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Conquer your phobias

A phobia is defined as an irrational fear that produces a conscious avoidance of the feared subject, activity, or situation. The phobic reaction is often identical to a real life-threatening situation, such as being chased by a lion, but it happens in response to a situation that in reality is not especially dangerous, such as climbing a step-ladder. People who have a phobia usually recognise that their reaction is excessive, but that doesn't make it any less frightening. Being told to calm down and not make such a fuss really doesn't help!

The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) identifies three broad types of phobia:

specific phobias
social phobias
agoraphobia

Specific phobias may involve fears of other species (like spiders or snakes), or of aspects of the environment (such as water, heights or bridges).

Social phobias involve fear of social situations where the person is exposed to scrutiny by others, and is afraid of being humiliated or embarrassed. They may relate to a particular situation (such as public speaking) or to general social interaction.

Agoraphobia is not, as many people believe, a fear of open spaces. Rather, it is a fear of having a panic attack in a situation where escape could be difficult or embarrassing.

Phobias can be very restricting, not just for the sufferer, but also for those around them. For example, family holidays can become a nightmare when one member of the family is afraid to fly, and couple’s social lives can be restricted when one of them can’t face being surrounded by other people in a restaurant, or in a theatre.

Where do phobias come from?

There are almost as many phobias as there are things or situations that people can be afraid of, but whatever the person is afraid of, the mechanisms that make the phobia happen are usually the same. Many phobias are rooted in childhood. A phobia often starts with a real fear experienced by a child, because children can experience very high levels of fear quite easily, and don’t have an adult’s breadth of life experience to help them rationalise it. Phobias can then develop through childhood fears that are never outgrown. They can also be conditioned by a traumatic event or series of events. Finally, they can be learned by repeatedly seeing a parent with a specific phobia.

Common phobias

People often wonder if their phobia has a ‘proper’ name. Some common specific phobias include:

Acrophobia (heights)

Acuphobia (needles)

Aerophobia (flying)

Arachnophobia (spiders)

Astraphobia (thunderstorms and lightning)

Claustrophobia (enclosed spaces)

Hydrophobia (water)

Monophobia (being alone)

Mysophobia (contamination or germs)

Nyctophobia (darkness)