Issue #17: Phobias Explained
Learn about what phobias are, which ones are most common and what to do about them
Dear mental health advocate,
September has started, so that means back to work and starting with new routines for me! Hope you are all doing great and having a nice summer. Today, I have written a new edition of The Present Psychologist Paper to help raise awareness about mental health and psychology.
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And now, back to the content. I will discuss phobias, what they are, which ones occur most frequently in our population and what to do about them. I know I have a fair share of my own phobias, so researching this helped me understand them a bit better! Want to know more? Keep on reading!
Phobias Explained
We all have fears. Being scared of certain things is natural and part of our human instinct. As explained in the previous edition, fear has a very important function: it signals there is danger and we should act upon it to either remove ourselves from a threatening situation or face it head on. But, as many of you might have experienced, sometimes fear exists that is not really proportionate to what really is happening. In other words: irrational fear. There are hundreds (if not more) of types people deal with. Some more common, like fear of heights or snakes; others more uncommon like a fear of computers or fear of vegetables.
Today I will shed a light on phobias and what the impact can be on a person. Sometimes people shrug off phobias and even joke about them, brushing it off as something silly that is harmless and stupid to have. When you have a snake phobia, many would understand or even share the same fears. But, if you are afraid of something that others consider to be a mundane object or thing (like computers) many would not be as sympathetic. As a result, such phobias not only make people struggle, it also can lead to alienation from others. Therefore, it is important to me to explain more what phobias are so we can be kinder to others AND ourselves.
What is a phobia?
Phobia is derived from a Greek word ‘phóbos’ which means ‘fear’ or ‘panic’. However, in the field of psychology there is a difference between dealing with general fear and having a phobia. Okay, so how do you distinguish them? According to Hopkins Medicine, a phobia can best be explained as:
An uncontrollable, irrational, and lasting fear of a certain object, situation, or activity. This fear can be so overwhelming that a person may go to great lengths to avoid the source of this fear. One response can be a panic attack. This is a sudden, intense fear that lasts for several minutes. It happens when there is no real danger.
The most important part here is the last sentence: it happens when there is no real danger. Fear is a useful emotion to have because it should tell you there is something wrong and dangerous going on and you need to act right away. However, if you feel fear while there is not really something you should be worried about, it holds you back and will lead to (as some might say, unnecessary) suffering. They are for the most part irrational and the object of fear is unlikely to cause damage.
A list of common phobias
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, around 12.5% of US adults suffer from a specific phobia at any given moment. Most people that deal with a phobia do realize that their fear is not based on a realistic threat, but still anxiety symptoms are triggered when they are confronted with the cause of their phobia. I thought it was interesting to research which phobias occur most. I have found a list of the twelve most common ones with percentages (based on The Recovery Village):
Arachnophobia. The fear of spiders is the most common phobia in the US, with approximately 30% dealing with this fear to a certain extent. Most of them believe spiders are either venomous or dangerous in another way.
Glossophobia. The fear of public speaking also affects many people (around 26% in the US). It is a form of social anxiety, but specifies speaking in front of a large group of people.
Ophidiophobia. The fear of snakes also occurs quite often, with in the US around 22% of people suffering from this. As with spiders, snakes are seen by them as venomous by default and very dangerous.
Mysophobia. The fear of germs and uncleanliness is a phobia that around 13% in the US deals with. This is a form of obsessive compulsive disorders and often occurs when people find dirt difficult and disgusting.
Cynophobia. The fear of dogs. In the US, approximately 13% of people struggle with this. In many cases, this phobia occurs because a person has had a negative encounter with a dog (often because it was aggressive).
Astraphobia. The fear of thunder and lightning, which might occur more often than you think (around 10% of people). Most of them try to avoid storms and are obsessed with checking the weather.
Trypanophobia. The fear of needles is a phobia which affects around 10% of people in the US. This occurs mostly when people are confronted with injections or when blood needs to be drawn.
Social phobia. A fear of socialising or finding yourself in a social situation is a phobia considered a social anxiety disorder. Around 7% of people in the US deal with this. This phobia is often caused by the fear of being judged by others.
Aerophobia. A fear of flying is also quite common, but maybe less than you expect. This phobia affects approximately 6.5% of people in the US. Most of them are scared the plane will crash or that they cannot get out.
Claustrophobia. A fear of small spaces or being confined in a particular space, which is a phobia around 5% of people in the US deal with. They are scared they will be trapped or will not have enough personal space.
Acrophobia. A fear of heights which is a well-known phobia, affects around 2-5% in the US. This phobia could mean any height difference, for example standing on high buildings.
Agoraphobia. The fear of crowded or open spaces where escape is difficult impacts approximately 1% of people. They suffer from panic attacks if they feel they cannot leave and have a lot of people around them (like during transportation).
Signs of having a phobia
If you are suffering from a phobia, there could be several signs when you are confronted with your fear. These are both physical and psychological symptoms:
Physical symptoms:
Dizziness, feeling unsteady or shaking uncontrollably
Increased heart rate, feeling like it is pounding excessively
Hot-and-cold flashes, sweating
Chest pain or tightness
Nausea or vomiting
Feeling numb
Psychological symptoms:
Feeling stressed and completely overwhelmed
Being scared and feeling you might die
Feeling like you are about to lose control
Dissociating from your body and mind
Feeling anxious and/or embarrassed
Obsessed with avoiding the cause of the phobia
What to do when you have a phobia?
Sometimes people have a phobia and the cause of the fear is something they are hardly confronted with. This means that you could still work on overcoming that phobia, but it might make it a bit less urgent. For example, if you are afraid of flying, you do not have to and no one is forcing you to do so. However, it could lead to depriving yourself of experiences or options in life. Nevertheless, most phobias can be dealt with quite well. It might sound counterintuitive, but what has been proven to work when it comes to healing from phobias is exposure therapy. This therapy focuses on gradually exposing someone to what it is that they fear so much in a controlled manner. Together with a therapist the client will read about it, see pictures, talk through feelings and ultimately could be confronted with the object or thing in real life. This would happen in a consensual way.
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My name is Alf Lokkertsen and I am a psychologist and writer, creating mental health content for you. My passion is to raise awareness about topics related to psychology, as it has helped me greatly in my personal life. I strongly believe that many problems could be avoided or dealt with better if everyone had some in-depth psychology knowledge.
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