‘whether it is a last effort or a first step, it is the determined life that lives’
©Lives for Living 2011
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Counselling, Psychotherapy & Hypnotherapy
Private Practice, Bolton, Greater Manchester
Lives for Living
Phobic disorders
A phobia is a fear that is out of proportion to the situation that causes it and cannot be explained away. The person typically avoids the feared situation, since this helps to reduce the anxiety.
Some phobias represent heightened normal anxiety towards situations that people are evolutionarily prepared to fear, eg snakes, heights and sharp objects.
In other instances, a phobia may arise by a non-
Phobias typically occur in specific situations, eg a fear of dentists. People experience anticipatory anxiety' when thinking of the situation and so attempt to avoid it. They are common in the general population, but are only severe enough to prove disabling in 2 per cent of people.
Simple phobias are phobias that are specific to objects or situations. Specific phobias include:
- animal phobias (eg, dogs, snakes, spiders): the start of these phobias is often in childhood, usually before the age of seven years.
- blood and injury phobias: the fear of blood tests or the sight of blood that results in fainting.
- vertigo: a fear of heights.
- agoraphobia: an intense fear of leaving the home, being in crowded spaces, travelling on public transport and being in any place that is difficult to leave. Around 75 per cent of sufferers are women, and it occurs in just under 1 per cent of people. Agoraphobia may follow a life event and be associated with a fear of 'what if it comes back while I am away from home'. It commonly occurs with panic attacks. The person may have a panic attack when outside the home and this reinforces the belief that it is safer to stay inside. Agoraphobia is often associated with depression.
- social phobia: a fear of social interaction with others, talking to people, eating, drinking and speaking in public. In contrast to agoraphobia, men and women are affected equally. Many people have a mixture of both agoraphobia and social phobia. Social phobia is also a common symptom of depression.