Continuing with our articles on phobias, today we bring to you two types: Specific phobias and Social phobias.
Specific phobias:
Specific phobias are the most common mental disorder in women and second most common in men. Males are twice as likely to suffer from specific phobias compared to women.
In case of specific phobias, the brain pairs a specific object or situation with panic or fearful emotions. This leads to a permanent association between the two. Consequently, the person tries to avoid that particular object or situation and a specific phobia is born.
Causes of specific phobias:
- They are genetic in nature and tends to run in families. Immediate family members are thrice as likely to have the same phobia.
- They are commonly seen in alcoholics (10 times more than general population).
Symptoms of specific phobias:
- The presence or thought of a specific object or situation causes an irrational, excessive and persistent fear.
- The person realizes that the fear is unreasonable but feels disturbed and distressed when exposed to it.
- It may lead to anxiety or a panic attack.
Types of specific fears:
Zoophobia or fear of animals appears to be the commonest specific phobia. This includes
- Arachnophobia or fear of spiders.
- Ophidiophobia or fear of snakes
- Herpetophobia or fear of all reptiles
- Ornithophobia or fear of birds
- Apiphobia or fear of bees
Specific phobias related to medicines and hospitals include:
- Nosophobia or fear of having a disease
- Germophobia or fear of germs
- Hemophobia or fear of blood
- Emetophobia or fear of vomiting
- Carcinophobia or fear of getting cancer
- Odontiatophobia or fear of going to the dentist
- Trypanophobia or fear of receiving an injection
Phobias related to the environment include:
- Brontophobia or fear of thunder
- Astraphobia or fear of thunder and lightning
- Nyctophobia or fear of the dark (common in children)
- Acrophobia or fear of heights
Other specific phobias include:
- Aerophobia or fear of flying or being in an aeroplane
- Claustrophobia or fear of enclosed spaces
- Gerontophobia or fear of growing old/old people
- Phartophobia or fear of passing gas in a public place
- Triskaidekaphobia or fear of number 13
- Phasmophobia or fear of ghosts
Treatment for specific phobias:
The most common therapeutic approach is behaviour therapy. It consists of systematic desensitisation, exposure with response prevention and relaxation.
Method of treatment: The patient is exposed to the fear causing object, gradually and repeatedly under a physician’s guidance and is taught to relax under those circumstances.
Drug therapy has no role except to treat co-existing alcoholism or depression.
Social phobias:
Social phobia is the fear of embarrassment in social settings. It is seen more often in females. Glossophobia or fear of public speaking is a common example.
Causes of social phobias:
- They are genetic in nature and tends to run in families. Immediate family members are thrice as likely to have the same phobia.
- Additionally, some hormonal disturbances are thought to occur.
- People who have a timid and mild temperament and who were submissive as children, generally manifest social phobias.
Symptoms of social phobias:
- The origin of fear is internal.
- The person feels uncomfortable in certain social situations and fears that she will act in a way that is embarrassing or humiliating.
- She refuses to be among unfamiliar people where she may be judged or looked down upon.
Treatment for social phobias:
- A dual approach using drugs and psychotherapy is beneficial.
- Some drugs can be taken just before entering a social event while others are advised daily.
- Psychotherapy is the same as outlined in specific phobias.
Written by Dr Nisreen Nakhoda, general physician
Photograph via sxc.hu
