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Page 1 of 2 Learn about phobias - from phobia symptoms to risk factors for phobias and treatment of phobias.
"My heart starts beating so fast . . . it feels like it's going to explode. My throat closes and I can't breathe. I start to choke. My hands start sweating. I get so dizzy I have to hold onto the furniture or the wall to keep from falling or fainting. I know I'm going to die. I want to run, but I don't know where."
This reaction describes how people generally feel when they are suffering from a phobia. Phobia is a term that refers to a group of symptoms brought on by feared objects or situations. People can develop phobic reactions to animals (e.g., spiders), activities (e.g., getting on an airplane), or social situations (e.g., eating in public or simply being out in public at all).
Phobias affect people of all ages, from all walks of life, and in every part of the country. The National Institute of Mental Health has reported that 5.1% 12.5% of Americans have phobias. They are the most common psychiatric illness among women of all ages and are the second most common illness among men older than 25.
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Phobias take many forms. Some people are terrified of dogs, even tiny dogs with wagging tails. Some people stiffen with fright at the mere thought of talking in front of a group. Some can't fly. Some tremble and hide at the crack of thunder. Some can't ride an escalator. Some are struck by panic attacks for no apparent reason. And some never leave their homes.
Fears such as these are very common. Millions of Americans are afflicted with phobias or panic disorder. They suffer intensely. To escape their fear, they go to great lengths to avoid the object, place, or situation that provokes it. They change jobs merely to avoid an elevator ride, for example, or cut back their social life. Some wear down their families with their clinging dependency. Nearly all lose out on much of life.
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Symptoms of a Phobia
Phobias can interfere with your ability to work, socialize, and go about a daily routine. They may focus on something as common as germs, or they may arise whenever you venture from home. A phobia that interferes with daily living can create extreme disability and should be treated.
Phobias are emotional and physical reactions to feared objects or situations. Symptoms of a phobia include the following:
- Feelings of panic, dread, horror, or terror
- Recognition that the fear goes beyond normal boundaries and the actual threat of danger
- Reactions that are automatic and uncontrollable, practically taking over the person's thoughts
- Rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, trembling, and an overwhelming desire to flee the situation -all the physical reactions associated with extreme fear
- Extreme measures taken to avoid the feared object or situation
Another common symptom experienced by people with phobias is anticipatory anxiety. Anticipatory anxiety can cause people to avoid situations in which they might have a panic attack or to avoid the objects that trigger a response of intense fear and anxiety.
When avoidance causes distress or interferes with the ability to work, socialize, or care for day-to-day needs, a psychiatric evaluation should be sought.
Risk Factors for Phobias
Most individuals with agoraphobia have a history of panic disorder. There is also some evidence that agoraphobia may run in families. Also, a child who suffers separation anxiety (anxiety for being away from home and immediate family) may be predisposed to developing agoraphobia.
There appears to be a link between alcoholism and social phobia. The stress associated with social phobia is thought to create an increased risk for alcohol abuse (e.g., drinking to "calm the nerves"). Similarly, the depression caused by the low self-esteem and social isolation that results from social phobia may predispose a person to alcohol abuse and dependence. Conversely, people with alcoholism tend to withdraw and become inhibited and may develop fear of being embarrassed or humiliated in social situations.
A person who has a particularly frightening or threatening experience with an animal or in certain situations may put a person at risk for developing a specific phobia. Witnessing a traumatic event in which others experience harm or extreme fear is another risk factor for specific phobia. Receiving repeated information or warnings about potentially dangerous situations or animals is also a risk factor.
Categories of Phobias
Phobias are divided into categories according to the cause of the reaction and avoidance.
Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is the fear of being alone in any place or situation from which it seems escape would be difficult or help unavailable should the need arise.
People with agoraphobia avoid being on busy streets or in crowded stores, theaters, or churches. Some people with agoraphobia become so disabled they literally will not leave their homes. If they do, they do so only with great distress or when accompanied by a friend or family member.
Two-thirds of those with agoraphobia are women. Symptoms develop between the ages of 18 and 35. The onset may be sudden or gradual.
Most people with agoraphobia develop the disorder after first suffering from one or more spontaneous panic attacks - feelings of intense, overwhelming terror accompanied by symptoms such as sweating, shortness of breath, or faintness. These attacks seem to occur randomly and without warning, making it impossible for a person to predict what situation will trigger such a reaction.
The unpredictability of the panic attacks "trains" individuals to anticipate future panic attacks and, therefore, to fear any situation in which an attack may occur. As a result, they avoid going into any place or situation where previous panic attacks have occurred.
(Read: Help for Agoraphobia)
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