Phobias are anxiety disorders characterized by intense, persistent, irrational and disproportionate fear/anxiety of specific objects or situations (the attributes of irrational and disproportionate may have personal and cultural nuances that should be assessed by the specialist in Psychiatry).
As a defense mechanism, people develop avoidance behaviors against the stimulus.
It is important to treat phobias because they can interfere in daily life and in the world of social relationships.
Types of phobias
There are different types of phobias, but it is more a way of nominating them since the essence of the concept of all of them is the same: “intense and persistent fear in front of something”.
We can distinguish the following:
- Specific phobias or intense fear of a specific object, circumstance or situation: phobias of animals, natural (heights, storms…) or artificial (hospitals) environments.
- Social anxiety disorder or intense fear in relation to social situations for fear of possible scrutiny by others.
- Agoraphobia or intense fear of situations that make it difficult to flee or receive help (public transport, open and closed places, queuing or being in a crowd).
Causes of phobia
The capacity to feel fear is innate to all human beings. The phobic disorder appears when we shift an anxious response to a stimulus that cannot really harm us. Avoiding the sensation of discomfort reinforces the fear that will gradually grow.
Symptoms of phobia
The feared situations trigger the characteristic symptoms of anxiety: palpitations, sweating, inner restlessness, choking sensation, trembling, tingling, panic attacks, etc.
How to cope with phobias
With repeated and gradual exposure to the feared stimulus we seek to reduce anxiety and avoidance. Cognitive behavioral therapy neutralizes or stops the negative thoughts that hinder exposure to the stimulus.
Other techniques increasingly used are hypnosis and EMDR.
On the other hand, pharmacology is used for anxiety control.
In social anxiety disorder, antidepressants and anxiolytics are useful, which reduce the symptoms of the adrenaline rush caused by fear, such as flushing, hand tremors, voice and sweating.