Which Phobia Do You Have

What Is The Prognosis For Acrophobia

Only about 10% to 25% of people who have a specific phobia, such as acrophobia, seek treatment for their condition because many can avoid the situation that they fear. If you have acrophobia, avoiding situations that involve heights can prevent you from completing everyday tasks such as walking up a flight of stairs or crossing a bridge and can lower your overall quality of life. Having acrophobia can also be potentially dangerous if you experience a panic attack while at a significant height, such as while on a ladder. This is why its important to seek treatment.

Research has shown that exposure therapy, especially virtual reality exposure therapy, is successful in treating acrophobia. People who have acrophobia and dont seek treatment are two times more likely to develop a generalized anxiety disorder or depression thats unrelated to their specific phobia.

How Can I Be Tested For Social Anxiety

There is no medical test for social anxiety disorder. A psychiatrist or other mental health professional can make a diagnosis of social anxiety disorder based on your own description of your symptoms, how they occur, and in what situations. Your doctor will use criteria listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders to determine if your symptoms warrant a diagnosis.

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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Diagnostic Criteria For A Phobia

Phobias are considered irrational and intense fears to objects , animals , or to specific situations .

Almost all of us know someone who has an excessive fear of the dark/night , mice or even of being touched hafephobia), as phobias are among the most common mental disorders.

But not all fears are classified as phobias. The fear has to be excessive and persistent, causing the person to experience panic, terror and/or anxiety accompanied by some physical symptoms.

In addition, the phobic person must try very hard to avoid facing the object, animal or situation that he fears, or he must face it with great anxiety or fear.

In any case, the anxiety or fear should not be better explained by another type of disorder, such as obsessive compulsive disorder or generalized anxiety disorder .

What Kind Of Heights Are People With Acrophobia Afraid Of

Types of heights or situations that people with acrophobia may fear include:

• Walking up a flight of stairs.
• Being on a ladder.
• Standing near a balcony or at the top of a building.
• Looking out a window of a tall building.

Since there are many kinds of phobias, they can be a little challenging to diagnose. People who have acrophobia generally fear more than one kind of height or high place. There are other phobias that are characterized by a fear of a situation that happens to involve a significant height, but the height isnt the main aspect of the fear. As an example, if you have an intense fear of flying on airplanes specifically, you may have aerophobia, the fear of flying, and not acrophobia. If youre experiencing intense fear that limits your life and experiences, its important to see your healthcare provider so you can get a proper diagnosis and treatment.

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Specific Phobia Test Online And Anonymous

Listen to this section

Phobias are one of the most common mental disorders. Everybody knows at least one person who has an excessive fear of open spaces and crowds , of social situations , or of spiders . Not everyone who has an excessive fear of something has a phobia the fear needs to be excessive and persistent, causing the person to experience panic, terror, and/or anxiety accompanied by some physical symptoms. Also, the person goes to great lengths to avoid facing the object, animal or situation. And on top of that, the person should not have a mental disorder with overlapping symptoms, such as obsessive compulsive disorder or generalized anxiety disorder. That is why we, at Barends Psychology Practice, developed a quick and anonymous online phobia test. This phobia test tells you when it is likely that you meet the criteria of a specific phobia, whether or not your symptoms may have reduced due to safety objects or behaviours , and if you may suffer from another mental disorder.Please note: this phobia test is not a tool to diagnose people. Always reach out to a professional for a proper specific phobia diagnosis. If you doubt your results, do not hesitate to reach out. We are happy to answer your questions.

Despite All The Fun For Those Who Suffer From Fears And Phobias This Time Of The Year Can Be Really Frightful

There is actually a specific phobia of Halloween . Fear of Halloween Phobia Samhainophobia. Samhainophobia is the fear of Halloween or the fear of the festival of the dead. The term Samhainophobia originates from Samhuin meaning summers end. Just dont ask me how to pronounce it.

There are all types of phobias that are tough to avoid around Halloween. For example, the fear of masks , the fear of clowns , the fear of bats and the fear of Halloween itself .

A phobia is an intense, irrational fear of something that isnt really a threat. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 9 percent of adults and 14 percent of children between 13 and 18 have at least one phobia.

Of course, most phobias are seen year round,like the fear of spiders, heights, or escalators, not just around Halloween.

She came in and we helped her get over that phobia using a combination of techniques in hypnosis affect bridge regression, circle therapy and the NLP phobia cure being some of them. Once the association in the mind starts to release, then relearning a new pattern through future pacing is the most important thing to do, to create a comfortable familiarity with the situation which, in the past, caused the fear.

Hypnosis is the GENTLEST way to get over a fear or phobia. In hypnosis we can create dissociation or even double dissociation . Also, hypnosis is a calmer state, so the work of releasing and repatterining the association feels gentler or more muted.

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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.

Risk Factors & Causes For Samhainophobia

Phobia of halloween in many cases is triggered by a nasty experience in the past. Your fear may also seem to come out of no where with no memory you can think of. By exposing the root cause, you will be able to remedy the problem by easily exchanging harmful triggers. People who are at the greatest risk include:

People with a general tendency towards fear and anxiety If you are jittery, edgy, sensitive, nervous One who is dealing with adrenal insufficiency

Do these even slightly describe you? Click here to see what individuals like you are saying about our capability to make a difference.

Or, see what the media has to say.

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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

Aerophobia: Afraid To Fly

Someone who has aerophobia is afraid of flying. The phobia generally develops after a person has a traumatic experience involving an airplane, such as going through extreme turbulence or witnessing another passenger have a panic attack. Even after the incident is forgotten, the fear stays and can even be triggered by watching film of a plane crash on TV. Hypnotherapy is commonly used to identify the initial trauma and to treat this phobia.

