Phobias affect two in one hundred people in the UK, a scary statistic for those with extreme anxiety around certain issues or situations.
In this article, we are going to explore phobias and what they can do to a person alongside the causes and ways to treat and cope with phobias.
Described as “an overwhelming and debilitating fear of an object, place, situation, feeling or animal” by the NHS, a phobia is often described as a more pronounced fear.
A phobia will develop when a person has a sense of danger that is often unrealistic or exaggerated. If it becomes severe, you may avoid the issue which in turn, restricts your life and causes a fair bit of distress.
Phobias are a type of anxiety and may not produce symptoms until a person is in contact with the issue itself. Occasionally, you may even be anxious or panic thinking about the phobia.
The following symptoms are usually a sign of a phobia:
A person may not feel their phobia affects their daily life if they aren’t in contact with it often. Some complex phobias, such as agoraphobia, can make life very difficult for people.
People can develop a phobia about a huge variety of things and situations, but they can usually be split into two categories:
Simple or specific phobias tend to focus on an object, animal, activity or situation and evolve during childhood or adolescence. They could become less severe as a person gets older.
The following are examples of simple phobias:
Unfortunately, complex phobias tend to cause more issues than simple phobias. They tend to develop during adulthood and are usually associated with deep-rooted anxiety about a particular situation. There are two common complex phobias; agoraphobia and social phobia.
Agoraphobia is seen as a fear of open spaces but actually, it’s when a person is extremely anxious about being in a place or situation, in case they have a panic attack. The fear usually results in certain situations being avoided entirely, such as:
Social anxiety disorder, also seen as social phobia, is when a person feels anxious in social situations. If you suffer from a social phobia, you may be afraid of speaking in front of others through fear of embarrassing yourself and feeling humiliated. In particularly bad cases, this can be debilitating and may prevent a person from living their life normally.
Although there isn’t a single cause of any phobia, there are several factors associated with them such as the following:
It can be quite difficult to diagnose a phobia, as they are not always formally diagnosed. Someone with a phobia is aware of it and will likely choose to just live with it, and avoid the object or situation they are scared of.
If a person has a phobia and continues to avoid the object or situation, it will get worse. You should always seek help from your GP when you start to recognise it. They will usually refer you to a specialist, such as a psychologist, who has expertise in the area you’re struggling with. You can self-refer to an NHS talking therapy service, without a referral from a GP too.
As difficult as it can be to live with a phobia, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and they can often be treated successfully.
Simple phobias tend to be treated through gradual exposure to the object, animal, place or situation that causes the phobia – also known as desensitisation or self-exposure therapy.
Treating complex phobias will always take longer and includes the following therapies:
There are some medications that may be used to treat phobias, such as the below:
Always remember that no matter how impossible it feels, your phobia can always be treated and you can learn to live a life without restrictions.
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List of Phobias: Common Phobias From A to Z – Very Well Mind
Mental health facts and statistics – Mind
What are the UK’s 10 most common phobias? – Push Doctor
Photo by The Chaffins on Unsplash.
