What are phobias?
Phobias are particular fears that are out of proportion to real dangers. It’s possible to develop a phobia to almost any situation or thing, but the most common include:
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Social phobia – anxiety about how you are seen and judged by other people or fear of being humiliated in social situations or at times when you are on show, speaking or performing in public
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Agoraphobia - the term for phobias such as fear of leaving home; entering shops, crowds and public places or of travelling alone in trains, buses or planes
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Phobias restricted to very specific situations such as fear of heights, spiders, mice, enclosed spaces (claustrophobia), needles, thunder, darkness, flying, dentistry, using public toilets, eating certain foods or the sight of blood or injury
People with a phobia may go to extreme lengths to avoid the object or situation they fear. For example, if you have agoraphobia you may stay inside your house most or all of the time.
The symptoms of your anxiety – such as a racing heart or feeling faint - may be frightening in themselves and these are often associated with secondary fears of dying, losing control, or ‘going mad’.
Strategies to help you cope
You may find it useful to draw up a list of the things or situations that make you anxious. You can then imagine the least frightening while practising relaxation techniques. For example, someone with a phobia for spiders might begin by looking at a picture of a spider and finish by touching a spider, practising relaxation throughout.
With the support of a mental health professional, this technique is usually very successful.
You may prefer to put yourself directly into a situation where you have to face up to your fear, with help and support from a friend or therapist. This is known as exposure treatment. For example, if you are frightened of flying you may only be able to cure your fear by actually getting on to a plane.
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Updated in 2009
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