Specific Phobias
A specific phobia is a condition of extreme fear of a particular object, situation, or activity. These specific phobias can impact various aspects of a person's life, including work, personal life, and social life. There are types of specific phobias; let's understand them with examples below.
Fears of Different Animals
Some people experience certain types of animal fears. The following are the most common known animal fears:
Arachnophobia
People with arachnophobia have a fear of spiders, and they feel excessive fear when they see spiders anywhere. They avoid places where they think the chances are that spiders might be present, such as green areas.
Cynophobia
People with this phobia have a fear of dogs and might panic when they see a dog. They avoid sidewalks and go to friends who have a pet dog.
Entomophobia
It is the intense fear of insects, and people with this phobia become afraid when they see ants and insects near them.
Fear of Natural Situations
There are certain fears related to natural situations and conditions that people usually experience. Most commonly known phobias relating to different situations are:
Acrophobia
People suffering from this phobia have the fear of heights, and they may feel dizzy looking down from a high place. It is a phobia of a specific situation, e.g., acrophobia (fear of heights).
Astrophobia
People with astrophobia feel severe fear of thunder or fear of storms, and they make attempts to avoid them. They quickly close the doors and put the curtains on the windows, turning up the high TV volume to avoid hearing the thundering noise.
Hydrophobia
It is also known as fear of water, people become extremely anxious at the thought of swimming pools, lakes, or oceans. They avoid going to the beaches.
Nyctophobia
The fear of dark makes a person feel very nervous and afraid when the lights are turned off. People with nyctophobia avoid going outside at night and may sleep with a light on.
Fear of Certain Situations
Fear of certain situations or places is also found in people. The fear of certain situations may involve:Claustrophobia
It is the intense fear of places; these places people usually fear are enclosed places, such as using an elevator or any windowless room; people with claustrophobia always avoid tight places.
Aviophobia
It is the overwhelming fear of flying when a person is afraid of getting on a plane due to the fear of plane. Even the thought of traveling by airplane leads to a feeling of discomfort. People with aviophobia become nervous, sweaty, and have a racing heart. Due to having a fear of flying, they avoid traveling by airplane. It is called aviophobia.
Vehophobia
It is an excessive fear of driving in which people avoid driving by themselves and always depend on others for transportation.
Agoraphobia
People with agoraphobia have the fear of crowds and become highly afraid of crowded areas and avoid public places, overcrowded rooms, shopping malls, public transportation, etc. It is known as agoraphobia (fear of crowded situations or areas).
Fears About Health Procedures
Some people are afraid of going through health procedures, which is a form of health procedures phobia. These phobias include:
Trypanophobia
People who suffer from medical phobia develop trypanophobia, which is the extreme fear of injections and needles. People with trypanophobia avoid appointments and refuse to get any needed injections.
Dentophobia
It is an intense fear of teeth treatment or dental procedures; people with dentophobia avoid appointments for dental checkups. They become afraid when they need to visit a dentist for checkups.
Hemophobia
People who feel a high level of fear of blood and injury have hemophobia. They may faint and panic when they see blood or injury.
Fear of Social Situations
Some people also suffer from specific social situations, such as speaking in public, which could have been developed due to various reasons. Most commonly known social situations phobias are:
Glossophobia
People with glossophobia have an intense fear of speaking in public, such as when giving a presentation in a meeting, or fear of speaking in front of people, feeling anxious, shaky voice, and freezing. They avoid public speaking and prefer to stay quiet.
Risk Factors of Specific Phobias
Some common risk factors are mentioned below that can contribute to developing specific phobias.
How Genetics and Environment Affect Phobias
People with a family history of specific phobias are at a higher risk of developing it. Furthermore, environmental factors can also contribute to it. Cultural factors and experiences, such as certain animals, may be considered for fearful impact; e.g., a dog can increase the risk of developing it.
How Traumatic Experiences and Thinking Patterns Influence Phobias
Some traumatic childhood experiences, such as a traumatic experience with a dog, may have a chance to develop a specific phobia, such as Cynophobia (fear of dogs). Facing any trauma, especially in childhood, has a very deep impact on the development of specific phobias.
How can your thinking pattern influence the phobias?
Your way of overthinking about the likelihood of experiencing a fearful situation can lessen the ability to face the situation, cope with challenging situations, and reinforce the specific phobia.
Note: Not all of these risk factors can lead to the development of specific phobias, but they may increase the risk of developing specific phobias. However, understanding the risk factors helps in timely identification and better management.
Managing and Overcoming Specific Phobias
The strategies can be adopted to manage and cope with specific phobias, enhancing your well-being.
How Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Helps
It is an approach that aims to focus on identifying the negative thoughts related to a phobia-provoking stimulus. CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) can help in developing realistic thoughts and acquiring the skills to cope with fears.
Gradual Exposure Therapy
Gradual exposure is a vital component of CBT, it is the way to systematically and gradually expose oneself to the fearful stimulus in a controlled environment. A therapist can help with step-by-step exposure procedures with relaxation techniques in a controlled environment.
Facing Fear with Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET)
It is a technique that uses virtual reality technology to confront a fearful situation. The therapist helps them through gradual desensitization, reducing their fear.
Simple Self-help Tips
Some self-help tips can provide you with benefits in managing phobias. Mindfulness exercise, meditation, and self-monitoring of anxiety levels by listing down the triggering stimuli and situations. These self-help tips can be adopted daily, aiming to reduce the fear.
What We Have Learned
A specific phobia is an excessive fear of a specific situation, stimulus, or activity. People's daily functioning can be impacted, but it can be managed effectively with the help of mental health professionals. A therapist can help you through various techniques that are effective in reducing the fear to efficiently coping with specific phobia.