WHAT IS A PHOBIA?
There are all kinds of phobias globally. Some are very severe, while others are just passive ones. But what exactly is a phobia? We hear the word all the time, sometimes used so casually that others may not take it seriously when it confronts the person involved.
The word ‘phobia’ comes from the Greek language phobos, meaning an aversion or fear of something. Harvard Health defines it as “A phobia is a persistent, excessive, unrealistic fear of an object, person, animal, activity or situation. It is a type of anxiety disorder. A person with a phobia either tries to avoid the thing that triggers the fear, or endures it with great anxiety and distress.”
Some phobias are a reaction to an immediate danger, such as acrophobia, a fear of heights, or others where there is no real danger but rather a perceived one such as coulrophobia, a fear of clowns. And while some may sound unrealistic, they aren’t to those that have them. Many phobias can cause anxiety or panic attacks, nausea, profuse sweating, and withdrawal. As this author is claustrophobic, fearing enclosed spaces or crowded places, MRIs are akin to drowning in my perceptions. Although my mind knows there is plenty of air, my body reacts involuntarily to escape. It is not a choice or invented. It is a genuine reaction. The sad part is that I often am not taken seriously, as are many other people with different phobias. No medical exams can determine these irrational fears, so they must be in our minds.
Well, in a sense, it might be. Or it might be other factors. John Hopkins Medicine says that “Research suggests that both genetic and environmental factors contribute to the start of phobias. Certain phobias have been linked to a very bad first encounter with the feared object or situation. Mental health experts don’t know if this first encounter is necessary or if phobias can simply occur in people who are likely to have them.“
One thing is for sure. To those that have these fears, they are very real, and the vast majority cannot overcome them. However, there is a therapy that has proven beneficial for many. It is known as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, whereby the patient is gradually exposed to his or her fear under the therapist’s guidance. By facing the phobia, the goal is to help it to fade. This treatment is accompanied by relaxation and anti-stress techniques as well.
In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), the American Psychiatric Association says that specific phobias typically fall within five general categories:
- fears related to animals (spiders, dogs, insects)
- fears related to the natural environment (heights, thunder, darkness)
- fears related to blood, injury, or medical issues (injections, broken bones, falls)
- fears related to specific situations (flying, riding an elevator, driving)
- other (choking, loud noises, drowning)
What are some of the more common phobias not already mentioned? Here are a few:
- acrophobia, fear of heights
- aerophobia, fear of flying
- agoraphobia, fear of a situation such as public places where escape may be difficult
- arachnophobia, fear of spiders
- astraphobia, fear of thunder and lightning
- autophobia, fear of being alone
- cynophobia, fear of dogs
- dentophobia, fear of dentists
- entomophobia, fear of insects
- glossophobia, fear of public speaking
- hemophobia, fear of blood
- hydrophobia, fear of water
- hypochondria, fear of illness
- mysophobia, fear of germs
- ophidiophobia, fear of snakes
- trypanophobia, fear of injections
And a few of the not-so-well-known ones:
- amaxophobia, fear of riding in a car
- catagelophobia, fear of being ridiculed
- catoptrophobia, fear of mirrors
- equinophobia, fear of horses
- gamophobia, fear of marriage
- mageirocophobia, fear of cooking
- necrophobia, fear of death or dead things
- nyctophobia, fear of the dark
- philematophobia, fear of kissing
- pyrophobia, fear of fire
- samhainophobia, fear of Halloween
- xenophobia, fear of strangers or foreigners
While you may raise an eyebrow at some of them, to those who have any of these or the hundreds of others, it is very real. To those of us with a phobia, it is helpful to know that we are not alone. Phobias are common, and most people have at least one. There are numerous support groups for like-minded individuals with shared phobias, and a consult with a doctor can provide therapy or treatment options to deal with the specific fear.
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