We explain what a phobia is and some examples of this irrational fear. Also, what are chronic phobias and their treatment.
What is phobia?
Phobia is such an intense fear that the person feels that, if exposed to what they fear, they could die. It is also called a phobia of hatred or antipathy that is felt for a person.
This term comes from the Greek phobos, which means panic, and is associated with fear. Phobos in the Greek mythology he was the son of Ades and the goddess Aphrodite, and he was the very representation of fear.
Phobias are not a rational fear nor do they really represent a danger. These imaginary threats can be seen in animals, situations, things, places and others. According to statistics, one in 20 people suffers from a phobia. On the other hand, it could be that the phobias are genetic, that is, if someone of your family He suffers it, it could be transmitted to him, although it could also happen that the child simply fears what the parents do.
These emotional disorders have their reason in the depths of consciousness, arise from an experience that can be described as traumatic, and are shown through stress and anxiety When that moment arrives, it may even happen that this person shows excessive sweating or presents problems to control the muscles of the extremities.
This happens because the natural reaction of a human being It is running away when you feel threatened, but this situation blocks you mentally in such a way that it prevents you from doing so.
For example, someone with a phobia of spiders (arachnophobia) is not stressed all the weather, but yes when he is in front of an animal of this type. People are aware of their fears, but that does not imply that they can control themselves. They may also experience other sensations or discomforts, such as dizziness, headaches, stomach aches, or nausea.
Examples of phobias
There are many phobias that turn out to be curious and funny due to the improbability of the situation and others that, on the other hand, are more frequent. With the names of each one, the specific origin of that fear is known. Let's see some:
- ailurophobic. He's the one who's afraid of cats.
- acrophobia. It is the fear of heights.
- androphobia. It is the fear of men (this type is one of the least known).
- astraphobia It is the irrational fear of storms.
- cynophobia. It is the fear of a domestic animal that most of us love: dogs.
- nyctophobia It is a fear that we all have when we are little, it is the panic of the dark.
- agoraphobia. It is the fear of leaving home, to public places.
- aporophobia. It is an irrational panic for people living on the streets or in extreme poverty.
- paraskavedekatriaphobia. (Yes, very difficult to read) is the phobia that a person feels towards Friday the 13th.
The Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) defines phobias as “strong and persistent fear that is excessive or irrational, triggered by the presence or anticipation of a specific object or situation", this last prayer It refers to the fact that a person can feel a phobia even if they are not in the presence of what scares them so much. For example, a person with a flying phobia might begin to experience symptoms as early as a day before taking their flight.
Chronic phobias
Phobias could become chronic if they are not treated in time and / or properly. A non-permanent solution to phobias is to avoid facing these situations, but these, being momentary, will only hinder our social life and affect those around us, therefore it is necessary that these fears are faced by looking for the cause, the root of the themselves. This will be possible with therapy sessions with a psychologist or psychiatrist, depending on the severity of the matter.
Treatment for phobias
Clearly this will depend on the evaluation of a professional doctor, not of the people in our environment or of our opinion on the subject. The objective The main treatment you will receive is, in addition to discovering the source of the problem, helping you to overcome it so that you do not repeat this behavior. You will start with the least feared component of the phobia until you reach the greatest cause. One option is also to face real life situations that scare you. Taking some medications such as anxiolytics or antidepressants also helps.
Phobias can cause panic attacks, which is why therapies are accompanied by medications for those. It will also help the phobic patient to exercise regularly, to clear his mind and occupy it in something healthy, sleep the indicated hours (8 hours a day), practice relaxation techniques to put into practice in such a situation (yoga is an activity that it will help), you have to reduce the cups of coffee per day or, if possible, avoid it completely, as well as other stimulants that accelerate us.
All types of phobias have this word at the end of the term, such as agoraphobia, but the word photophobia particularly refers to an eye problem where light causes inflammation and / or dilation of the pupil.