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What Questions Should I Ask My Doctor

Talking about your mental health can be uncomfortable and scary. Your mental health is just as important as your physical health, so its important to talk to your healthcare provider about your symptoms. The following questions may be helpful to ask your provider if you have acrophobia:

• What kind of treatment do you recommend?
• Should I see a therapist, psychologist and/or psychiatrist?
• Do you have any recommendations for psychologists, psychiatrists or therapists that I could see?
• How long will treatment take?
• Do you know of any support groups for acrophobia or phobias in general?
• Do you have any learning resources on acrophobia that I could read?

A note from Cleveland ClinicIf you have acrophobia, know that you are not alone. Acrophobia is a common phobia. Avoiding heights can provide short-term relief, but this doesnt address the underlying cause of your fear and anxiety. Although it can be difficult and uncomfortable, its important to talk to your healthcare provider and seek proper treatment for your acrophobia. The sooner you seek help, the sooner you can take back control of your life.

Help For Those Who Fear Halloween

If the effects of Samhainophobia are extremely bothersome and devastating, speaking with a medical professional is recommended. Trying to avoid the triggers that cause this phobia can ease the symptoms although treatments such as counseling, hypnotherapy or psychotherapy may be encouraged.

Medications, such as those for anxiety, could possibly be prescribed. But keep in mind that these medicines are intended to suppress the symptoms, not cure them.

Samhainophobia is not a joke. If you know of someone who has a fear of Halloween, please do not make fun of them. There are probably much deeper reasons for their irrational fear that are not easily explained or understood.

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Signs And Symptoms Of Phobias

Signs you may have a phobia include:

• being excessively fearful of a situation or object on an ongoing basis, for six months or more
• feeling an intense need to avoid or escape from the feared situation or object
• experiencing panic or distress when exposed to the situation or object
• feeling unable to function properly or out of control when exposed to the situation or object
• knowing that the fear is unreasonable or exaggerated, but being unable to control the feelings of distress.

Feelings of anxiety and distress can be produced just by thinking about the situation or object. Physical symptoms can include:

• sweating
• nausea or dizziness
• headache.

People with complex phobias are more likely to see an impact on their wellbeing, since the triggers for these phobias are more common and harder to avoid. For example, someone might be unable to go to school or work, or may avoid seeing their friends and family.

Does Social Anxiety Ever Go Away

For most people, social anxiety disorder will not go away without treatment. It is very important to seek help from a mental health professional if you believe you are experiencing symptoms of social anxiety disorder. Cognitive behavioral therapy is generally considered the most effective form of treatment for social anxiety. CBT is a form of therapy that enables you to identify negative patterns of thought and behavior and change them.

National Institute of Mental Health. Social Anxiety Disorder: More Than Just Shyness. Accessed 4/21/21.

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Trusted Effective Treatment For Phobia Of Halloween

If just thinking it causes you to start to feel the fear, its time you did something about it. The good news is that we have never met a case of phobia of halloween that could not be overcome.

If you are ready to put this behind you once and for all, heres what we offer at CTRN:

• A noticeable improvement, often a major one, in less than 24 hours
• Complete confidentiality and privacy

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Acrophobia: Fear Of Heights

Acrophobia is an excessive fear of heights and manifests as severe anxiety. A person could have an attack just walking up stairs or climbing a ladder. Sometimes the fear is so great a person can’t move. Acrophobia can create a dangerous situation for someone who has it. An anxiety attack can make it extremely difficult to safely get down from whatever high place triggered the attack.

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What Causes Phobias

Phobias do not have a single cause, but there are a number of associated factors.

For example:

• a phobia may be associated with a particular incident or trauma
• a phobia may be a learned response that a person develops early in life from a parent or sibling
• genetics may play a role there’s evidence to suggest that some people are born with a tendency to be more anxious than others

What Is A Phobia

Almost everyone has an irrational fear or twoof spiders, for example, or your annual dental checkup. For most people, these fears are minor. But when fears become so severe that they cause tremendous anxiety and interfere with your normal life, theyre called phobias.

A phobia is an intense fear of something that, in reality, poses little or no actual danger. Common phobias and fears include closed-in places, heights, highway driving, flying insects, snakes, and needles. However, you can develop phobias of virtually anything. While most phobias develop in childhood, they can also develop in later life.

If you have a phobia, you probably realize that your fear is irrational, yet you still cant control your feelings. Just thinking about the feared object or situation may make you anxious. And when youre actually exposed to the thing you fear, the terror is automatic and overwhelming. The experience is so nerve-wracking that you may go to great lengths to avoid itinconveniencing yourself or even changing your lifestyle. If you have claustrophobia, for example, you might turn down a lucrative job offer if you have to ride the elevator to get to the office. If you have a fear of heights, you might drive an extra 20 miles in order to avoid a tall bridge.

Barbaras fear of flying

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Normal Fears Vs Phobias Or Irrational Fears

It is normal and even helpful to experience fear in dangerous situations. Fear serves a protective purpose, activating the automatic fight-or-flight response. With our bodies and minds alert and ready for action, we are able to respond quickly and protect ourselves. But with phobias the threat is nonexistent or greatly exaggerated. For example, it is only natural to be afraid of a snarling Doberman, but it is irrational to be terrified of a friendly poodle on a leash, as you might be if you have a dog phobia.

Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia Fear Of The Number 666

This is a terrifying word fitting of its evil backstory. People familiar with Christianity probably know that hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia originates from the Book of Revelation, which details the supposed end of the world. In its original context, 666 is noted as the mark of the Beast , but now has broadly come to be associated with the Antichrist and even the Devil.

If youre curious on how to break down this weird phobias downright ungodly spelling, its the Ancient Greek hexakosioi + hexekonta + hex + phobia = hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia.

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