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Phobias
A phobia is a persistent, irrational fear that causes a person to feel intense anxiety. People develop phobias about many things like darkness, social situations, spiders, or blood. Agoraphobia, one of the most common phobias, involves the fear of open places. A person with agoraphobia feels anxious in places where it would be hard to escape, like being in a crowd, standing in line, being on a bridge or traveling in a car. In extreme cases, they are so immobilized by fear that they become a prisoner in their own home. In some people, the response to a phobia can be fairly mild. For example, a person who has a phobia about flying might simply avoid airplanes. In other people, the phobia causes, or arises from, full-blown panic attacks with symptoms such as shortness of breath, sweating, irregular heartbeats and the shakes. Just why a person develops a particular phobia is not always clear. There appear to be both biological and psychological reasons. Psychologists classify phobias with other anxiety-caused problems and theorize they are a response to separation or loss. Heredity appears to play a role, and so does brain chemistry. There are several physical conditions, like minor heart problems and thyroid disease, that are sometimes seen in agoraphobic people.
If a phobia is interfering with your life, do not hesitate to get help. Phobias are one of the most common mental disorders that prompt a person to see a psychologist or a psychiatrist. People with simple phobias sometimes conquer them with just a few weeks of psychological treatment. People with agoraphobia--the fear of open spaces - respond very well to anti-depression medicine. There are several different psychological treatments that are very helpful. One of the most common is called desensitization. It takes place in a comfortable, relaxed setting like the therapist's office. The person with the phobia is guided to imagine elements of it very gradually, one step at a time, while they practice deep breathing or progressive muscle relaxation. Slowly, they learn to confront and overcome the phobia in their imaginations. The next step is using similar techniques to confront the real thing. A second psychological technique is called flooding. Here, the therapist inundates the patient with images of the phobia, cause the person to relive and get used to the object of their fear. Many people with simple phobias can overcome them with these psychological treatments. Anti-anxiety drugs are also sometimes prescribed, and other forms of psychotherapy are used to treat problems outside the phobia itself.
U-M Health System Related Site:
Department of Psychiatry
