What Are Phobias?

In short: a phobia is an overwhelming and debilitating fear of an object, place, situation, feeling or animal. Phobias are the most common type of anxiety disorder. They can affect anyone, regardless of age, sex and social background.

Phobias are more pronounced than fears. You may not like having to deal with a spider in your home or flying may cause you a small amount of anxiety, but you are still able to deal with it. With a phobia you won’t.

Phobias develop when a person has an exaggerated or unrealistic sense of danger about a situation, place or object. When the phobia becomes very severe, a person may organise their life around avoiding the thing that’s causing them anxiety and depression. This will cause them to restrict their day-to-day life and it can also cause a lot of distress for them.

People may not experience any symptoms until they come into contact with the source of their phobia. But in some cases thinking about the source of a phobia can make a person feel anxious or panicky. This is called anticipatory anxiety.

Some of the most common phobias.

1. arachnophobia – fear of spiders
2. claustrophobia  – fear of confined spaces
3. agoraphobia – fear of open spaces and public places
4. social phobia  – a fear of social situations

Symptoms of phobias.

1. sweating
2. trembling
3. hot flushes or chills
4. shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
5. a choking sensation
6. rapid heartbeat (tachycardia)
7. pain or tightness in the chest
8. a sensation of butterflies in the stomach
9. nausea
10. headaches and dizziness
11. feeling faint
12. numbness or pins and needles
13. dry mouth
14. a need to go to the toilet
15. ringing in your ears
16. confusion or disorientation

Some people may also experience psychological symptoms such as:

1. fear of losing control
2. fear of fainting
3. feelings of dread
4. fear of dying

If people don’t come into contact with the source of their phobia then it may not affect their everyday life. But a phobia such as agoraphobia can prevent a person from leading a normal life.

Types of phobia.

Phobias can be divided into two main categories:

1. specific or simple phobias
2. complex phobias

Specific or simple phobias

Specific or simple phobias are centred on a particular object, animal, situation or activity. They often develop during childhood or adolescence. But can become less severe as you get older.

Types of simple phobias include:

1. animal phobias – such as dogs, spiders, snakes or rodents
2. environmental phobias – such as heights, deep water and germs
3. situational phobias – such as visiting the dentist or flying
4. bodily phobias – such as blood, vomit or having injections
5. sexual phobias – such as performance anxiety or the fear of getting a sexually transmitted infection

Complex phobias.

Complex phobias tend to be more disabling than simple phobias. They tend to develop during adulthood and are often associated with a deep-rooted fear or anxiety about a particular situation or circumstance.

The two most common complex phobias are:

• Agoraphobia: Feeling anxious about being in a place or situation where escaping may be difficult if they have a panic attack. The person avoids situations such as being alone or being in crowded places or travelling on public transport.

• Social phobia or social anxiety disorder: Centres on feeling anxious in social situations. People might be afraid of speaking in front of people for fear of embarrassing themselves and being humiliated in public. It can become debilitating and may prevent the person from carrying out everyday activities or meeting friends.

What causes phobias?

Phobias don’t have a single cause. But there are a number of associated factors which can be considered:

1. Be associated with a particular incident or trauma
2. Be a learned response, developed early in life from a parent or sibling
3. Maybe genetic or brain chemistry: Evidence suggests that some people are born with a tendency to be more anxious than others

Diagnosing phobias.

Most phobias aren’t usually formally diagnosed. Although if you do feel you have a phobia it is recommended you seek help from your GP first. Your GP will refer you on to a psychologist who can help. Especially if you have a complex phobia.

Please remember that all types of phobia can be helped and people go on to lead normal lives again. People with a phobia are fully aware of the problem and a person will sometimes choose to live with a phobia. However, by continually trying to avoid what you’re afraid of will make the situation worse. You should seek help from a therapist and your GP/main doctor as soon as possible.

Treatment of phobias.

Almost all phobias can be successfully treated and cured. Simple phobias can be treated, for the most part, quickly but treating complex phobias often takes longer. Phobias are generally treated using a combination of treatments:

1. Talk Therapy: counselling – please make sure the therapist is qualified to treat phobias.
2. Cognitive behavioural therapy techniques.
3. Desensitisation or self-exposure therapy: involves gradually increasing the length of time you’re exposed to your phobia.
4. Self-help (see below)
5. Medication: Antidepressants; tranquillizers; beta-blockers. Medication isn’t usually used to treat phobias, but for the effects of anxiety.

How Can You Help Yourself?

Each phobia is different and no single programme will work for everyone. A self-help programme works better if it is used in conjunction with treatment from a qualified therapist.

Initially, where to begin.

1. See your GP and ask for help.
2. Get counselling from a qualified specialist.
3. Ask your family and friends for support.

Once diagnosed and getting initial support.

1. Read about phobias and anxiety Plus depression if you have been diagnosed. Information is empowering and means we can start taking back control over our lives again.
2. Make sure your basic self-care is being taken care of. This is one of the first steps to taking back control over your life. I’ll list some below I consider to be part of that basic self-care.
3. Get regular exercise. Even a 10/20 minutes daily will help.
4. Eating healthy and regular meals. You may not feel like this. But small frequent meals are better than none or overindulging in rubbish.
5. Getting enough sleep. Check out my blog about how to help yourself get better sleep. I also offer a free week long course in my free group. You can join here.
6. Reducing or avoiding caffeine and other stimulants such as alcohol. As these only increase your anxiety levels.

Look at reducing your stress levels.

1. Use relaxation techniques and reduce your stress levels. For instance you could try meditation, mindfulness or any series of physical exercises that may help you relax and control your breathing.
2. Set no more than 3 priorities a day and use time management techniques to help keep yourself on track.
3. Visualisation is very good as it combines relaxation and breathing techniques with mentally visualising how you will successfully deal with a situation that could cause your anxiety/phobia. Your therapist will be able to give you one specifically tailored to your needs.
4. Join a self-help group. This can be a useful way of meeting others with similar experiences and sharing ways of coping. It can be a group for anxiety or general mental health support either.
5. Journaling is an excellent way to get rid of all your negative thinking. By writing it down in a specific journal it helps us examine our thought patterns. It also aids sleep.

A few other ideas that might also help.

1. Make sure you are setting boundaries, including with others.
2. Plus rebuild trust in yourself again. Your trust may be skewed if you picked up the phobia as the result of traumatic events.
3. If possible take up a hobby. Even one you can do at home. It will help distract you when your thinking becomes too much.

Work With Me.

If you need extra support then you can also work with me. We all struggle with stress and overwhelm from time to time. If you find this has become a problem for you and you’d like some support then schedule an appointment with me.