Phobia

Phobia - extreme type of fear

            - Great lengths to avoid

            Extreme, unreasonable, irrational fears——interferes with daily life

Mental disorder

The diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorder (DSM):

-     Social phobia/ social anxiety    Fear being negatively judge or embarrassed in a social environment.

-     Agoraphobia.   Where you experience fear in situations where you feel you can’t escape.

-     Specific phobia.   Afraid of a specific object or situation (phobic stimulates).

You probably know that it isn’t rational, but your brain just runs through the most dangerous and unrealistic situations, making it feel more and more real.

Physical symptoms:

Heart starts pounding, your hands start to sweat, and your breathing get shallow. You might have a panic attack.

Why do phobias develop?/ Cause

More likely if family member has one.

Phobia usually develop through trauma. Whether it’s one you personally experience, or one you witness. These situations ruined every future interaction. These usually occur in early childhood (7-11 years old), and this is why you can’t remember why you have phobia. It may have happened so long ago but your response is ingrained in the way that you live. 

Treatments: (tailor to individual)

Meditation and relaxation techniques. To help calm down around something scary

Cognitive behavioural therapy. To help rationalize your response. Mindful that fear is irrational.

Exposure therapy. Face your fear.