The Difference Between Fear And Phobia
The term phobia gets thrown around a lot these days, but having a fear and having a phobia arent exactly the same thing.
Essentially, fear is temporary; phobia isnt.
Having a phobia creates a stumbling block in your life, and the fear it causes can be so strong that youll do anything to avoid the object of that phobia. Phobia that becomes debilitating is a type of anxiety disorder. Take, for example, a job offer. You made it through the hardest partlanding your dream positiononly to find out that your office will be on the 20th floor of an office buildingand you have a phobia of heights. In order to avoid being so high off the ground, you turn the position down and pass up a significant job opportunity because of your phobia.1
Phobias can be debilitating and crippling, and they can keep you from enjoying the things you love with the people you love. But it doesnt have to be this way. There is hope and help for people with phobias.
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The Three Kinds Of Phobia
Hundreds of different phobias have been identified, including phobophobia or fear of phobias. But when talking about phobias, which are a kind of anxiety disorder, experts divide them into three categories — agoraphobia, an intense anxiety in public places where an escape might be difficult; social phobia, a fear and avoidance of social situations; and specific phobia, an irrational fear of specific objects or situations.
Different Types Of Phobias
Phobias can be divided in two major groups: complex and simple phobias. Simple phobias are irrational fears about a specific situation, animal, or activity.
On the other hand, complex phobias are related to more intense fear and/or anxiety. This can include fear of certain circumstances, places, or situations. Here are some of the most common phobias that we know of:
- Fear of heights: Acrophobia
Complex Phobias
- Social phobia:;A social phobia is a condition in which a person experiences intense fear in different social situations. This can include meeting new people, public speaking, performing on a stage, eating or drinking in public. This phobia can dramatically change your lifestyle and eventually lead to isolation.
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What Medications Treat Phobias
Antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors may be used to treat phobias. Sometimes medications are used alone or along with another treatment such as desensitization therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy . Escitalopram , sertraline , fluvoxamine , fluoxetine , paroxetine , and citalopram are examples of SSRIs.
Beta-blockers are medications that counteract the effect of adrenaline in the body. These medications may be used to treat phobias. Propranolol is one kind of beta-blocker. Benzodiazepines are another class of medication that may be used to treat phobias. These medications promote relaxation, but they are highly addictive and overdose may be associated with very serious consequences. Mixing alcohol with benzodiazepines can be deadly. For these reasons, benzodiazepines are not frequently used to treat phobias. Medications in this class include clonazepam , alprazolam , lorazepam , and diazepam .
Treatment Procedure And Medications For Phobias
Medical therapists suggest both medication and counseling sessions of people suffering with phobia. Adults need treatment and cannot get out of it usually without proper medication process. The medical procedure includes ways of bringing the person out of the anxiety he is going through and teach him better ways of handling situations in life.
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What Does Phobia Mean
A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder in which there is a persistent, excessive and irrational fear reaction.
A person having a phobia either tries to avoid the thing that triggers the fear, or encounters it with great anxiety and distress. The person may not experience phobia until he/she comes in contact with the source of the fear. The fear can be of a specific place, situation, or object.
The impact of a phobia can range from irritating to severely disabling. People with phobia find that their fear is excessive and unrealistic but they cant help anything about it. Such fears can interfere with their work, school, office and personal relationships.
Phobias often start in children or teens, and continue into adulthood.
Approximately, 19 million people in United States;have a phobia that causes difficulty in some way in their lives. You should consult your doctor if you have a fear that prevents you from leading your fullest life.
Emetophobia: A Gut Feeling
Emetophobia is an unnatural fear of vomiting that typically starts early in life from some traumatic episode. For instance, someone may have witnessed a schoolmate vomiting in public or done so themselves. The anxiety can be triggered by thoughts of vomiting or thinking of somewhere such as a hospital, where vomiting is common. As with aerophobia, hypnotherapy is commonly used in part of the treatment.
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What You Need To Know About Phobias
Fear itself is a natural feeling that is completely normal and even healthy. It is the natural way our brain signals us for possible danger and triggers our instincts of self-preservation.
We are trained to deal with fears and accept them as a natural part of our lives, but it’s different when we talk about irrational fears and phobias. A phobia is a when a person experiences deep and intense fear of something.
The problem with phobias is that often people;with certain phobias experience such intense fear that it;makes them change their normal lifestyle. If you have several things in your life that cause you intense irrational fear, and you start change your life because of it, you have developed a phobia.
