Phobia Disorders

Phobic disorders are intense, persistent, and recurrent fears of certain objects.

Examples are:

• Snakes

• Spiders

• Blood

• Heights

• Speaking in front of a group or public places

There are 5 different types of specific Phobia:

• Animal Type

• Natural Environment Type

• Blood Injection-injury Type

• Situational Type

• Other types- phobic avoidance of situations that may lead to choking, vomiting, or contracting an illness; in children, avoidance of loud sounds like balloons popping or costumed characters like clown.

Let us break down each one of these categories and see what they consist of in each:

Animal type phobia:

Interesting fact-Animal type phobia actually has its own medical term: Zoophobia

Zoophobia

Zoophobia refers to an abnormal and persistent fear of animals. This can become problematic at times when visiting a zoo or keeping a pet at home. The term zoophobia has been derived from the Greek word “zoo” which means animals and phobia.

Natural environment phobias are fears of heights, storms, water, and the dark), bees (apiphobia), etc. It is literally a zooful beastly phobias.

Natural Environment Type:

Natural environment phobias are not limited to fears of heights, storms, water, and of the dark.

Blood Injection-injury:

Blood Injection-injury is the fear of blood, injury, illness, needles, or other medical procedures.

Situational Type:

Situational Type is (fears triggered by a specific situation) including the fear of enclosed spaces (claustrophobia), flying, driving, tunnels, and bridges.

Some phobias, however, do not fall into one of the four common categories. These include fear of choking, fear of getting a disease such as cancer, and fear of clowns. Other common phobias that do not fit neatly into any of the four categories include:

Social phobia:

Also known as social anxiety disorder, is fear of social situations where you may be embarrassed or judged. If you have social phobia, then you may be excessively self-conscious and afraid of humiliating yourself in front of others. Your anxiety over how you will look and what others will think may lead you to avoid certain social situations you’d otherwise enjoy.

Agoraphobia was traditionally thought to involve a fear of public places and open spaces but is now believed to develop as a complication of panic attacks.

Fear of public speaking:

Fear of public speaking is an extremely common phobia which is a type of social phobia. Other fears associated with social phobia include fear of eating or drinking in public, talking to strangers, taking exams, mingling at a party, or being called on in class.

Agoraphobia:

Agoraphobia was traditionally thought to involve a fear of public places and open spaces but is now believed to develop as a complication of panic attacks.

If you are afraid of having another panic attack, you become anxious about being in situations where escape would be difficult or embarrassing.

For example, you are likely to avoid crowded places such as shopping malls and movie theaters. You may also avoid cars, airplanes, subways, and other forms of travel. In more severe cases, you might only feel safe at home.

Let us look at some of the PHYSICAL symptoms that a person with a phobia disorder may experience:

• Difficulty breathing

• Racing or pounding heart

• Chest pain or tightness

• Trembling or shaking

• Feeling dizzy or light-headed

• A churning stomach

• Hot or cold flashes; tingling sensations

• Sweating

Now, some of the EMOTIONAL symptoms that a person with a phobia disorder may experience:

• Feeling overwhelming anxiety or panic

• Feeling intense need to escape

• Feeling “unreal” or detached from yourself

• Fear of losing control or going crazy

• Feeling like you are going to die or pass out

• Knowing that you are overreacting, but feeling powerless to control fear

The symptoms of blood-injection-injury phobia are slightly different from other phobias. When confronted with the sight of blood or a needle, you experience not only fear but also disgust.

In closing: We all suffer from some sort of phobia or things that we really do not like but those are more fears of something vs a true phobia disorder, so it is particularly important to understand the differences between the two.

If you feel that you cannot leave home or are so overwhelmed, you must avoid certain situations, places, or people. Then definitely take a step back and evaluate the situation and seek the advice of a professional for coping mechanisms or recommendations that they as a professional may have to offer.

Thank you again for taking the time to read and educate yourself. We look forward to seeing you again as we continue our journey together!