term stress. Stress can cause feelings of anxiety and depression. It can reduce your ability to cope in particular situations. This might make you feel more fearful or anxious about being in those situations again. Over a long period, this could develop into a phobia.
- Genetic factors. Research suggests that some people are more vulnerable to developing a phobia than others.
Living with my phobia of bananas
Specific Phobia Risk Factors
Risk factors for developing a specific phobia are temperamental, environmental, and genetic. For instance, negative affectivity or behavioral inhibition are temperamental risk factors for a variety of anxiety disorders, including specific phobias.
Parental overprotectiveness, physical and sexual abuse and traumatic encounters are examples of environmental risk factors that increase the likelihood of an individual developing a specific phobia.
There may also be a genetic susceptibility to a certain category of a specific phobia; for example, if an individual has an immediate relative with a specific situational phobia of flying, the individual is more likely to have the same specific phobia than any other category of phobia.
What Are The Complications Of Phobias
If not treated, a phobia can worsen to the point in which the person’s quality of life is seriously impaired, both by the phobia itself and/or by attempts to avoid or hide it. For example, a fear of flying can result in the sufferer being unable to travel. Some people have problems with their relationships, have failed in school, and/or been unable to maintain employment as the result of a severe phobia. While there may be periods of spontaneous improvement, a phobia does not usually go away unless the individual gets treatments that are specifically designed to address this condition. Alcoholics can be up to 10 times more likely to develop a phobia than nonalcoholics, and phobic individuals may be twice as likely to suffer from alcoholism or another addiction than those who have never been phobic. It has even been found that phobic anxiety can be life-threatening for some people, increasing the risk of suffering from heart disease in both men and women.
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Different Kinds Of Phobias
There are many different kinds of phobias. The most common kind is a;social phobia, which can make someone feel scared of being embarrassed in front of other people.
A kid with a social phobia might feel scared of talking to a teacher or a coach or might be afraid of walking in front of the whole classroom when they need to go to the restroom.
A social phobia can make it nearly impossible for a kid to stand up and give a book report or even enjoy a birthday party. Although most kids might be a little afraid of giving a book report to a big group of kids or talking to a teacher, kids with a social phobia become so afraid that they can’t fully enjoy life or function the way other kids do.
Sometimes people may think that a kid with a social phobia is just shy, but it isn’t the same thing. A kid with a social phobia may want to go out and have lots of friends, but just can’t control the fear of being with others.
Agoraphobia is another kind of phobia. This causes someone to worry about having a panic attack in a place where leaving would be hard or embarrassing. The fear of the panic is so strong that they often avoid places where they might have a panic attack.
Claustrophobia is the fear of being in an enclosed space, like an elevator, a tunnel, or an airplane.
There are almost as many phobias as there are things and situations: arachnophobia is a fear of spiders, whereas ablutophobia is a fear of washing yourself or taking a bath or shower.
What Percentage Of The Population Has A Phobia
Many people have a specific phobia, a common anxiety disorder that often precedes other psychological issues.;
World mental health surveys from 2001 to 2011 confirmed that about 7.7% to 12.5% of surveyed people had a lifetime-specific phobia, and 2% to 8.8% had a year-long prevalence of a specific phobia.
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How Do Phobias Develop
We dont know exactly why phobias develop. Specific phobias tend to begin during childhood, likely because a child’s brain is still learning how to react to certain stimuli. For example, a child who develops a fear of heights may have had a bad experience with heights, like falling off a jungle gym, or may have taken in information that encouraged a fear of heights, like seeing someone fall on TV or seeing a fear of heights in a family member. However, past experiences are not the only potential cause of specific phobias. Genetics may also play a role in the risk of developing a specific phobia.1
The causes of other types of phobias, like social anxiety disorder and agoraphobia, are also thought to be a combination of genetics and life experiences. Social anxiety disorders typically start in the teen years, likely because of the hormonal changes and social pressures teenagers endure. Since agoraphobia is highly related to panic disorder, the average age of onset is similar to panic disorder. Panic disorder and agoraphobia most often begin in young adults.11, 6, 12
What Is Social Phobia
If you have social phobia, you will feel a sense of intense fear in social situations. You will often try to avoid them. You might worry about a social event before, during and after it has happened. It is also known as social anxiety or social anxiety disorder.
A lot of people find social situations difficult, or feel shy or awkward at certain times this is completely normal.
Social phobia however can completely overwhelm you. You might find it very difficult to engage in everyday activities such as:
- talking in groups
- speaking to authority figures, such as talking to doctors
- eating and drinking in front of others
- regular trips out, to the shops for example
- going to work.
“I have suffered from phobias since I was three years old and couldn’t cope with the social demands of a playgroup. I then went on to suffer from School Phobia right through to my teens, then various phobias surrounding college and work, which led to me becoming unemployed, isolated, agoraphobic and severely depressed.”
You might worry about these social situations because you fear that others will judge you negatively. Or maybe you fear that you’ll offend others by something you say or do. You may also worry about others noticing that you are anxious.
Social phobia can hugely affect your everyday life. It might:
Lots of social phobia, but no friends
“When I walked through the door and was amongst other people, I couldn’t even open my eyes.”
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How To Overcome Fear Of Dogs
One way to minimize the risk of developing cynophobia is to interact with a dog as soon as possible after a personal or witnessed negative encounter with a dog, Dr. Vitagliano says. If you have a friend, loved one, or neighbor who has a well-behaved dog, ask if you or your loved one who has a fear of dogs might spend some time with the well-behaved dog.