Dont Underestimate A Phobia
Whilst there are some amusingly named phobias a phobia, of any kind, is no joke. The effect on life can be dramatic and significant and, as such, they should be taken very seriously. You should never assume that your phobia will simply go away of its own accord, nor should you avoid it and pretend it doesnt exist. Face up to phobia, seek help, find the right;treatment and beat your fears!
References
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Brontophobia: Fear Of Thunder
The Greek word bronte means thunder and brontophobia means fear of thunder. Even though people with brontophobia may realize thunder won’t hurt them, they may refuse to go outside during a thunderstorm. They may even hide indoors by crouching behind a couch or waiting out the storm in a closet. An abnormal fear of both thunder and lightning is called astraphobia, a phobia shared by people and animals.
What Are The Symptoms
Phobias of all types share similar physical and emotional symptoms. With hemophobia, symptoms may be triggered by seeing blood in real life or on television. Some people may feel symptoms after thinking about blood or certain medical procedures, like a blood test.
Physical symptoms triggered by this phobia may include:
- trouble breathing
- extreme feelings of anxiety or panic
- overwhelming need to escape situations where blood is involved
- detachment from self or feeling unreal
- feeling like youve lost control
- feeling like you may die or pass out
- feeling powerless over your fear
Hemophobia is unique because it also produces whats called a vasovagal response. A vasovagal response means you have a drop in your heart rate and blood pressure in response to a trigger, such as the sight of blood.
When this happens, you may feel dizzy or faint. Some of people with BII phobia experience a vasovagal response, according to a 2014 survey. This response isnt common with other specific phobias.
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There Is Hopeand Help
In conclusion, parents should know that phobias are treatable. Parents whose children suffer from phobias should never be afraid to reach out for expert assessment and advice.
With any mental health condition, its always best to get information and help early on. Therefore, children and teens have a better opportunity to overcome their anxiety and to flourish free of fear.
Front Psychol.;2017 Oct 18;8:1710.
Pediatrics. 2011 Nov; 128: 917925.
National Institute of Mental Health
Anxiety and Depression Association of America
How Are Specific Phobias Diagnosed
If symptoms of a specific phobia are present, the doctor will begin an evaluation by performing a medical and psychiatric history and may perform a brief physical exam. Although there are no lab tests to specifically diagnose specific phobias, the doctor may use various tests to make sure that a physical illness isn’t the cause of the symptoms.
If no physical illness is found, you may be referred to a psychiatrist, psychologist, or other mental health professional who is specially trained to diagnose and treat mental illnesses. Psychiatrists and psychologists use clinical interviews and assessment tools to evaluate a person for a specific phobia.
The doctor bases their diagnosis of specific phobias on reported symptoms, including any problems with functioning caused by the symptoms. A specific phobia is diagnosed if the person’s fear and anxiety are particularly distressing or if they interfere with their daily routine, including school, work, social activities, and relationships.
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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.
When To See A Doctor
A person should see a doctor if they have a phobia that is interfering with their everyday activities.
Sometimes, however, a persons phobia may limit their ability to seek treatment. For example, a person who has severe agoraphobia may fear leaving the house to seek treatment. Likewise, a person who has a fear of healthcare providers or medical procedures may avoid visiting their doctor.
In some cases, a person may feel more comfortable talking to a healthcare provider over the phone. The ADAA have a helpful search tool that allows people to find a psychotherapist in their area.
Some providers also offer counseling services via email or video.
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How Fear Works In The Brain
One of the ways the brain helps keep you alive is by warning you of dangers. When the brain senses danger, an internal alarm system is activated, sending out various signals that trigger feelings of fear or anxiety. These are physical and cognitive reactions triggered in response to whatever it is that your brain perceives as dangerous or scary.
Sometimes, we should be fearfulwithout fear, we would unknowingly put ourselves into life-threatening situations without taking proper precautions. But the difference between having healthy, occasional bouts of fear and having a phobia is that a phobia is by definition irrational: Despite the intense fear you feel, the circumstance or object of your fear poses little or no actual threat to you.3
Think of a phobia as the brains alarm system in overdriveit overestimates the threat of a particular situation, triggering intense anxiety and leading you to avoid that situation in the future. That avoidance actually makes a phobia worse because it solidifies the brains overblown association between the situation and its threat level.
