We explain what a phobia is and some examples of this irrational fear. Also, what are chronic phobias and their treatment.
What is phobia?
A phobia is a fear so intense that The person feels that if they are exposed to what they fear, they could die. It is also called a phobia of hatred or antipathy that is felt towards a person.
This term comes from the Greek phoboswhich means panic, and is associated with fear. Phobos in Greek mythology was the son of Ades and the goddess Aphrodite, and was the very representation of fear.
The phobias are not a rational fear nor do they really represent a danger. These imaginary threats can be seen in animals, situations, things, places and so on. According to statistics, one in every 20 people suffers from a phobia. On the other hand, it could be that phobias are genetic, that is, if someone in your family suffers from it, it could be transmitted to them, although it could also happen that the child is simply afraid of what the parents fear.
These emotional disorders have their reason deep in our consciousness, arise from an experience that can be described as traumatic and they are shown through stress and anxiety when that moment arrives, it may even happen that this person shows excessive sweating or has problems controlling the muscles of the extremities.
This happens because the natural reaction of a human being is to flee when they feel threatened, but this situation mentally blocks them in such a way that it prevents them from doing so.
For examplesomeone with a phobia of spiders (arachnophobia) is not stressed all the time, but she is when she is in front of an animal of this type. People are aware of their fears, but that does not mean that they can control themselves. They may also experience other sensations or discomforts, such as dizziness, headaches, stomach aches, or nausea.
See also: Obsession
Examples of phobias
There are many phobias that turn out to be curious and funny due to the improbable nature of the situation and others that, however, are more frequent. With the names of each one, the specific origin of that fear is known. Let's look at some:
- ailurophobic He is the one who is afraid of cats.
- acrophobia It's the fear of heights.
- androphobia It is the fear of men (this type is one of the least known).
- astraphobia It is the irrational fear of storms.
- cynophobia It is the fear of a domestic animal that most of us love: dogs.
- nyctophobia It is a fear that we all have as children, it is the panic of the dark.
- agoraphobia It is the fear of leaving the house, of going to public places.
- aporophobia It is an irrational panic towards people who are homeless or in extreme poverty.
- paraskavedekatriaphobia (Yes, very difficult to read) is the phobia that a person feels towards Friday the 13th.
The Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) defines phobias as “marked and persistent fear that is excessive or irrational, triggered by the presence or anticipation of a specific object or situation“, this last sentence refers to that A person can feel a phobia even if they are not in the presence of what scares them so much. For example, a person who has a phobia of flying could begin to experience symptoms the day before taking their flight.
Chronic phobias
The phobias could become chronic if not treated in time and/or appropriately. A non-permanent solution to phobias is to avoid facing these situations, but these, being momentary, will only hinder our social life and affect those around us, therefore it is necessary that these fears be faced by seeking the cause, the root of the problems. themselves. This will be possible with therapy sessions with a psychologist or psychiatrist, depending on the severity of the matter.
Treatment for phobias
Clearly this will depend on the evaluation by a professional doctor not from the people around us or our opinion on the subject. The main objective of the treatment you will receive is, in addition to discovering the source of the problem, to help you overcome it so that you do not repeat that behavior. We will start with the least feared component of the phobia until we reach the biggest cause. One option is also to confront real-life situations that make you afraid. Taking some medications such as anxiolytics or antidepressants also helps.
The phobias can cause panic attacks that is why the therapies are accompanied by medications for those. It will also help the phobic patient to exercise regularly, to clear his mind and occupy it with something healthy, sleep the indicated hours (8 hours per day), practice relaxation techniques to put into practice in a situation like this (yoga is an activity that It will help you), we must reduce the cups of coffee per day or, if possible, avoid it completely, as well as other stimulant substances that speed us up.
All types of phobias have this word at the end of the term, such as agoraphobia, but the word photophobia particularly refers to an eye problem where light causes inflammation and/or dilation of the pupil.
