Phobias types and ways to treat them
Phobias types and ways to treat them
The American Psychiatric Association defines a phobia as an unreasonable or excessive dread of a certain item or place, and most phobias entail some kind of threat or danger; for example, those with claustrophobia have a persistent fear of being trapped in a small, enclosed space. Exposure to the feared item or circumstance is one potential trigger for phobia symptoms, but often merely thinking about the feared object or situation is enough to bring on phobic reactions. Some common signs of a phobia are:
Disorientation, shakiness, and a racing heart are among symptoms.
- Exhausted breathing.
- Nausea.
- The dread of dying.
- persistent fixation on whatever it is that triggers the fear.
One extreme manifestation of phobia is an anxiety attack so intense that it causes the sufferer to withdraw from society, making it impossible for him to function professionally and socially. A person with a phobia may see a doctor for aid when he feels overwhelmed by anxiety about potential threats or health problems.
Phobias, Classified
As defined by the American Psychiatric Association, there are three distinct categories of phobias.
Afraid to interact with other people
It’s characterised by an extreme aversion to interacting with other people for fear of humiliation or rejection, and it may range from a generalised dread of all social interactions to a particular fear of public speaking or even the performance of the simplest activity in front of others.
Claustrophobia
Fear of being trapped and unable to escape is at the heart of this phobia, which may be so crippling that the sufferer never ventures outside of the house.
Distinct fear
There are four types of distinct phobias, each characterised by a fear of a different object:
- Aversion to things that occur naturally, such as weather events or natural disasters like hurricanes or mudslides.
- Animal phobia encompasses a wide range of concerns, from reptiles to birds to mammals to insects.
- Health-related anxieties, such as those triggered by blood or doctor visits, are called claustrophobia or medical phobia, respectively. Specific phobias might include apprehension about leaving the home, driving, or crossing a bridge.
Exactly how frequent is this dread?
Fear of social situations affects roughly 7% of U.S. adults, whereas 9% of the population has a fear of certain objects or situations. The prevalence of phobias is higher among women than among males.
Care for Fear Disorders
There are a variety of approaches to treating phobias, each tailored to the specific individual and the specific phobia they experience. One such approach is exposure therapy, in which the phobic is gradually exposed to the item or situation that causes him the most anxiety.
One kind of exposure therapy is known as “immersion” or “flooding,” in which the patient is placed in the dreaded situation for an extended period of time without any means of escape. This helps the patient learn that the feared item poses no threat.
Counter-conditioning methods may also be used to help patients overcome their fears of certain things; these treatments include teaching patients how to behave calmly and rationally in the face of their phobias, rather than reacting in a panic. Individuals with social phobia may benefit from low-benzodiazepine medicines in conjunction with behavioural treatment.