Phobias

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• QWhat is a specific phobia?

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  A NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital answered

  Specific phobia is characterized by extreme fear of an object or situation that is not harmful under general conditions.
  Examples may include a fear of the following:
  - flying (fearing the plane will crash)
  - dogs (fearing the dog will bite/attack)
  - closed-in places (fear of being trapped)
  - tunnels (fearing a collapse)
  - heights (fear of falling)

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• QWho is affected by phobias?

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  A NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital answered

  Every year, approximately 19 million of Americans experience one or more phobias that range from mild to severe. Phobias can occur in early childhood, but usually are first evident between the ages of 15 and 20 years. They affect both genders equally, although men are more likely to seek treatment for phobias.
• QWhat is the treatment for social phobia?

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  A NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital answered

  People who suffer from social phobia often find relief from their symptoms when treated with cognitive-behavioral therapy, or medications, or a combination of the two.

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• QHow do I know if the kind of phobia I have is serious?

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  A Dominion Hospital answered

  To know whether or not the phobia you have is serious, ask yourself how greatly it interrupts your ability to be productive and to live your every day life. If you are unable to manage your responsibilities or follow through on important commitments due to your phobia, then it may be time to consider treatment. A medical professional will be able to help you officially diagnose your phobia and prescribe a treatment plan.

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• QWhat are the symptoms of phobias?

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  A Dominion Hospital answered

  The symptoms of phobias can depend upon what triggers the intense fear and panic. Symptoms can include difficulty breathing, tightness in the chest, fainting, anxiety, and an inability to think clearly. They can further include an unwillingness or inability to function normally in social situations or to be in the presence of the source of the fear without panic. Examples of common phobias are fear of spiders, fear of heights, and fear of being trapped in social situations.

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• QWhat is a phobia?

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  A NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital answered

  According to the American Psychiatric Association, a phobia is an uncontrollable, irrational, and persistent fear of a specific object, situation, or activity. The fear experienced by people with phobias can be so great that some individuals go to extreme lengths to avoid the source of their fear. One extreme response to the source of a phobia can be a panic attack.

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• QWhat is agoraphobia?

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  A NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital answered

  Agoraphobia is a Greek word that literally means "s;fear of the marketplace."s; This anxiety disorder involves the fear of experiencing a panic attack in a place or situation from which escape may be difficult or embarrassing.
  The anxiety associated with agoraphobia is so severe that panic attacks are not unusual, and individuals with agoraphobia typically try to avoid the location or cause of their fear. Agoraphobia involves fear of situations such as, but is not limited to, the following:

  • being alone outside his/her home
  • being at home alone
  • being in a crowd
  • traveling in a vehicle
  • being in an elevator or on a bridge

  People with agoraphobia typically avoid crowded places like streets, crowded stores, churches, and theaters.

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• QWhat is xenophobia?

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  A Discovery Health answered

  Xenophobia, according to Merriam-Webster, is the hatred and fear of foreigners or strangers or anything that is foreign and strange.

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• QHow do I know if I have a social phobia?

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  A Dominion Hospital answered

  To figure out if you have a social phobia rather than a normal level of fear and nervousness in social situations, you may want to seek the guidance of a medical professional. If you fear being trapped in social situations, you may have some level of agoraphobia. Panic attacks can also be a symptom of an intense social phobia as well.

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• QWhat is social phobia or social anxiety disorder?

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  A NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital answered

  Social phobia is an anxiety disorder in which a person has significant anxiety and discomfort related to a fear of being embarrassed, humiliated, or scorned by others in social or performance situations. Even when they manage to confront this fear, persons with social phobia usually:

  - feel very anxious before the event/outing.

  - feel intensely uncomfortable throughout the event/outing.

  - have lingering unpleasant feelings after the event/outing.

  Social phobia frequently occurs with the following:

  - public speaking

  - meeting people

  - dealing with authority figures

  - eating in public

  - using public restrooms

  Although this disorder is often thought of as shyness, the two are not the same. Shy people can be very uneasy around others, but they do not experience the extreme anxiety in anticipating a social situation--and, they do not necessarily avoid circumstances that make them feel self-conscious. In contrast, people with social phobia are not necessarily shy at all, but can be completely at ease with some people most of the time.

  Most people experiencing social phobia will try to avoid situations that provoke dread or otherwise cause them much distress.

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