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What is a Phobia?
An estimated 19 million people around the world have a phobia that causes
difficulty in some area of their lives. Seek the help of your doctor if you have a
fear that prevents you from leading a normal life.
What Causes Phobias?
Genetic and environmental factors can cause phobias. Children who have a
close relative with an anxiety disorder are at risk for developing a phobia.
Distressing events such as nearly drowning can bring on a phobia. Exposure to
confined spaces, extreme heights, and animal or insect bites can all be sources
of phobias.People with ongoing medical conditions or health concerns often
have phobias. There is a high incidence of people developing phobias after
traumatic brain injuries. Substance abuse and depression are also connected
to phobias.
Medication
If you have a phobia, its critical that you seek treatment. Overcoming phobias
can be difficult, but theres hope. With the right treatment, you can learn to
manage your fears and lead a productive, fulfilling life.
Common Phobias
Claustrophobia
is the fear of being enclosed in a small space or room and having no escape. It
can be triggered by many situations or stimuli, including elevators crowded to
capacity, windowless rooms, and even tight-necked clothing. It is typically
classified as an anxiety disorder, which often results in panic attacks. The onset
of claustrophobia has been attributed to many factors, including a reduction
in the size of the amygdala, classical conditioning, or a genetic
predisposition to fear small spaces.
One study indicates that anywhere from 57% of the world population is
affected by severe claustrophobia, but only a small percentage of these people
receive some kind of treatment for the disorder. The
term claustrophobia comes from Latin claustrum "a shut in place" and
Greek , phbos, "fear".
Symptoms
Causes of Claustrophobia
Although claustrophobia can cause panic attacks, it is not the same disorder.
According to Mark Powers, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology at
Southern Methodist University and Co-Director of the Dallas CBT Center,
"Claustrophobia is a specific phobia and not a type of panic disorder. The
primary specific threat forecasts for claustrophobia are that either the person
will be trapped or run our of air."
Treatment
Exposure therapy
Causes
Symptoms
The main purpose of the expousure therapy for treating astraphobia or fear of
thunder and lightning is to take out completely the fear from a person and to
study individual's reaction to fear. A psychological therapist tries to face the
person suffering from astraphobia or fear of thunder and lightning to confront
with a real thunderstorm if it is possible to do so. If it is not possible for a
therapist to face a person with astraphobia to confront a thunderstorm in the
open air, then the therapist can play a video or audio of a thunderstorm.
After playing the audio or video of a real thunderstorm, therapist measures
the level of fear in his client with astraphobia or fear of thunder and lightning
and how does it occur in client. By exposing the patient several times to his
fear, the therapist tries to lower the amount of fear in client by telling him to
use relaxation techniques while being exposed to the thunderstorm.
Common relaxation techniques used in the exposure therapy are breathing
exercises, mental visualization, and self-talk. All of the before mentioned
relaxation techniques calm down the mind during a stressful situation.
While the exposure therapy gives great results in treating patients with
astraphobia or fear of thunder and lightning, it should not be practiced without
practicing together with it the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT.
Exposure therapy is mainly focused on teaching the patient how to control its
fear and panic, CBT for treating astraphobia or fear of thunder and lightning is
focused on changing the patient's thoughts about its fear associated with
thunderstorms
Nyctophobia
Causes
. A Traumatic Experience
Any kind of trauma or distressing event related with darkness can be a strong
reason for people, especially children to develop nyctophobia. For instance, if
a child has been regularly punished by locking in a dark room, then there are
maximum chances that he/she develops fear of darkness. Similarly, other
traumatic incidents that occurred during nighttime such as abuse and violence,
getting lost or accidents may also cause nyctophobia. Such experience instills
bad memories and thoughts about how night and darkness are dangerous.
Evolutionary Factors
Nyctophobia has also been associated with the evolution of mankind. In early
periods, people used to go for hunting at nighttime and face wild beasts.
Darkness has been considered as residence of evil, monsters and paranormal
beings. This is the very reason of darkness being the main theme of horror
movies and Halloween. Thus, nyctophobia can also be resultant of a learnt
behavior that has been given by the human evolution itself.
Symptoms:
Treatment:
Symptoms
Causes
Glossophobia may also develop if one has been gradually avoiding speaking in
public over a long time and the very idea of doing so causes the individual so
much anxiety and nervousness as to ultimately lead to the disorder. If a
speaker suffers from certain psychological states such as low self esteem,
seeking complete approval, believing in perfection, or anticipating failure, such
mental conditions may also cause episodes of Glossophobia.
Solution
Symptoms
Solution
Lets have a look at the reasoning here of any secure zone. This makes
reference to any where in which the person believes that anxiety attacks do
not happen at least it can be someplace in which you are capable of keep on
top of any sort of minimal emotions of nervousness. The security felt in such a
place may possibly make a person suffering from agoraphobia commonly
spend almost all of their time within this specific spot.
Acrophobia
Causes of Acrophobia
The most widely accepted explanation is that acrophobia stems from the
natural fear of falling and being injured or killed. A phobia occurs when fear is
taken to an extreme, due possibly to unintentional learning, generalization of
the fear response, or the result of a traumatic experience. Like other fears and
phobias, acrophobia is created by the unconscious mind as a protective
mechanism. At some point in your past, there was likely an event linking
heights or high levels and emotional trauma. Your mind then seeks to protect
the body from further trauma in the future and elicits an extreme fear of the
situation, in this case the fear of heights.
Treatment of Acrophobia
Acrophobia can be treated in similar ways to other phobic and anxiety
disorders, with a range of treatments including reality therapy and cognitive
behavior therapy and the use of anti-anxiety medication. Effective treatment
is based on the assumption that acrophobia is a learned response to being in
certain situations. This learned response is typically powerful, uncomfortable,
embarrassing, inconvenient, and debilitating at times. And just as you can
learn to have a particular response you can un-learn it.
Therapists can help people who have acrophobia to develop coping skills to
manage their fear and anxiety. This involves understanding and adjusting
thoughts and beliefs that help create the anxiety, learning and practicing
specific behavioral social skills to increase confidence, and then slowly and
gradually practicing these skills in real situations.
Annexe # 2: Astraphobia
Annexe # 3: Nyctophobia
Annexe # 4: Glossophobia
Annexe # 5: Agorafobia
Annexe # 6: Acrophobia
Bibliography
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4
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