Phobias

What is a phobia?
Phobia is a word which derives from the ancient Greek phobos meaning fear.
Fear is a natural feeling, it is part of human nature. Indeed, it can be useful on occasions: it is part of the fight
or flight response that has helped us to make snap decisions in perilous situations throughout our development
as a species.
Nevertheless, fear is only a useful tool in some situations. In others it can become a crippling emotion. Intense,
irrational fears about specific things or activities (which are, in themselves, not dangerous) can take over a
persons life. These fears are called anxiety disorders and the sufferer will go to enormous lengths to avoid the
thing he/she fears. Sometimes the anxiety can worsen and lead to a panic attack, debilitating the sufferer with
physical symptoms of his/her mental distress.
How do people get phobias?
There are various theories about the onset of phobias. Experiments have been done in which subjects were
conditioned to actually develop phobias about snakes and flowers. Such experiments found that it is easier to
produce a phobia about a snake than a flower so some things really are more scary than others. However, most
experts agree that Specific phobias (fear of dogs, injections, death, etc) are the result of something traumatic
experienced when the sufferer was very young. The reasons for the development of other phobias, such as
Social phobia (which includes fear of speaking in public) and Agoraphobia (fear of open spaces and/or crowded
places), are harder to explain. It is suggested that sufferers may have a genetic predisposition to the condition.
How can people get rid of a phobia?
It is generally agreed that getting rid of a phobia is easier said than done. Experts use a variety of methods, with
mixed results. The benefits of the treatments may often depend on the intensity of the phobia and the type of
individual who is suffering from it. In some cases medication may be used. In others psychotherapy may be
effective. Often one is used in conjunction with the other.
Some therapies involve repeatedly exposing the sufferer to the stimulus in an effort to desensitize him/her. Thus
the phobic response will be weakened, the anxiety diluted. Some experts recommend Cognitive Behavioural
Therapy (known as CBT). This therapy helps the sufferer to understand the thought processes which produce
the phobic response and enables him/her to alter the debilitating train of thought. CBT claims a high success
rate. Hypnotherapy can also be used as an aid to affecting the negative associations which set off the phobic
persons panic response.
When is a phobia not a phobia?
A phobia is not a phobia when it is a prejudice or dislike. For example, homophobia is defined as fear or
dislike of homosexual people. Likewise, xenophobia is a fear or dislike of strangers. These phobias are not
anxiety disorders.