What Are The Three Types Of Phobias
There are three main types of phobias, and all of them fall under the category of anxiety disorders: specific phobias , social anxiety disorder, and agoraphobia.6,9 What they have in common, according to Mazza, is an intense emotional reaction that is not commensurate with what is actually happening in the environment, and the avoidance of the stimuli is what maintains the intense, emotional reaction.
Here are the differences between the types of phobias:
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What Are The Phobia Symptoms
For different persons, symptoms of phobia could be different. For different types of phobia, symptoms also vary. There could be some common symptoms of all kinds of phobia.
For example, unusual sweating, muscle numbness, hazy vision, stammering, shivering and many others are considered as common aftermaths of all sorts of phobias.
Along with these basic symptoms, there are some symptoms which have been known or regarded as unique. Nevertheless, depending on the type of phobia, the common symptoms or normal symptoms of phobia have been triggered. In the following section, a few common symptoms of phobia have been discussed.
Uncontrollable anxiety is a common aftermath of phobia or panic attack for a person. It may be triggered in some situations or conditions.
People suffering from phobia want to avoid the source of fear at all cost.
Behind phobia, the irrational mindset can be regarded as an issue. During the phobia attacks, people may talk about irrational things and it is a common symptom of any kind of phobia.
Apart from these mental or mind related symptoms, there are a few physical symptoms associated with a phobia. In the following section, you can have a quick glimpse of these physical symptoms:
abnormal breathing
Euphobia: Surprisingly, this is a phobia of hearing good news.
Vestiphobia: This type of fear happens due to clothes. Yes, there are certain people who fear of clothing.
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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
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Treating Phobias With Medication
A few medications may be used to treat different kinds of phobias on their own or in conjunction with CBT. These medications arent considered cures, but they can help reduce or manage anxiety symptoms. Based on the type of phobia you have and the severity of your symptoms, your doctor will tell you if medication may be helpful for you and which type may be best. Be sure to ask your doctor questions about why they recommend a certain medication, the benefits of the medication, and what to expect while taking it.16
Medication options that may be used as a part of treating phobias include:
Types Of Phobias: Social Phobias And Specific Phobias
People with different types of phobias often recognize their fear is irrational and that no real danger is present, but most require help in order to overcome their phobia. The definition of a phobia is an overwhelming, persistent, unreasonable fear of an object or situation.
There are three types of phobias, according to the latest version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders :
- Specific phobia
- Agoraphobia fear of being alone in a public place
Each type of phobia can vary in severity from mild to a severe, debilitating disorder. The earlier a phobia develops and the longer you wait to treat the phobia, the more difficult it becomes to recover from it. Without treatment, a person is sometimes left trying to avoid their feared situation for the rest of their lives.
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Managing The Fear Of Long Words
For many people, the fear of long words is mild. If your phobia doesn’t significantly impact your life, making a conscious effort to expand your vocabulary can help. Look for opportunities to learn new words through reading or everyday conversation. If you come across an unfamiliar word, look it up. In many cases, familiarity can ease the symptoms of anxiety.
If your symptoms are more serious and are impacting your daily life, professional assistance may be needed. A mental health professional can help you work through your fears and provide coping strategies for managing your symptoms during the treatment process.
What Are The Symptoms Of Phobias In A Child
Each child may have different symptoms when exposed to a phobia. But these are the most common:
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Increased heart rate
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Numbness
-
Chills or hot flashes
A child who has at least 4 of the symptoms may be having a panic attack. These symptoms may seem like other health problems. Have your child see his or her healthcare provider for a diagnosis.
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Trypanophobia: Fear Of Needles
Having a sharp piece of metal stuck in your arm is obviously an unpleasant thought. So, many people have a strong fear of needles. However, needles can be worth the pain when used for vaccinations, to deliver needed blood, or helping to examine for a potential illness. But, because the symptoms of fear can be so distressing, people with this phobia sometimes avoid doctors, dentists, and other medical professionals. Estimates are that as many as 20-30% of adults have this fear.;
What Are The Different Types Of Phobias
The fear associated with a phobia is much greater than that caused by stress or worry. Phobias cause extreme fear. There are many different types of phobias. It’s possible to be afraid of certain situations, animals, and social interactions. When someone is afraid of a certain object or item they are said to suffer from a specific phobia. The list of different types of phobias is endless. The following slides contain information about the most common phobias.
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