Educate yourself. Read all you can about dogs. Just learning how rare it is to be bitten by a dog may be comforting, the same way it can be comforting to know how unlikely it is that something bad will happen to your airplane when flying.
Get help. Share with your loved ones that you have an irrational fear of dogs. And ask your health care provider for the name of a therapist who treats phobias and who could help you overcome cynophobia. Recognizing your fear, discussing it with others, and seeking help will allow you to overcome your phobia.
What Happens When Someone Has Social Phobia
Extreme feelings of shyness and self-consciousness build into a powerful fear. As a result, a person feels uncomfortable participating in everyday social situations.
People with social phobia can usually interact easily with family and a few close friends. But meeting new people, talking in a group, or speaking in public can cause their extreme shyness to kick in.
With social phobia, a person’s extreme shyness, self-consciousness, and fears of embarrassment get in the way of life. Instead of enjoying social activities, people with social phobia might dread them and avoid some of them altogether.
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Glossophobia Fear Of Public Speaking
I have never been one to love public speaking. I avoided it at all costs. Thinking that is due to my medical issues. I can feel confident prior but when I get up there in front of people, I naturally get nervous. And with Mastocytosis , I flush at any emotion with intensity that I have. So, people always think I am blushing because I am embarrassed, and that is not the case. Yea I get nervous, but I certainly am not embarrassed by anything.
What Fears Are Involved
With social phobia, a person’s fears and concerns are focused on their social performance whether it’s a major class presentation or small talk at the lockers.
People with social phobia tend to feel self-conscious and uncomfortable about being noticed or judged by others. They’re more sensitive to fears that they’ll be embarrassed, look foolish, make a mistake, or be criticized or laughed at. No one wants to go through these things. But most people don’t really spend much time worrying about it.;The fear and anxiety are out of proportion to the situation.
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Specific Phobia With Impairment Among Adults
- Of adults with specific phobia in the past year, degree of impairment ranged from mild to serious, as shown in Figure 2. Impairment was determined by scores on the Sheehan Disability Scale.3
- Of adults with specific phobia in the past year, an estimated 21.9% had serious impairment, 30.0% had moderate impairment, and 48.1% had mild impairment.
Figure 2
Severity |
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100 |
Social Phobia Facts And Statistics
Social phobia is defined as the extreme fear of social situations where the individual is afraid of being judged by or embarrassed in front of;other;people.
These are some of the most common phobias, affecting nearly 3% of the worlds population. More social phobia statistics:
Quiz:
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Specific Phobia Statistics And Facts
Specific phobias are characterized by an irrational or unwarranted fear about a specific situation, object or animals. In some;cases, these objects of dread can prove to be;dangerous. Here are some specific phobia statistics:
Fear Of Flying Statistics
Most of us have either experienced it ourselves or know someone who has, the crippling fear of flying: The sweaty palms, nausea, and shortness of breath that descends upon you as you contemplate being stuck in the air, a situation in which you have absolutely no control.
Private jet charters have been known to reduce the fear of flying because people feel more in control of their surroundings and they can get one-to-one attention from the flight crew should they start to panic.
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Dealing With Social Phobia
People with social phobia can learn to manage fear, develop confidence and coping skills, and stop avoiding things that make them anxious. But it’s not always easy. Overcoming social phobia means getting up the courage it takes to go beyond what’s comfortable, little by little.
Here’s who can support and guide people in overcoming social phobia:
- Therapists can help people recognize the physical sensations caused by fightflight and teach them to interpret these sensations more accurately. Therapists can help people create a plan for facing social fears one by one, and help them build the skills and confidence to do it. This includes practicing new behaviors. Sometimes, but not always, medications that reduce anxiety are used as part of the treatment for social phobia.
- Family or friends are especially important for people who are dealing with social phobia. The right support from a few key people can help those with social phobia gather the courage to go outside their comfort zone and try something new. Putdowns, lectures, criticisms, and demands to change don’t help and just make a person feel bad. Having social phobia isn’t a person’s fault and isn’t something anyone chooses. Instead, friends and family can encourage people with social phobia to pick a small goal to aim for, remind them to go for it, and be there when they might feel discouraged. Good friends and family are there to celebrate each small success along the way.
Top 10 Phobia Statistics For Everyone
- About 9.1% of adult US citizens had some sort of specific phobia in 2019.
- About 4% of the global population has claustrophobia, or the fear of tiny, enclosed spaces.
- The lifetime prevalence of visual height intolerance, a milder form of acrophobia, is 28%.;
- 19.3% of adolescents in the US experience a specific phobia.
- Acrophobia, the fear of heights, affects about 5% of all people.
- Between 7% and 9% of people suffer from specific phobias, such as cynophobia, the fear of dogs.
- Fear of spiders, or arachnophobia, affects somewhere between 3.5% and 6.1% of people worldwide
- About 33% of people have aerophobia, the fear of flying, ranging from mild to drastic.
- Just about 20% of people who seek treatment for phobias are completely cured.
- About 33% of adults constitute the fear of snakes statistic figures, i.e., they have ophidiophobia.
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Nomophobia Fear Of Being Without Your Cell Phone
Our world today makes staying connected an exceptionally important thing. So, imagine being without your phone, not only can this cause severe anxiety, but it also can become an addiction for many having a cell phone. So, it is a catch 22.
What on earth did we do before cell phones? Being a 37-year-old, I do remember what it was like before cell phones. We had pagers . If you needed directions, you looked at a map or asked someone. We had to go to the library or use encyclopedias to do research for homework. Hey, we did our homework on paper too, lol! Computers were in the school system as I grew up but not everyone had one at home.